(Part 9 of the About Paratherm series)

Greetings from Paratherm,

System Cleaners:  Designed for specific needs, conditions, and chemistries

Paratherm manufactures 3 system-cleaning products for use in thermal-fluid heaters and systems. These products fit into two product types based on how they are used:

  1. Additive Cleaners.  Add as 5-10% of your system volume to clean a system while it runs.
  2. Off-line Cleaner.  Shut down. Drain fluid, fill with cleaner, circulate, drain, flush and recharge. Resume operation.

When You Need a Cleaner

In a well-designed and maintained system, operating within the design parameters of the fluid and the equipment, normal wear and tear on the fluid won't lead to conditions where a cleaner will be needed.  At least not for several years of operation.

But when conditions are less than ideal, two types of deposits can form in the system, and undermine the efficient transfer of heat, also affecting productivity.  

  • Sludge forms as a result of oxidation, when air contacts hot fluid.  Sludge is usually loose, non-adherent to the interior metal of the system, and gathers in dead spots where flow is slow or non-turbulent, or in the expansion tank or reservoir. Sludge, as a product of oxidation, is acidic.
  • Fouling formation is related to heating, and thus is usually found adhered to heated surfaces, and most often is related to overheating.  Fouling, also called coking, is carbonous. 
Fouling can follow from sludging, when the acidic sludge deteriorates more readily than healthy fluid in contact with the heated surfaces.
 
If you have visible evidence of either fouling or sludge, or deteriorating performance of the equipment that you can't explain otherwise, you may need a system cleaner.
 
     
Sludge in a Pipe Paratherm LC Additive System Cleaner Paratherm SC In-Place System Cleaner
 
System Cleaners from Paratherm Corporation
 
Paratherm LC™ Additive System Cleaner Liquid
  •  Restores System Performance
  • Dissolves Sludge as System Runs
  • Minimal Downtime
  • Compatible with any Mineral-Oil Based Fluid
Paratherm AC™ (Aromatic) Additive System Cleaner Liquid
  • Compatible with any Synthetic/Organic Based Fluid
  • Dissolves Sludge as System Runs
  • Minimal Downtime
  • Restores System Performance

Paratherm SC® In Place System Cleaner Liquid
  • Disintegrates Carbon Lumps
  • Works Cold or Warm
  • Compatible with Any Mineral Oil
  • Can Clean Small Systems Overnight
  

For further information on any of these System Cleaning Products, call Paratherm   

toll free at (800) 222-3611 in the US and Canada, at +1   
610-941-4900 for international inquiries.

For your convenience, in case you missed any, here are the previous messages in this series:

Monthly TipSheet for Hot Oil System Users

December 2012 Chemical Engineering Article, Troubleshooting HTF Systems

Paratherm's Unsubmerged Info Blog

The Paratherm Sales and Support Team

Heat Transfer Fluids: A User's Guide

The Fluids: Paratherm's Line of Thermal Fluids

Services for Hot-Oil Users

Best Regards,

 
Ryan Ritz, Sales Engineer
Paratherm — Heat Transfer Fluids
31 Portland Road
West Conshohocken PA  19428 USA
610-941-4900  phone  610-941-9191 fax

P.S.  For detailed information about a fluid, a cleaner, or a service, call us toll-free at +1 (800) 222-3611 or +1 610-941-4900. Or, send an email to me at rritz@paratherm.com.  You can also always hit REPLY and I'll get your message.

And if you'd like to learn more about Paratherm and Heat Transfer Fluid Technology in general, click here to receive the series About Paratherm.