Selecting the right thermal control unit for an industrial process application can be daunting prospect.

There are several important parameters of the fluid property, which play role in selecting the system. The main ones include:

• Vapour pressure at the high end of the fluids temperature range
• Specific heat and density of the fluid over the full temperature operating range
• Mass balance between cold and hot loops
• Viscosity and the pumps performance ability when operating at the low end of the range
• Reduction in total cost of operations
• Available of suitable supplier technical support: Applying a safe Boiling Point Safety Margin 

It is critical to manage heat transfer between the two interconnected systems. The rate of heat transfer from reactor to the fluid in the jacket of the reactor depends on flow rate of the heat transfer fluid, temperature difference between the fluid and reaction mass, and properties of the fluid.

This fluid then exchanges the heat with steam or other cooling fluids in the heat exchangers of the single fluid system. These heat exchanges should be sized considering the heat transfer rate for the reactors. Since the system is a closed loop system, expansion tanks are to be provided to take care of density variation of the heat transfer fluid at high and low temperature to ensure the system is always flooded but not over-pressurised.

Sunrax Process Technologies are a company that has won favour with many clients across different industrial sectors because of their extensive process knowledge of complex single fluid heat transfer systems (SFHTS's). The team at Sunrax provide a turnkey service covering all aspects of SFHTS from design to commissioning to exacting standards and international specifications. The most common fluids used with such systems include;

• Purified water
• Glycol solutions
• Synthetic organic fluids
• Silicone fluids

For further information, please contact the Stanseals

Single fluid heat transfer systems are normally connected to either a single stainless steel reactor or glass lined reactor.

Accordingly the temperature of the system varies according to the process requirements. The key to success is to maintain a constant temperature difference between the process and fluid temperature thereby giving precise control over heating and cooling rate.

Temperature control is one critical process parameter.  Another is the heating and cooling rate/time. By controlling the critical process parameters batch to batch consistency and higher yield will result.

Applications for single fluid heat transfer systems are typically found at very high temperature reactions since after the reaction the reaction mixture temperature has to be brought down to the room temperature. Gradual cooling is feasible by selecting the heat transfer area of the secondary system.

Manufactures, such as Sunrax Process Technologies, provide single fluid heat transfer systems (SFHTS's) as a skid mounted system with PLC-based control. The system can also be designed for specific applications and engineered and built incorporating heat exchangers, pumps, sensors, instrumentation and wiring. Multi temperature single fluid systems are also used to cater to various reactors, where the facility has more than one reactor operating at single temperature range.

There are many advantages of SFHTS's over conventional process heating and cooling solutions. As such, they are found operating with the correct fluid in many modern processes in the Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Petrochemical, Fertiliser, Food, Beverage and Oil and Gas industry sectors. 

Contact Stanseals for further information