As a pioneer of deicing fluid, our team has had their work cut out to ensure that we don’t rest on our laurels. For more than 90 years we’ve maintained our competitive advantage and continued to feed our ambitions to innovate and develop sustainable solutions for now and the future.  

Our range of heat transfer fluids is a prime example of our dedication to developing and supplying specialised products, beyond our aviation deicing heritage.  

Pride in our people 

Identifying that there was a gap for a heat transfer product that would address the toxicity vs efficiency challenge posed by using either mono propylene glycol (MPG) or Monoethylene glycol (MEG) our team of scientists worked to find a solution.   

MEG offers optimum efficiency in relevant application areas, but the toxic nature of MEG-based products limits its uses and requires additional safety measures to be in place when used in applications such as ground source heat pumps.  

To address the toxicity, a typical alternative is MPG Which is a chemical that is generally recognised as safe (GRAS). However, it doesn’t perform as well in the heat transfer process due to its high viscosity, especially at lower temperatures – making it harder to pump through a system. 

The Kilfrost team applied its decades of experience in chemical engineering to develop a bio-derived fluid with a low viscosity so that installers and users of chillers, secondary refrigeration units and process cooling equipment would no longer have to compromise between toxicity or performance.  

Mark Scott, Senior Development Chemist at Kilfrost, commented: “It is great to work as a scientist at Kilfrost. As a pioneering chemical manufacturer, we were granted the scope and provided access to world-class R&D facilities to explore new formulations to address challenges in industry.  

“From this, we developed a range of low viscosity fluids that are now used and applicable in numerous industries, where the transfer of heat is required. From renewable energy applications to data centres and ice rinks to food and beverage manufacturing, Kilfrost fluids can be found.” 

Introducing a superior product 

The solution for the food and beverage manufacturing industry is Kilfrost ALV Plus, which is NSF certified as being safe for incidental food and beverage contact. It has a significantly lower viscosity than MPG-based products, showing up to a 60 per cent reduction at sub-zero circulation temperatures, which leads to lower pumping costs and greater overall system efficiency. 

This makes it a cost-effective investment when looking for a heat transfer fluid to use within systems. Furthermore, the fluid exceeds the ASTM D 1384-05 corrosion test standard and provides high levels of corrosion protection with an assured longevity of system operation. This can minimise the negative impact corrosion has on the life span and reliability of a system.  

For process cooling and HVAC applications, our ALV has been widely used in place of traditional Heat Transfer Fluids due to its bio-derived nature and having zero-toxicity risk. These applications include chiller systems, data centre liquid cooling and industrial refrigeration that don’t require NSF certification for use in food and beverage sites.  

For those working in renewable energy and looking towards ground source heat pumps and water source heat pumps, for more sustainable heating solutions, we developed Kilfrost GEO.  

A non-toxic heat transfer fluid, it has a superior environmental profile which outperforms MEG and ethanol-based fluids. And it delivers lower system pressure drops and lower pumping energy output when compared to MPG. Enabling users to benefit from improved system performance and cost savings.  

In addition, when considered during the design stage of a heating system, GEO offers an opportunity to further reduce costs on pipe and pump sizing. 

Our range of fluids also includes cleaning, sterilising and descaling solutions for heating and cooling systems. Such as Kilfrost SF11 Descaler, an acidic system cleaner and de-scaling solution formulated with food safe additives and Kilfrost SF20 Sanitiser, a disinfectant for pipework in heating and chilled water systems. 

Proactive process 

With more than 90 years’ experience as a chemicals company, our legacy in aircraft deicing fluids continues to be the foundation from which all new products are based.  We’re continuing to invest in the next generation of heat transfer fluids, targeting improvements in performance and efficiency. As well as using learnings to apply to our winter fluids and our new cold room test facility.  

In recent months we’ve grown our team and welcomed new sales engineers who are going out and about to meet with customers and distributors.  

If you’d like to know more about our offer, get in touch.