The question of the hear transfer fluid / coolant for the heating system arises in cases where the heating circuit, part of it or the entire building can cool down to temperatures below 00C in winter.
Such situations occur often:
- A summer house that is not inhabited during the cold season.
- An enterprise that does not work all the time.
- Power outages that lead to the cessation of heating and circulation in the circuit, etc.
So, the coolant in the heating system must operate at sub-zero temperatures. It is obvious why water cannot be such a coolant. At low temperatures, it will not only stop pumping, because it will turn into ice, but also, due to expansion, can damage pipes and equipment.
Heating systems are a traditional area of application for glycol-based coolants. They reliably cover the required temperature range.
The lower temperature limit is the lowest temperature to which the coolant (circuit, building) can freeze. Often, this figure is taken to be an extremely low winter temperature. Based on the current climate of Ukraine, the most common value today is -300C. However, the consumer can resolve this issue in favor of another value ( -200C, -150C, ... ), for example, assuming that the house will not cool down excessively in half a day of no electricity.
The upper temperature limit is the highest temperature possible in the heating system. Without going into the analysis of different types of systems, let's immediately clarify that glycol-based coolants can operate normally until they begin to boil. Here we should focus on the value of +1000C, since a significant part of the glycol coolant is water.
So, in this way the consumer is determined by the temperature interval in which the coolant in his heating system should operate.
The next question is whether corrosion inhibitors are needed in the coolant for the heating system. Our answer is definitely necessary. With increasing temperature, the corrosion rate increases rapidly. Therefore, ferrous and non-ferrous metals of the heating system need reliable protection.
And finally: which glycol base to choose - ethylene glycol or propylene glycol? Here you need to proceed from the purpose of the building and the toxicological characteristics of glycols. Remember that ethylene glycol is moderately toxic (although cheaper), and propylene glycol is safe for living beings and the environment. Therefore, in facilities where people are constantly present (residential buildings, office buildings, shopping centers, etc.), propylene glycol-based coolants should be preferred. If, for example, we are talking about an automated production workshop, then you can also operate a coolant based on ethylene glycol, applying certain safety measures.
To summarize: choosing a coolant for a heating system requires some attention and time.
Contact our company, and experienced specialists will help you make the right choice from a wide range of coolants produced by Stron LLC.
