Energy Efficient Heat Transfer Fluid

A heat transfer fluid is a fluid that facilitates transfer of heat. It is used for cooling and heating. An example is the engine cooling system in a vehicle. Heat is drawn away from the engine by the heat transfer fluid that flows around it and absorbs heat. As it absorbs heat, the heat transfer fluid becomes hot. The hot transfer fluid is then sent towards the radiator where it is cooled then cycled back to the engine where it will again absorb heat.

Energy efficient describes any process optimized to reduce the amount of energy required to complete the process. So what makes heat transfer fluid efficient? In an engine, energy is used to power the pump to circulate the heat transfer fluid. An energy efficient heat transfer fluid is, therefore, one that allows the fuel pump to work less hard. Heat capacity and viscosity of the heat transfer fluid are the primary players in its energy efficiency.

Heat capacity or amount of heat that the heat transfer fluid is able to absorb. Higher heat capacity means the heat transfer fluid is able to remove more heat from the engine per cycle. The greater the amount of heat is absorbed from the engine per cycle, the fewer cycles are needed to lower the temperature of the engine to ideal levels. This lessens the amount of work for the pump, thereby allowing it to consume less energy. Viscosity is the resistance of fluid to flowing. A heat transfer fluid with the ideal viscosity allows the pump to circulate the fluid easier. Less work also means the pump has longer life before servicing

The primary beneficiary of energy efficient technology is the environment. However, as in the above example, it can help increase the life of certain components. This makes energy efficient heat transfer fluid very beneficial.