Wednesday 10 May 2017

Tips on working with hot oil systems

Having good hot oil heating system and any other thermal fluid heating system requires selecting an efficient system as well as implementing safe handling procedures and methods, and regular, proper maintenance practices.

Surrey heating services and gas engineers Surrey will tell you that it is important to have a heating system that is specifically designed for your facility in order to meet process needs. For systems that operate with a bulk temperature of above 500 degrees Farads, it is advisable to use an insulated gas blanket expansion tank. Where the temperature is below that but above 140 degrees Farads, it is advisable to have a cold seal pot.

Designing, building and operating an oil heat transfer system requires careful planning from the word go, in order to end up with a cost-effective system that fulfills its mandate.

Here are tips on how to go about it:

1. Plan the layout: There are endless options when it comes to layouts, and do not pick any layout for your factory. You can work with typical layouts from Surrey heating services or a Gas engineer in Surrey, and they can help you select the best for your circumstances.

2. Select components wisely: The components to select include valves, pumps, piping, threaded installations and flanges. Others are nuts, gaskets, insulation and studs. You need to go for components designed to meet your system's temperature level. Other factors to consider include careful selection of material and features for each component: for instance flanges should be of 300 lb forged steel construction, insulation can either be Calcium silicate or fiberglass rated to 850 degrees Farads, and pipes should have back-welded connections or having thread sealants.

3. Safety: Surrey heating services and gas engineers in Surrey will consider the potential of fire in the design. Laboratory testing of unused fluid is used to determine flashpoint and fire point of the system. They mainly use ASTM D92 Cleveland Open Cup (COC) method. They will put into consideration all the conditions that should help prevent vapor ignition. In addition, they must check that there are no leaks because they can present danger for fire.

Engineers also think about catastrophic equipment failure to prevent dangers and downtime. Proper design, operation and maintenance should eliminate that.

Engineers will also train your staff with regard to maintenance, storing the fluid, filling the system with fluid and removing air pockets to ensure safe fluid handling.