Whether its an industrial complex or a large-scale kitchen, specialised processes require specialised equipment to be done properly, efficiently and effectively.
So many processes across a number of industries are extremely reliant on the production and transfer of heat, which makes it essential for these business managers and owners to source heating equipment that is fit, both for the job at hand, and the environment it is being done in.
In such cases there needs to be precision when it comes to temperature control, heat needs to be generated consistently and efficiently, it needs to be done cost-effectively, and the solution needs to be robust enough to offer an extended lifespan.
If these are things that your facility has been having trouble with, have you considered making use of industrial oil heaters to get the job done?
If not, here is a little information on what they are, which industries make the most use of them, how they can benefit your plant, as well as the different types of thermal oil heaters that your business can make use of.
So, let’s get started by taking a closer look at what exactly industrial oil heaters are:
What is Industrial Thermal Oil Heaters?
Industrial oil heaters work off of the principle of heat transfer, whereby one fluid is heated through heaters containing mineral oil that we call ‘heat transfer oil’.
This is important for a number of different types of industrial processes, and these types of heaters provide a more efficient, reliable and economical way for facilities to do this.
Because the oil used in these devices is excellent for conducting heat, they offer a more streamlined way for plants other industrial facilities to produce exceptionally high temperatures that can be converted into thermal energy at temperatures exceeding 300 to 450°C.
This provides a number of unique advantages to the businesses that use industrial oil heaters for their production tasks, but we will explore these advantages in depth a little later.
For now, however, let’s move on to the types of industries that make use of this equipment.
Industries that Commonly Use Thermal Oil Heaters
The applications for industrial oil heaters are practically endless, they have their place in a wide range of different types of industries; though are usually best suited to businesses that take on extremely large-scale production tasks, and so need reliability and economy in equal measure.
We will focus our attention on three industries that make the most use of them.
These are the petrochemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and large-scale kitchens.
The Petrochemical Industry
The petrochemical is highly reliant on two things to ensure that most of their processes are conducted properly.
Firstly, there needs to be the presence of high temperatures for synthesising and extracting materials from crude oil; such as gasoline and glycol.
The second thing that’s really important for businesses in these industries, is to be able to take absolute control over the production of high temperatures, which is something that industrial oil heaters offer to a great degree.
This allows them to not only get better control over the quality of the final product but also ensures that they are able to maintain a safe working environment for employees and the facility itself, by minimising the risk of accidents.
This is particularly due to the fact that thermal oil heaters operate at low pressures, which makes them much safer than other industrial heating solutions.
The Pharmaceutical Industry
Much like the petrochemical industries, the pharmaceutical ones are highly reliant on heat production for even their most basic of processes.
When working in a pharmaceutical environment, being able to get strict control over heat levels during production tasks is an absolute necessity, since the chemical nature of these tasks requires a reliable supply of thermal energy, and the need to control it to the last degree, industrial oil heaters are an essential component of any pharmaceutical production plant.
Large-Scale Kitchens
In large-scale kitchens, the type that produces massive quantities of produce; particularly those that make use of baking and frying equipment, also need to be able to enact pin-point control over the supply of thermal energy to their facility.
In such situations, industrial oil heaters offer a number of unique advantages and features. Much like in other industries, the levels of control over thermal energy are invaluable, if not essential.
The efficiency at which heat can be produced also makes for a more cost-effective facility, considering the amount of heat required by baking and frying equipment on an industrial scale.
Thirdly, the fact that an industrial oil heater can be centralised to provide thermal energy to a number of appliances at once, allows for a more cohesive production environment, and further cuts the cost of heating equipment.
Of course, these aren’t the only types of industries that can benefit from using thermal oil heaters, there are hundreds, if not thousands of different industries that rely on the use of thermal energy.
From manufacturing to engineering and construction, thermal oil heaters have their place in many different settings.
The Advantages of Thermal Oil Heaters
With all of this in mind, it is getting easier to see just how beneficial industrial oil heaters can be for just about any business.
So, let’s take a moment to explore some of the most noticeable differences that these heaters can make to your business right now.
These include pin-point control over the supply of thermal energy to your facility, the consistent and long-lasting heat that these heaters can provide, the fact that they are robust and long-lasting, and how they can amplify the safety and cost-effectiveness of your facility as a whole.
