Tempco Blog articles

Preventive maintenance and the importance of alarms in thermoregulation

30/05/2025

Images of ordinary maintenance of thermoregulation systems… or rather, not exactly ordinary, luckily. In this case, it is true to say that we found ourselves in front of electric heaters that had literally ‘exploded’.

L'immagine mostra un riscaldatore elettrico scoppiato, durante intervento di manutenzione su un termoregolatore

This happened because the user had committed a serious imprudence: following the intervention of the high temperature safety thermostat, he had in fact ignored the alarm ‘bypassing’ it. The alarm was caused by poor oil circulation, for reasons related to fouling of the plant.

The scarce oil circulation therefore caused the intervention of the maximum temperature thermostat. By bypassing it, the customer caused the electrical resistances to break. Fortunately, everything was resolved with a shutdown of the thermoregulator, but the imprudence could have had even more serious consequences, for example if the oil had caught fire…

L'immagine mostra il dettaglio di un riscaldatore elettrico scoppiato, durante intervento di manutenzione su un termoregolatore

Preventive maintenance, evaluation of the manufacturer’s alarms, requesting the intervention of the service or telephone assistance, would have prevented everything.

L'immagine mostra il dettaglio di una resistenza elettrica scoppiata, durante intervento di manutenzione su un termoregolatore

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PCHE heat exchangers, multi-stream solution for interstage cooling

23/05/2025

Following with the series of articles on multi-stage compressors, PCHE (Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers) heat exchangers represent a cutting-edge solution for interstage cooling, capable of managing complex flows in a compact design. Their multi-stream structure allows indeed for the integration of multiple heat flows in a single device, reducing space and complexity.

Critical advantages of PCHEs:
1. High thermal efficiency:
◦ Microstructured channels that maximize heat transfer.
◦ Reduction of energy losses.
2. Compactness:
◦ Extremely compact design, ideal for systems with limited space.
3. Resistance to extreme conditions:
◦ Designed to handle high pressures and temperatures, making them perfect for applications with hydrogen and other technical gases.
4. Versatility:
◦ Possibility of integrating multiple heat flows in a single device, reducing the number of equipment required.

L'immagine mostra la struttura a microcanali delle piastre negli scambiatori PCHE ideali per applicazioni di raffreddamento multi-stream

Microchannels pattern in the plates of PCHE heat exchangers

Disadvantages:
• High initial cost:
◦ PCHEs require a higher initial investment compared to traditional solutions.
• Clean or filtered fluids:
◦ Cleaning of microstructured channels may require specific techniques, so it is preferable to have filtered or otherwise clean fluids

Why then choose PCHEs? Despite the disadvantages, PCHE exchangers represent a strategic choice for critical applications where efficiency, compactness and resistance are essential. In particular, in the hydrogen sector, PCHEs offer a competitive advantage in terms of performance and sustainability, becoming a key technology for the energy transition.

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Revamping and corrosion protection of cooling radiators in marine installation

16/05/2025

The images of a recent replacement and revamping intervention that we carried out in Tempco for a system installed in a marine climate speak for themselves: in a marine environment, with exposure to aggressive agents, the correct protection of the radiator fin pack is crucial to ensure the necessary duration and operational reliability of the cooling system.

The photos taken before the replacement intervention show very clearly the state of serious corrosion of the radiator thermal transfer pack fins.

L'immagine mostra radiatori installati in ambiente marino con corrosione del pacco alettato

L'immagine mostra in dettaglio lo stato dei radiatori installati in ambiente marino con corrosione del pacco alettato

L'immagine mostra radiatori di raffreddamento installati in ambiente marino con corrosione del pacco alettato

L'immagine mostra il sito di installazione in ambiente marino di radiatori di raffreddamento con corrosione del pacco alettato

We therefore proceeded to replace and revamp the system, installing thermal exchange batteries with a special ELECTROFIN treatment. The ElectroFin treatment is a special anti-corrosion protective coating that is applied by electrodeposition, which ensures the correct protection of the fin pack from the aggressive agents to which the systems and equipment are exposed in a saline/marine environment.

