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Glycol Sales are the Australian distributors for the FDA-approved DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid.
Protecting brand reputation with the right heat transfer fluids
DOW, a fluid specialist company, has been producing FDA-approved DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid for more than 50 years but it’s only recently become widely available in Australia. Food and Beverage Industry News reports.
Industrial heat transfer is a critical component to food and beverage manufacturing. The heat transfer fluid, DOWFROST, from DOW, is distributed in Australia by Glycol Sales Australia.
DOW is a diversified chemical company focused on innovation, science, and technology throughout many global industries.
DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid is the only inhibited glycol made with DOW PuraGuard Propylene Glycol USP/EP, a pharmaceutical grade of monopropylene glycol with specified purity greater than 99.8 per cent.
While the product has experienced long-term success in other global markets it’s only recently been gaining traction in Australia and New Zealand and Glycol Sales Australia has taken on the role of local distributor.
Using DOWFROST for the heat transfer process leads to reduced downtime, due to its food-grade status, and extended machine life, according to a spokesperson from the distributor.
DOWFROST, along with other offerings from DOW such as DOWTHERM and DOWCAL, are used for their freeze/burst and corrosion protection within closedloop, water-based heating, and cooling systems.
Next to freeze-ups, corrosion is considered one of the biggest threats to heating and cooling efficiency. Even under relatively moderate conditions, corrosion can still present issues and strip away layers from machinery.
DOWFROST provides substantial corrosion protection for steel, cast iron, copper, aluminium, brass, and solder as demonstrated by ASTM D1384 corrosion testing.
The food safe corrosion inhibitor used in DOWFROST fluid not only helps prevent corrosion of metals commonly used for construction of brewery process equipment but helps ensure long-term thermal stability of the fluid. They are also used in waterbased process heating/cooling circuits, which makes it suitable food and beverage manufacturing applications.
Mixing DOWFROST solutions into water provides freeze protection down to -50°C and burst protection below -73°C.
The product is also made from food-grade raw materials that meet requirements for both the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations and NSF guidelines, which means it adds extra food safety in areas where incidental food contact may occur.
The list of viable applications for DOWFROST is a long and varied one, which includes thermal energy storage, immersion freezing/chilling of solid or wrapped foods, batch processing, refrigeration coil defrosting, and process chilling, to name a few.
DOWFROST fluids have also been shown to operate at greater temperatures than other propylene glycol-based fluids and are low in acute oral toxicity, a necessary feature in food and beverage production.
Glycol Sales Australia is a specialist in industrial heat transfer fluids and company director Rod Beams said the industry was buying up DOWFROST stock as quickly as it is coming in.
“We bring in 18 to 19 different products and DOWFROST is proving extremely popular due to the FDA and NSF approvals, especially with breweries and wineries,” said Beams.
The company’s main aim is to fill the gap in the industry as a heat transfer specialist and not just a chemical supply company.
“We really understand the process and application where they are used as all our staff are from the trade,” said Beams.
Several craft brewers in the United States have had success with their use of DOWFROST for up to 50 years, including the Deschutes Brewery in Oregon, which produces 250,000 barrels annually, and Bell’s Brewery in Michigan, which produces around 337,000 barrels annually.
“We have been using DOWFROST fluid here at Bell’s for about 18 years,” said John Mallett, director of operations for Bell’s.
“We would not be interested in considering another brand of coolant, because we know the quality we are getting with DOW.”
Deschutes’ utilities manager, Tim Alexander, said the brewery had relied on the accurate temperature control from using DOWFROST for as long as he can remember.
“Most of our production is top fermenting ales between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but we also brew lagers at 50 to 55 degrees,” he said.
“With some of our special Belgian beers, we ferment as high as 75 degrees. We rely a lot on the heat transfer fluid to provide consistent results,” he said.
Mountain Town Brewing Company’s owner, Jim Holton, asserts that temperature control is vital to maintaining the quality and consistency of the regional brewer’s beers.
“With our ales, it’s very important that we keep temperatures very close to 70 degrees,” said Holton.
“Too much above that, and we could have trouble with off-flavours from wild yeast strains.
“We’re very pleased with the temperature control we get with the DOWFROST fluid, and we plan to continue to use it as we grow our operation.”
These features are applicable across the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
Manufacturers and producers who use DOWFROST are also given around the clock technical support from DOW as part of the company’s quality guarantee, with fluid experts on hand from day one to help customers design, operate, and maintain their thermal fluids system for maximum productivity.
DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid continues to build a reputation for not only protecting manufacturing equipment but also helping to protect product quality and brand reputation as a result. F
