Posted March 16, 2010

In the northern regions of the U.S. and Canada, winter temperatures can reach minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit-a harsh environment for biodiesel transport. Thermex Engineered Systems Inc. has developed a system for in-transit heating of biodiesel during cold weather transport, a retrofit system that can be used to upgrade existing uninsulated fuel tankers to accommodate biodiesel transport.

The biodiesel is heated by multiple HeatProbes, a patent-pending immersion heater that takes advantage of waste heat from the truck engine's coolant, which is installed through a two-inch tank port. The supply and return lines are joined to the vehicle's coolant lines, allowing the heat from the running engine to be transferred to the biodiesel in the tanker-negating the use of steam hook-ups or other limited-use heating alternatives.

A HeatProbe system can be installed on any tanker truck or trailer, according to Thermex Engineered Systems, and multiple probes and tanks can be plumbed up in parallel sequence. Trailers can also be equipped with a stand-alone heating package that includes an onboard coolant heater mounted on the tanker service rail. This is useful for extended layovers and will also accommodate towing by any tractor with or without quick-coupler connections.

Installation involves tank-shop installed two-inch half-couplings along the tank bottom between the frame rails, followed by hook-up of the HeatProbe plumbing kit supplied by Thermex Engineered Systems.

Any piece of equipment or vehicle that runs on biodiesel and has to be operated in a cold environment could also benefit from the installation of a HeatProbe system, the company stated. The biodiesel fuel is heated "in-tank" to overcome any cold filter plug point issues and to prevent product clouding.