Melted Salts

 

MAPCO ENGINEERING has developed an unique technology that makes use of Melted Salts (an eutectic mixture of sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate) as medium for the reaction cooling.

 

Melted Salts have remarkable technical and economic advantages compared with Thermal Oil or liquid and/or vaporizing Dowtherm plants:

 

• it has the highest heat transfer coefficient achievable in formaldehyde reactors;

• no limitation for its operating temperature;

• no possibility of degradation, coking or fouling that in the years limit the reactor performances;

• no corrosion for the reactor;

• is not flammable. Any leak in valves or flanges doesn’t represent a potential fire hazard;

• can be safely used throughout all the reactor life;

• has thermal inertia 50% greater than Dowtherm. This allows quickly restart also after long time plant shut-down;

• possible make-up with a remarkable lower cost;

• is odourless unlike Dowtherm that is very disagreeable even at low concentration;

• doesn’t pollute the site area and the environment.