Heat transfer fluids are fluids used in equipment and systems to, as the name suggests, transfer heat. The most commonly used heat transfer fluids are water and air and they are used in a wide variety of applications throughout the heating, air conditioning and refrigeration industries, as well as in solar energy systems and the automotive industry as an antifreeze.
In the air conditioning and refrigeration industries they are used as secondary refrigerants as they are a more environmentally friendly alternative to greenhouse gases, and they also significantly reduce the refrigerant charge in the primary circuit.
Water is an excellent heat transfer fluid but requires the use of another fluid, such as glycols or organic salts, in order to improve several of its properties, such as:
- Increasing the boiling point from 100 ºC and lowering the freezing point from 0 ºC.
- Minimising the occurrence of corrosion.
- Improving its chemical stability.
Gas Servei offers monoethylene glycol (MEG) and monopropylene glycol (MPG) with corrosion inhibitors, in addition to organic salt solutions.
