Innovative Technology to

Improve the Efficiency of Heat

Transfer Systems
Heat Transfer Systems (HTS), also known
as thermal fluid heating systems or hot
oil systems, operate by circulating a fluid
through a closed-loop system to transfer
heat to and from various process equipment.

These systems are widely used in

industries for applications requiring precise
temperature control and high-temperature
operations without the need for high
pressure.

Heat transfer oils are formulated for long

service life and to resist thermal cracking
and oxidation. Eventually, however, they will
deteriorate generating deposits that may
interfere with the heat transfer efficiency
of the system. Remedying these efficiency
losses and system deposits involves a
costly system shutdown and complex
flushing processes.

A new maintenance approach has been

developed to restore system efficiency and
improve lube oil quality without requiring an
White Paper
outage. We will review the science behind Rob Meldrum Greg Livingstone
this innovation and present a case study ExxonMobil Fluitec
demonstrating its effectiveness.

SCAN for WEB

Table of Contents

HTS Basics 03

Thermal Fluid Degradation & Analysis 04

Innovation from Mobil 05

Assessing Fluid Safety 06

Degraded Oils Impact HTS Efficiency 07

The Challenge with Treating Thermal Fluids 08

Mobil™ Solvancer® is an Online Solution to Improve System Efficiency 09

Case Study: Improving System Efficiency in an Asphalt Plant 10

Summary 11
 03

HTS Basics

HTS are simple in design and consist of a heater, pump, expansion tank and process vessel. The
components can be viewed in Fig. 1 below.

Understanding the bulk oil temperature can help estimate the thermal stress placed on the oil,
however there are also higher thermal loads placed on the fluid at the interface of the piping as
the oil flows are lower in this region, as can be seen in Fig. 2. In a properly functioning HTS utilizing
hydrocarbon oil heat transfer fluids, the oil film is typically 14-28°C (25-50°F) higher than the bulk oil
temperature. However, if the oil velocity is reduced, film temperatures can be more than 40°C (104°F)
causing accelerated oil degradation. There are well established calculations used to estimate film
temperature based on oil flow, pipe diameter, and heater capacity.

FIGURE 1: COMPONENTS OF A THERMAL FLUID HEATING SYSTEM

 Conventional heat
transfer oils thermally
crack at 360°C (680°F)
so understanding the
fluid film temperature is
essential to have a full
picture of the thermal
stress on the oil.

FIGURE 2: FLUID FILM TEMPERATURE IS HIGHER THAN THE

BULK OIL TEMPERATURE DUE TO LOWER FLOW RATES

Thermal Fluid Degradation &

Analysis
Mineral-based heat transfer fluids can degrade in two main ways: thermal cracking and oxidation.
Thermal cracking involves breaking the bonds between carbon atoms, and forming shorter
hydrocarbon molecules. This happens more often in closed HTS systems that may have nitrogen
blanketing. Oxidation involves transferring an electron from one molecule to another, increasing its
oxidation state. This happens more often in open systems that have contact with air.

Even though the two oil degradation mechanisms are due to high temperatures, the impact on the
oil is different depending on which pathways is involved. Table 1 illustrates the differences between
the two phenomena.
 05

Thermal Cracking Oxidation

Contamination
Degradation Influence Severe Temperatures with Air

Changes in Viscosity Decreases Increases

Flash Point Flash Point Decreases No change

Acid Number No change Increases

Conradson Carbon Residue Insolubles

Deposits (CCR) Increases Increases

TABLE 1: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THERMAL CRACKING AND OXIDATION

Innovation from Mobil

To determine the condition of in-service heat Other tests may include Flash Point (Penske
transfer fluids, Mobil has developed an oil Martin Closed Cup), Conradson Carbon Residue,
analysis package that includes the following tests: Pentane Insolubles, or Simulated Distillation by
Gas Chromography.
• Viscosity
• Water volume % Karl Fischer (KF)
• Oxidation
• Total Acid Number (TAN)
• Particle Quantifier (PQ) Index
• Metals
• Flash Point (Cleveland Open Cup)
• Micro Carbon Residue (MCR)
Assessing Fluid Safety
Thermal cracking breaks the backbone of oil is at least 14°C (57°F) above the temperature
hydrocarbon molecules. The newly created, of the oil exposed to air (i.e an open expansion
smaller chain molecules lower the viscosity tank). Values lower than this are typically
and flash point of the oil. Flash point testing considered critical, as the oil’s flash point
is important because if it falls too low, safety approaches the exposed oil temperature, the
risks are introduced to the system. Cleveland chances for ignition or fire increase.
Open Cup flash point test (ASTM D-92) is the
first screening test. If it has not decreased, then Flash point testing is an important parameter,
thermal degradation is not a major influence. If but it only measures the presence of light
the flash point has dropped to more than 50°C ends, not their concentration. To get deeper
(122°F) however, further testing is warranted. insight into the degree of thermal degradation
The Penske-Martins Closed Cup flash point test and estimated remaining useful life of the oil,
(ASTM D-93) concentrates the light ends or low one can employ Simulated Distillation by Gas
boilers produced through thermal cracking. It is Chromatography (GCD). This test measures
not uncommon to see 100°C (212°F) differences the relative proportions of the entire range of
between flash point testing methodologies with molecules in the sample and provides a deeper
ASTM D-93 delivering a lower flash point result understanding of the thermal stress on the fluid.
when light ends are prevalent. It’s important to An example can be seen in Figure 3.
ensure the closed-cup flash point of in-service

FIGURE 3: AN EXAMPLE OF GCD ANALYSIS ON FRESH AND USED HEAT TRANSFER OIL
 07

Degraded Oils Impact HTS

Efficiency
Measuring efficiency in a HTS involves evaluating how effectively
the system transfers heat without incurring unnecessary energy
loss.

