What is the difference between heating a reactor jacket with steam and heating it with heat transfer oil?
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What is the difference between heating a reactor jacket with steam and heating it with heat transfer oil? Why doesn’t the Emergency Management Bureau allow the use of steam, insisting instead that heat transfer oil be used?
The difference between heating a reactor jacket with steam and heating it with heat transfer oil lies in the different heat transfer media used. Steam heating utilizes the high temperature and pressure of steam to transfer heat, while heat transfer oil heating transfers heat by filling the jacket with heat transfer oil, thereby enabling heat transfer between the jacket and the reactants. The Emergency Management Bureau does not allow steam heating mainly due to the explosion and safety risks associated with it. Due to the high temperature and pressure characteristics of steam, equipment failures or operational mistakes can easily lead to explosions or accidents. In contrast, although heat transfer oil heating is more expensive, it is relatively safer and more reliable; therefore, it is favored and recommended by the emergency management agency. .
Steam has a high heat capacity due to the presence of phase change heat, which makes it difficult to control from a regulatory perspective. Moreover, heat transfer oil has a low heat capacity, so it is sufficient to control the temperature difference; additionally, the temperature changes relatively slowly, making it easier to regulate.
Pressure pipelines and pressure vessels that are properly pressurized with steam； Heat transfer oil is not within the scope of supervision for pressure vessels and pipelines.