L'immagine mostra radiatori di raffreddamento con trattamento ElectroFin per protezione dalla corrosione del pacco alettato in ambiente marino
L'immagine mostra l'intervento di sostituzione e revamping di radiatori di raffreddamento con trattamento ElectroFin per protezione dalla corrosione del pacco alettato in ambiente marino

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Safe, reliable and efficient thermoregulation in ATEX Zone

09/05/2025

Temperature control units are essential to ensure precise temperature control in industrial processes. But what happens when these unitas must be installed in ATEX classified environments, where the risk of explosive atmospheres is real? In these cases, the design must meet stringent requirements to ensure safety, reliability and operational efficiency.

There are therefore several challenges for temperature control in ATEX environments:
1. Potentially explosive atmospheres
◦ Flammable dust, gases and vapours can trigger explosions when combined with sparks or overheating.
2. Regulatory compliance
◦ The temperature control units must comply with the ATEX directives (2014/34/EU) and have adequate certifications.
3. Protection from overtemperatures and overheating
◦ The design must avoid the risk of hotspots or ignition sources.

L'immagine mostra il pannello di controllo di una centralina di termoregolazione per ambiente Atex

The key design elements in this type of temperature control unit thus involve a series of elements:
– Safe materials and cases
• Watertight stainless steel or aluminum structures to prevent accumulation of dust and gas, in any case ‘certified’.
– Intrinsically Safe control systems
• Electronics and sensors designed to operate in Ex ia (intrinsically safe) regime.
• Use of components certified for ATEX Zone 1 or Zone 2.
– Explosion-proof components
• Use of certified ATEX electrical panels.
• Wiring and connections with special sheaths and certified flame-retardant cables.

Immagine che mostra una centralina di termoregolazione Tempco per ambienti Atex a rischio esplosivo

A properly designed ATEX control unit for use in potentially explosive environments therefore offers a series of advantages:

Guaranteed safety: elimination of ignition risks.
Energy efficiency: optimization of consumption and reduction of waste.
Operational reliability: continuity of operation in critical environments.
Regulatory compliance: compliance with ATEX directives and reduced legal risks.

In conclusion, thermoregulation in ATEX environments is a challenge that requires expertise and specialized technologies. An accurate design of the control units not only ensures maximum safety, but also contributes to improving the performance and durability of industrial plants.
Are you ready to optimize temperature control in your ATEX environments? Discover Tempco solutions for industrial thermoregulation.

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Different traditional and advanced solutions for interstage cooling in compressors

02/05/2025

We continue to talk about multistage compressors, following a first article in which we illustrated the main functions and applications in the production and treatment of technical gases, such as air and hydrogen. Another key point in this type of compressors concerns interstage cooling, a fundamental component in multistage compressors to keep the temperature under control and ensure optimal performances.

There are in particular different technological solutions for interstage cooling, each with specific characteristics and advantages.

The image shows an example of a plant for the production of technical gases where the interstage cooling of the compressors can be obtained with different types of exchangers

The most traditional solutions use different types of heat exchangers:
1. Shell and tube heat exchangers:
◦ Robust and suitable for managing large volumes of gas.
◦ Limited in terms of compactness and thermal efficiency.
2. Plate heat exchangers:
◦ Compact and offering high efficiency.
◦ Less suitable for high pressure applications.

Then there are new advanced solutions, which use innovative types of PCHE exchangers:
• PCHE (Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers) or microstructured exchangers:
◦ Innovative solutions that integrate multiple thermal flows, ideal for gases such as hydrogen.

Comparing these different exchangers technologies, when designing an optimal interstage cooling system with multistage compressors, is essential to choose the most suitable solution for each industrial application.

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Innovative solutions for the Hydrogen industry, from production to storage and distribution

24/04/2025

Visitors to the fourth edition of Hydrogen Expo, in Piacenza from 21 to 23 May 2025, will be able to see firsthand the technological developments that all major suppliers of components and systems are developing for the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen is a key resource for decarbonisation and the transition to a more efficient and sustainable green industry.

Electrolysers, fuel cells and hydrogen refueling stations impose very challenging requirements, new and special for the industrial sector, which depending on the operating principle of the different technologies may involve resistance to very high pressures, high temperatures and compatibility of the materials used with corrosive fluids.