Here are key factors and methods used to measure efficiency:

1. Thermal Efficiency: This measures the ratio of heat transfer effectiveness of the hot oil system
to the energy input. It can be calculated by comparing the amount of heat transferred to the
process to the total energy supplied to the hot oil heater.

2. Temperature Differential: Monitoring the temperature differential between the inlet and outlet
of the process equipment can indicate how effectively the hot oil system is transferring heat. A
smaller differential may indicate heat loss or inefficiency in the system.

3. Flow Rate: The flow rate of the oil through the system impacts heat transfer efficiency. Too low
a flow rate can lead to inadequate heat transfer and accelerated oil degradation, while too high
a flow rate can increase energy consumption without proportional benefits. Measuring and
optimizing flow rates are crucial.

4. Pump Efficiency: Since pumps are used to circulate the hot oil, their efficiency impacts the
overall system efficiency. Measuring the electrical energy input to the pump and comparing it to
the hydraulic energy delivered by the pump can indicate its efficiency.

Sufficient thermal stress on heat transfer fluids over a long enough time will cause even the most
highly refined products to degrade. One of the failure mechanisms of these fluids is the formation
of carbon-rich deposits. The formation of oil deposits can lower HTS efficiency in each of the above
four areas.
The Challenge with Treating
Thermal Fluids
Shutting down HTSs for maintenance can Detergent-based oil cleaners
be costly as its operation is tightly linked with Adding chemical cleaners to heat transfer
production. Furthermore, in badly degraded fluids may be a suitable strategy when part of
systems, the oil may solidify, requiring the use a turnkey flushing procedure but introduces
of shovels or even the removal of piping to operational risks when added to an operating
evacuate the deposits. system, including rapid deposit accumulation
and decreased flash points.
Online remediation of thermal fluids in heat
transfer systems is also challenging, stemming
from the need to maintain system efficiency,
safety, and integrity without disrupting the
production process.

Here are some of the key challenges:

Safety Concerns
Handling hot thermal fluids poses significant
safety risks, including burns, fires, and
explosions. Performing online remediation
requires stringent safety protocols to protect
personnel from the hazards associated with
FIGURE 4: A CARBON LOG REMOVED FROM A HTS
high temperatures and potentially reactive
or flammable fluids.

Decontamination
Advancements in chemical filtration technologies
to remove oil degradation products in other
industrial lubricant applications are not suitable for
heat transfer fluids due to the high temperatures.
 09

Mobil™ Solvancer® is an
Online Solution to Improve
System Efficiency
Mobil Solvancer is a fully synthetic, API Group V, oil soluble cleaner
designed to be safely added to in-service oils with no measurable
impact to fluid quality or system performance.

It dramatically increases the solubility of an in-service oil allowing deposits to be dissolved. It also
minimizes further deposits from being generated.

Mobil Solvancer helps to eliminate carbon deposits from heat transfer systems, making heat
exchangers, pipes and pumps cleaner. Mobil Solvancer is an effective solution to increase system
efficiency in HTS by tackling carbon deposits.
Case Study: Improving System
Efficiency in an Asphalt Plant

20%
decrease in
fuel consumption

FIGURE 5: MOBIL SOLVANCER FIGURE 6: THE APPEARANCE OF

BEING ADDED TO THE HTS MOBIL SOLVANCER

Inefficiency was slowing production at a US-based asphalt plant. Their HTS failed to consistently
maintain thermal balance causing increased labor costs and component wear. To improve plant
thermal efficiency, the plant added 3.3% Mobil Solvancer to the in-service heat transfer fluid. After
more than six months, the plant observed numerous benefits including*:

• 20% decrease in fuel consumption.

• Increased plant capacity and flexibility with longer production runs.
• Decreased trucking expenses to deliver binder.
• Zero hot oil breakdowns (for the first time in the plant’s history).
• Reduced pump wear due to less direct heating.
• Restored thermal balance measured after a few weeks resulting in faster start-ups.
• Lower maintenance costs to restart the system, as previously, crews would have to manually heat
pumps and injection pipes.
• Reduced oil consumption as the system’s overall oil parameters were stable enough to allow the
plant to skip a full system oil change.
• The micro carbon residue (MCR) deposit test and viscosity showed improvements with no change
to the fluid’s flash point.
*individual results may vary depending on operating and weather conditions
 011

Summary
Heat Transfer Systems exert sustained, high heat
stress on their thermal fluids, resulting in the for-
mation of carbon-rich deposits. The accumulation
of these deposits lowers the efficiency and thermal
balance of HTS. Traditionally, treating in-service
heat transfer oils is challenging due to safety and
system performance concerns. Mobil Solvancer
represents a novel way of treating in-service heat
transfer fluids, restoring system efficiency.

A case study in an asphalt plant was presented,

which demonstrated that Mobil Solvancer restored
thermal balance in their system and reduced fuel
consumption by 20%. The quality of the in-service
oil was also improved, avoiding an oil change.

Please contact your local Mobil or Fluitec technical

specialist for specific details about adding Mobil
Solvancer to your thermal fluid heating system.

© 2024 ExxonMobil. All trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered

trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries. All rights
reserved.

© 2024 Fluitec. Fluitec and Solvancer are registered trademarks of Fluitec NV or

one of its subsidiaries.
White Paper 2024
Innovative Technology to
Improve the Efficiency of
Heat Transfer Systems

SCAN for WEB