Precision Temperature Control
Few heating solutions, those that are fit for industrial-scale operations, offer the same levels of control that industrial oil heaters do.
This is particularly the case when it comes to other fluids being heated by coming into direct contact with a thermal oil heater.
This degree of control can be further amplified by investing in additional components for your systems such as thermocouples and safety shut-off switches. But even without them, the fact that heat is transferred using mineral oils makes it far easier to achieve greater accuracy with exact controls over temperatures.
Consistent Heating During Processes
The use of mineral oils gives industrial oil heaters another advantage, it allows higher temperatures to be generated at lower pressures. This essentially allows for more efficient heating, so that it can be done in less time.
These temperatures are also maintained for longer, making for more consistent and reliable heating processes. This ensures that facilities only expend resources while generating heat, and won’t have to keep doing it throughout the process since temperatures will remain constant for longer.
The knock-back of this is fewer resources being spent on heating, which can save a facility a lot of money over a long period of time.
Long-Lasting
The next massive advantage to making use of industrial oil heaters is that they are remarkably tough, which is essential for the often-gruelling conditions that equipment needs to be able to perform under in any industrial setting.
Thanks to their use of mineral oils, these types of heaters are exceptionally resistant to galvanic corrosion, which often becomes a problem when metallic, electrical equipment is used with water.
Galvanic corrosion can utterly destroy the structural integrity of metallic equipment, which makes this an invaluable advantage for many businesses.
In addition to corrosion resistance, these types of heaters operate under fairly low levels of pressure, which is something not often shared by other forms of heating solutions. This makes them less likely to incur damage over time and use, especially when compared to other heating solutions.
Cost-Effective
All of the above advantages boil down to better cost-effectiveness for the facilities that make use of industrial oil heaters, and there are a few reasons for this.
Firstly, facilities will be consuming far less energy, and so will be spending less on it over time. The difference in power costs is often immediately noticeable, but when looked at over time, can accrue to massive savings on power alone.
The second way that it makes a facility more cost-effective is in the way that it makes for more efficient processes.
Less time will be spent on actually generating heat so that processes can begin in less time. This means that there will be a boost in productivity, which translates to an increase in overall profitability.
Enhanced Safety
Another important advantage that results from the above ones, is that of improved safety within a facility. This is tied directly to the robustness of industrial oil heaters.
By using them, you will have less chance of failures that could present dangers to your facility and personnel.
For instance, they are far less likely to leak or burst from excessive pressure.
They will not corrode unexpectedly and allow for a bit of space to be put between operators and heat sources.
This is even more so for those systems that use electronic or digital controls to be operated since operators will not have to put themselves into harm’s way when working with them.
Types of Thermal Oil Heaters
You might be wondering how your business can get started benefiting from using industrial oil heaters for your facility’s processes. But before you get started, it is good to know that you have a choice between types.
The two we will discuss here are the most frequently used thermal oil heaters, and their differences concern their ignition or power sources.
Naturally, these can be considered fuel-powered thermal oil heaters, and electric oil heaters.
Fuel-Type Oil Heaters
Fuel oil heaters create thermal energy by leveraging off of combustible fuels such as petrol, diesel or biofuel.
The heat generated from burning these fossil fuels is then transferred to the mineral oils within the heater to be distributed.
This has the advantage of making your facility less reliant on the power grid for your operations (or your generators if you already have an answer to load shedding).
Electric Oil Heaters
Electric oil heaters offer another option for facilities but is reliant on the supply of electricity to be able to work. These types of heaters convert electrical energy into thermal energy by powering an element.
This element produces high levels of heat that can be transferred to the oil in the heater so that it can be distributed throughout your facility.
While this leaves your facility reliant on a power grid, it also offers a more cost-effective approach. This is because, generally speaking, it is cheaper to make use of the municipal supply of power, than it is to consume fossil fuels.
Contact Cape Boiler & Heater Co, for Details
There are plenty of excellent advantages to be had by investing in an industrial oil heater for your facility.
If you would like to know more about how your business can cut costs, build reliability and ensure the safety of its personnel through the use of these thermal oil heaters, be sure to get into contact with a representative from the Cape Boiler & Heater Co.today or visit our website for additional information on our offers.
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