L'immagine mostra il banner di presentazione della Hydrogen Expo di Piacenza, fiera dedicata alle tecnologie per l'industria dell'idrogeno

The hydrogen molecule in particular is very small, posing an unprecedented challenge to the sealing technologies and components of systems. Several companies have developed specific technologies for hydrogen technologies in their range of solutions. For example, Parker Hannifin has developed a range of sealing solutions designed to meet the special requirements of hydrogen electrolysers and fuel cells, in particular for the reliable sealing of bipolar plates, essential components of the units responsible for the chemical reaction. Here the bipolar plates act as connecting elements between the individual cells, not only to distribute and cool the unit, but also to seal it and protect it from the external environment.

Henkel, a well-known manufacturer of industrial adhesives, has also recently launched a new range of sealing fittings, specifically designed and optimized for the sealing of threaded fittings for hydrogen, able to guarantee the safety requirements and outstanding performance in critical environments such as hydrogen systems.

A range of innovative technologies and solutions that promote the development and expansion of the hydrogen economy, ensuring efficiency, operational reliability of systems throughout the supply chain, including production, distribution, storage and use of hydrogen. The latest innovations for the hydrogen industry will therefore be the focus of to the May appointment with Hydrogen Expo in Piacenza, an event in which Microchannel Devices, Tempco’s partner for PCHE heat exchangers technology, will also participate, showing the advantages of these exhangers for hydrogen applications at the company’s stand on Pad 1, B118.

L'immagine mostra il logo di Microchannel Devices, azienda partner di Tempco che porterà in mostra scambiatori PCHE per idrogeno alla fiera Hydrogen Expo di Piacenza

Tempco offers various specific plate heat exchangers solutions for hydrogen applications, both in the process area, with special brazed plate exchangers that can withstand operating pressures of up to 140 bar – also used for CO2 -; and in the distribution of hydrogen with the innovative PCHE exchangers, obtained by diffusion bonding technology and photoetching of the plates.

These special production techniques employed for printed circuit heat exchangers allow, in particular, to obtain a monolithic heat transfer pack with very high mechanical resistance and to realize customizable layouts of the thermal transfer microcircuits. This allows for the creation of PCHE even in multistream mode, ideal for cooling different gas streams in multi-stage compressors typically used at hydrogen fuelling stations.

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Thermoregulation in carbon fiber composite materials molding

18/04/2025

Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials are a high-performance material in terms of resistance combined with lightness and ductility that is widely used in the automotive sector, especially for parts and components in supercars and motorsport, as we have already often discussed in the past.

Even in this kind of production process, temperature control is a crucial step in the molding of composite materials such as carbon fiber, for a variety of fundamental reasons:

1. Product quality: temperature directly affects the quality of the final product. A correct temperature ensures that the resin used in the composite polymerizes uniformly, avoiding defects such as air bubbles, delaminations or weak points that could compromise the structural integrity of the component.

L'immagine mostra un esempio di componente in materiale composito con fibra di carbonio, la cui produzione richiede un controllo della temperatura molto fine

2. Production cycles: precise temperature control can optimize production cycles, reducing curing times and increasing efficiency. Too low temperatures will lengthen curing times, while too high temperatures can cause material degradation.

3. Mechanical properties: the mechanical properties of the composite, such as strength and stiffness, are highly dependent on the temperature profile during the molding process. Non-uniform temperatures can lead to an uneven distribution of mechanical properties in the finished part.

4. Operational safety: maintaining a tight and precise temperature control is also a safety issue, as excessive temperatures can cause thermal degradation of the resin or even trigger dangerous exothermic reactions.

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Free flow heat exchangers in pulp and paper and plastics industries

11/04/2025

Here we are again speaking about free flow heat exchangers. That’s because these exchangers allow to achieve interesting energy recovery and heat transfer applications, and in a previous video we’ve had already explained it related to a particular application in the textile sector.

But there are also applications which are not necessarily involving an energy recovery task, but they necessarily require the cooling of the served production process. In this specific case, free flow exchangers are employed in the pulp and paper industry which includes sectors that are processing paper pulp, and therefore, clearly before paper sheets are shaped, involving the use of water full of suspended solid particles.

