Power Generation and Heat Transfer
Daniel Cohen
Market Developer - Dow Glycol Heat Transfer Fluids
Power generation is a critical facet of our day-to-day infrastructure, and no process is more common that the combined cycle power plant. Heat transfer is essential in maximizing efficiency in a modern power plant, and more often than not facilities choose to save a penny today at the cost of a dollar tomorrow. Don't jeopardize critical glycol equipment with cheap, bargain brand fluids. Trust the Dow Thermal Fluids.
Your Equipment is Too Critical To Risk
Preheaters
Economizers
Evaporators
Superheaters
Boilers
Chillers
Condensers
Chill Loops
Jacketed Vessels
Heat Tracing
Recovery Steam Generators
Secondary Loops
The Risk of 'Home-Brew' Glycols
Not every power generation facility has access to its own demineralized water, so when you need a pre-mixed delivery of inhibited glycol, ‘home brews’ that try to copy Dow’s Dowfrost or Dowtherm prove inadequate with soluble salts like chlorides, sulfates, and bicarbonates that cause corrosion, or hard water salts like calcium, magnesium and iron that cause scale and additive precipitation.
‘Home brews’ are also notorious for being produced from recycled or non-virgin glycol. The clear lack of back integration shows how far the ‘home brews’ are behind Dow’s Dowfrost and Dowtherm inhibited glycols. You just spent close to a billion dollars on an 800-megawatt pair of power blocks, and in selecting a ‘home brew’ you have now condemned your glycol to reduced fluid lifetime, corrosion, odor, and degradation.
Why use Dow Glycol?
Dow has more than 80 years' worth of experience with high quality performance glycols. The proven performance and track record speaks for itself, but a picture is worth a thousand words. The image below details the level of corrosion between plain water, un-inhibited "Home brew" Propylene Glycol, and Dowfrost HD with Proper Corrosion Inhibited package. The carbon steel tube is placed in a sealed jar and kept in an oven at 70°F for 5 years. Don't subject your system to uninhbited fluids and create a headache down the line.
