Tempco Blog articles

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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Sustainable and eco-friendly materials in case of accidental oil spills

21/03/2025

On the subject of sustainable infrastructures and environmental and health protection in the event of accidental spills of diathermic oil in thermoregulation units, an alternative and very interesting product, which combines innovation and sustainability, is FoamFlex, an ecological polymer developed to prevent and eliminate pollution from oils and hydrocarbons.

Specifically, it is a reusable sponge developed by Test1 Solutions, an innovative SME owned by CDP, which in a short time is able to absorb and recover large quantities of oil, bringing a radical change towards green and sustainability in the management of oils and waste.

Tempco FoamFlex T1 Solutions spugna ecologica recupero oli

FoamFlex is a high performance oleophilic and hydrophobic sponge that is reusable after squeezing. The innovative sustainable material developed by T1 is able to absorb industrial oils, fuels and dielectric oils, and can be squeezed and recycled up to 200 times, maintaining the same performance and reducing disposal costs for industry and infrastructures by 93% and the carbon footprint by 98%, thanks to a drastic waste reduction.

The material allows the recovery of oil only, 1 kg of material absorbs up to 5.000 kg of hydrocarbons, and not water, which is captured in a percentage of less than 5%. The squeezing process is simple and fast, and can be done with both manual and automated methods. The material is compatible with all types of oils and hydrocarbons, and the recovered oil can also be classified as used oil and returned as a resource in a circular perspective. Compared to traditional oil absorption methods, FoamFlex therefore reduces the CO2 emissions by over 99%, and can be reused without generating solid waste.

Tempco FoamFlex T1 Solutions spugna ecologica recupero sversamento olio diatermico fluidi dielettrici
FoamFlex thus represents a sustainable solution to mitigate the environmental impact, for example, of thermoregulation units using diathermic oil or dielectric fluids for cooling of transformers in the event of accidental oil spills. These, if not managed correctly, in addition to being harmful to the environment, represent a potential cause of accidents at work, such as slips, fires, fumes and skin irritations. Thus offering a valuable ecological solution in terms of safety, health and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

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Diverse and various applications of thermoregulating units in test benches

14/03/2025

One of the most interesting and usual applications we deploy in Tempco of TREG thermoregulating units is on test benches. This is an interesting topic as it finds always new and different applications.

TREGs have indeed a very wide kind of applications on test benches, for example when test benches are intended for testing of automotive components such as radiators, of engine parts, or even utilities related to the automotive industry, for example pumps for water circulation or electric pumps or anyway components that are subjected to high temperature variations both due to ambient temperature and the temperature of the fluid they are working with.

Well, it is very interesting to be able to test this equipments by introducing them inside climate chambers where we vary ambient temperature. Along with the variation of ambient temperature, is also interesting to vary the temperature of the fluid that feeds these elements or that they have to work with. Clearly, we follow the temperature of the climate chamber, thus a certain ambient temperature, or even in contrast with the ambient temperature in order to evaluate and validate the behaviour of these components under variating temperature conditions.

Similarly, mechanical parts of engines are tested inducing a variation of the temperature for example of the lubricating oil, depending on different working conditions. Instead of a full engine, it’s also possible to test single components even using very wide temperature range variations, from negative value temperatures up to extremely positive temperatures, for example from -20° C up to +130° C. That’s because we can have an engine installed in a parked vehicle exposed to very cold temperatures that gets started, causing the temperature to rise until it reaches normal conditions of use. And so we have a very wide temperature variation for example for the refrigerating oil.

All of these applications can be served by thermoregulating units that accurately simulate these ambient situations and these load situations.

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Chiller at -30° C for high precision cooling in pharma production

07/03/2025

In the pharmaceutical industry, precision cooling is essential to ensure the stability of chemical reactions and the quality of the finished product. Tempco recently supplied two water-cooled chillers, designed to operate with a water/glycol solution at -30°C, to cool reactors in a new pharmaceutical production line.

This supply, completed at the end of last year and completely commissioned in January with a positive on-site test, stood out for two key factors:

  • Performance and reliability: system designed to ensure 24/7 operational continuity.
  • Reduced delivery times: design, construction and testing completed on time, allowing the customer to start production without delays.

Tempco chiller -30 C controllo termico pharma

Below are the technical characteristics of the chillers supplied:

• Process fluid: 50% inhibited water/monoethylene glycol mixture
• Operating temperature: -30°C
• Cooling capacity: 75 kW per unit
• Water condensation with plate heat exchangers
• Indoor installation, in a safe area of ​​the production site
• Power supply voltage: 400V – 3F – 50Hz

The chillers have an integrated hydraulic circuit, and each unit is supplied complete with: circulation pump, with a prevalence of 2÷2.5 bar, ensuring a stable and constant flow to the reactors; accumulation tank, to optimize thermal management and reduce temperature fluctuations; thermostatic valves, for precise control of the refrigeration regulation; AISI 304 stainless steel tanks and pipes, with stainless steel sheet insulation and cladding, to ensure durability and optimal thermal insulation.

Tempco chiller -30 C controllo termico industria farmaceutica

Tempco chiller -30 C controllo termico processi farmaceutici

Finally, there are several advantages ensured by this system created for the customer:

  • Maximum energy efficiency – thanks to water condensation and the use of high-efficiency plate exchangers.
  • Precision in temperature control – essential for the stability of pharmaceutical chemical processes.
  • Operational reliability – designed to operate continuously without interruptions.
  • Plug & play installation – thanks to the complete integration of the hydraulic part, the system was immediately put into production after testing.

Tempco chiller -30 C controllo termico pharma installazione

This supply represents another example of how Tempco is able to develop advanced solutions for industrial cooling, with high efficiency and reduced delivery times. Thanks to our experience in the pharma sector, we were able to respond promptly to the customer’s needs, ensuring a high-performance and ready-to-use system.

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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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