

For instance, a solution of 10% ethylene glycol freezes at -3.4 C (25.9 F), 30% ethylene glycol freezes at -13.7 C (7.3 F) and 60% ethylene glycol freezes at -52.8 C (-63 F). In between, freezing points are non-linear. Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and pure ethylene glycol freezes at -12.9 C (8.9 F). The boiling and freezing points of glycol mixtures are a function of the relative amounts of glycol and water in the mixture. Glycol is prized as a heat transfer fluid because it can operate at a wide range of temperatures and can be mixed with water. This temperature range is determined by several variables, the most important of which are the boiling point and freezing point of the heat transfer fluid. The refrigeration unit often consists of a compressor with some compressible heat transfer fluid such as freon.Įvery chiller has an operating temperature range. Typically, the target area is the inside of a freezer or some other object that you want to cool. A chiller consists of two key parts: a refrigeration unit which uses electrical energy to produce a cold fluid, and heat transfer coils which move cold fluid from the refrigeration unit to the target area and hot fluid from the target area to the refrigeration unit. To understand the purpose of glycol, you must first understand how a chiller works.

Though both materials are bad for living things, propylene glycol is most often used near food and ethylene glycol is most often used in industrial applications. Glycol comes in two varieties: ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. It provides better heat transfer parameters than water, and can be mixed with water to provide a variety of heat transfer characteristics. Glycol is a water-miscible coolant that is frequently used in heat transfer and cooling applications.
