{"id":10338,"date":"2024-12-13T12:03:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T11:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tempco.it\/blog\/?p=10338"},"modified":"2024-12-13T12:03:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T11:03:13","slug":"thermoregulation-units-what-determines-the-choice-of-carrier-fluids-in-tcu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tempco.it\/blog\/en\/10338\/thermoregulation-units-what-determines-the-choice-of-carrier-fluids-in-tcu\/","title":{"rendered":"Thermoregulation units, what determines the choice of carrier fluids in TCU"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let’s start a series of videos focused on the characteristics and peculiarities of thermoregulation units<\/strong><\/a>. First of all, what is a thermoregulation unit.<\/p>\n

These are thermal machines, someone calls them boilers, others call them TCU, thermal control units<\/strong>. In fact these are equipments that include a circulating pump, a heating system and a cooling circuit system<\/strong> and an electrical panel with a PID controller that maintains a fluid at a certain controlled temperature. This fluid is then aimed at regulating the temperature of a downstream industrial process<\/strong>. Overall, TCU are utilities serving industrial production processes.<\/p>\n

There are several kinds of thermoregulating units, as seen in other videos: in Tempco we engineer thermoregulating units with electric heating<\/a>, with steam heating<\/strong> as well as using different kinds of cooling systems.<\/p>\n

But here let’s focus more on the topic of the fluids employed as carrier fluids<\/strong>, in other words, on the topic of the monofluid<\/a>. Based on the project temperature level<\/strong> at which they are design to operate with, these units can employ a wide range of different kind of fluids: water<\/strong> for example at ambient temperature, and therefore with not pressurized circulating systems; pressurized water<\/strong>, when temperatures involved are up to 130-140\u00b0 C<\/strong>; water with anti freeze<\/strong> additives, such as glycol, mono ethylene or propylene glycol, in case the temperature range starts with temperatures under 0\u00b0 C<\/strong>; silicone oils or special oils<\/strong>, when the temperature range start under 0\u00b0 C but we have to reach very high temperatures, and we also have to guarantee and maintain a smooth flow, with a low viscosity; and eventually, when working temperatures rise up, we can switch to diathermic oils<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Using diathermic oil<\/a>, there are two kind of units<\/strong>: a first one that enables to reach temperatures up to 180\u00b0 C<\/strong>, typically realized using sophisticated components of a certain kind, such as pumps with mechanical seals; or otherwise diathermic oil for temperatures up to 300-320\u00b0 C<\/strong>. In this case, components are even more sophisticated, using for example magnetic drive pumps.<\/p>\n

What determines the selection of a carrier fluid instead of another? As already said, it depends on the design range of temperature<\/strong>. Which means, with low temperature<\/strong>, glycol and anti freeze, water in case of ambient temperatures, up to 130\u00b0 C<\/strong>; extreme temperatures<\/strong>, which means from -20 or -30\u00b0 C up to high temperatures, silicone fluids or special fluids, typically oils; and finally, for very high temperatures, up to 180-300\u00b0 C<\/strong>, diathermic oils.<\/p>\n