Water is the best thermal fluid, but it has one major flaw – it does not remain fluid at extreme temperatures. For systems well-below freezing you need to use a specialty thermal fluid, and Dow Chemical makes the industry standard heat transfer fluids for a range of applications.
Stable Solutions for Subzero Systems
Extremely cold equipment is required for a wide variety of industrial processes. However, it is incredibly difficult to maintain thermal stability and performance for long-term operation. Corrosion, thermal efficiency losses and system leaks can quickly become an ever-present headache if you don’t use the proper thermal fluid solution.
Dow Chemical has decades worth of experience engineering the peak performance thermal fluids for low temperature applications. The DOWTHERM™ J, SYLTHERM™ XLT, and SYLTHERM™ HF products deliver best in class thermal properties combined with an incredibly long operational lifetime.
Dow Thermal fluid solutions provide reliable and long-term operation in some of the most extreme conditions. From environmental test chambers to large, industrial-scale food freezers and countless others inbetween, the Dow solutions provide best-in-class performance for equipment that demands precise temperature control.
The Dow Thermal Fluids listed on this page are intented for use in a closed, pressurized system under nitrogen blanket with an expansion tank.
The diagram below shows a simplified secondary cooling loop for processes requiring sustained subzero temperatures.
Dow Thermal Fluid Properties at -50°F
Thermal Properties (-50°F)
DOWTHERM™ J
SYLTHERM™ XLT
SYLTHERM™ HF
Thermal Conductivity
(Btu/hr ft² °F/ft)
0.0822
0.0717
0.0712
Density (lb/ft³)
56.87
56.28
58.56
Specific Heat (Btu/lb °F)
0.394
0.354
0.364
Viscosity (cP)
3.3
5.6
7.3
Heat Transfer Coefficient
(Btu/hr ft²°F) (7 ft/sec, 1" pipe)
