Are Heat Exchangers Safe for Hazardous Locations?

Many of today’s most vital industries, such as oil and gas production, operate in locations and under conditions that are typically more demanding than traditional technology and equipment can handle. Climates can often exceed normal maximum operating temperatures, and the immediate environment can be rife with hazardous, volatile substances. The challenge for implementing technology under such conditions include ensuring that it can continue operating under extreme conditions, and that it can do so with optimal safety. Meeting these challenges has become easier, especially in the realm of thermal management, thanks to the advent of heat exchangers designed specifically to function safely and optimally under the most hazardous conditions.  

Additional Thermal Management Considerations

One of the most important goals of technology that is utilized in extreme conditions is to minimize how often employees have to interact with or maintain the equipment. The less often they have to venture into extreme conditions, the safer employees will be. Also, equipment must be properly sealed to prevent hazardous chemicals and other substances from interacting. For example, volatile gases that may be released during certain processes could become disastrous if an electrical enclosure isn’t properly sealed. This poses a specific challenge for electrical thermal management systems that are often attached to such equipment. The solutions must maintain a consistently reliable level of waste heat management while also preserving the integrity and ingress protection of the enclosure itself.

Making Heat Exchangers Function in Hazardous Locations

Heat exchangers have always been designed to provide maximum results with minimal effort on the part of employees. However, to operate in specifically hazardous locations, they must be designed with the specific safety standards set forth by NEMA in regards to operations within dangerous conditions. Today, many of them are, giving companies and entire industries the advantage of more efficient and reliable electrical thermal management even when operating under tougher than usual circumstances.

For more information about making heat exchangers safe for use in hazardous locations, call Noren Thermal Solutions in Taylor, TX, at 866-936-6736.