Another similar application where we use several of these exchangers is related to the plastic grains production industry. Even in this case, the process water that must be cooled is highly dirty and full of suspended solid particles.

These are plate heat exchangers, and they present a peculiar construction, as we have already seen. Someone objected, well having no contact points between the plates, what level of differential pressure they can stand.
Clearly, they can stand lower differential pressures compared to classic plate heat exchangers. That’s the reason why, in this case, plates have a higher thickness, starting with 0,8 or 1 mm, depending on the size of the plate. They are usually quite big plates and they have low resistance, and thus low design project pressures arriving up to PN6, PN10, rarely PN16.

But, after all, the kind of applications they are employed in never require high working pressures, usually limited to the circulating pressure of a centrifugal pump, and that means 3 or 4 bar.

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Introduction to multi-stage compressors, functions and applications

04/04/2025

Multi-stage compressors are essential devices employed to increase the pressure of technical gases such as air, hydrogen and other industrial gases. The compression is divided into several stages to optimize the process, improve efficiency and manage the different temperatures generated during compression.

What are multi-stage compressors used for? These compressors are used in a wide variety of industrial sectors, such as:
• Power generation: for hydrogen and gas turbine applications.
• Chemical industry: for the transport and processing of technical gases.
• Automotive: in hydrogen refueling stations for fuel-cell vehicles.
• Oil & Gas: for the compression of natural or process gases.

Image showing two workers in a plant with multistage compressors for technical gases

Why is inter-stage cooling necessary?
During each compression stage, the gas heats up significantly. An inter-stage cooling system is therefore essential to:

• Reduce the work-duty required in the next stage.
• Protect components from high temperature.
• Maintain operational safety and efficiency.

Closely linked to multi-stage compressors is therefore the fundamental role of inter-stage cooling of the treated technical gases, which is achieved thanks to the use of multi-stream solutions, an ideal application for PCHE exchangers. Topics that we might discuss more in detail in a series of upcoming articles.

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Pressurized and atmospheric TREG thermoregulation units

28/03/2025

Let’s keep on talking about TREG thermoregulation units. In a previous video we spoke about the different kind of fluids that are employed with TREGs. So now let’s talk about the kind of thermoregulation unit based on the kind of fluid employed. Starting with thermoregulating units that employ water. Typically it’s possible to use thermoregulating units with an atmospheric circuit or with a pressurized circuit.

The first main difference is represented by the working temperature range. Up to 90° C it’s clearly possible to use an atmospheric thermoregulation unit. Beyond 90° C, due to the boiling point, it’s necessary to use thermoregulating units with pressurized water, which means thermoregulating units with a closed and sealed circuit in order to ensure pressure resistance. As if it was a sort of pressure cooker, clearly with a series of additional safety measures, but it can be a topic for another video.

Often, pressurized water thermoregulating units are also employed because they offer an advantage, enabling to be installed at any point of the plant without respecting the heights. Let explain: an atmospheric unit, having an open hydraulic circuit, requires to have the expansion tank at the top point of the plant, otherwise, due to the principle of communicating vessels, the system would empty.

A pressurized thermoregulating unit is basically a closed and sealed circuit, then the water is put into circulation and once the air is vented from the high points of the system the unit can work without problems.

Clearly, the most appropriated thermoregulating unit can be selected based on the kind of plant. Many times, the atmospheric unit offers advantaged compared to a pressurized one. The pressurized unit, as said, offers the advantage that, once the air is vented from the circuit, the circuit is full, water is circulating and there are no further problems. But there are some industrial processes involving very complex circuits presenting various points where air pockets can form that are difficult to vent and eliminate.

In this case, an atmospheric thermoregulating unit installed at the higher point of the plant could be a winning solution, because the pump remains under the tank head, and so always fed by water, and push the water inside the plant. Possible air bubbles won’t arrive to the pump but will be directly gathered to the expansion tank or inside the water collection tank, which is installed at the higher point of the plant, and thus being automatically vented, without problems. This allows the pump to operate with no issues, especially in the start-up phase of the plant.

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TEMPCO researches and develops systems and solutions for cooling, heating, control temperature and heat exchange in different industrial processes.

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