At Thermal Fluid Systems, we are an established supplier of heat energy equipment for a range of industries. We have an extensive background working with food processing applications, and applied our knowledge to engineer and build a completely customized hot oil system that provided precisely accurate temperature control for a maker of protein bars.

The equipment highlighted here consists of a high-efficiency, gas-fired 640,000 BTU hot oil heating system with loop process temperature controls. Operating in the 200°F to 350°F temperature range at 75 psi, it features a 150-gallon capacity and utilizes food-grade thermal fluid. Integrated into a processing line that converts peanuts into a mixture for a protein bar, it maintains process temperatures at precise set points to ensure that the final product has a consistent taste, texture, and nutritional profile.

One of our challenges was to design a system that fits neatly into the available space at the food processing plant. We arranged the components in a compact manner while still leaving adequate accessibility for operation and maintenance. Another issue arose while the build was already in progress. The client had initiated several process changes that compelled us to re-design the control system, but the agility and flexibility of our process engineers allowed us to easily overcome this issue at no extra cost to the customer.

Built to ASME and NFPA standards, we completed the design and fabrication of this skid-mounted heater with integrated process controls in only 12 weeks. This turnkey system provides reliable operation, ensuring the processor produces a consistently high-quality product according to their recipe. To learn more about this project or our custom thermal fluid systems, contact us today.