AHR Expo 2010 - Day 2

Day two is now done and over with and I had a chance to talk to a lot more of the exhibitors. I ended up covering the rest of the floor today and here are a few interested tid bits that I learned.

Talking with Dow Chemicals, I found out that they offer a free annual glycol test for your systems that will tell them percent glycol in the system, type of glycol, ph of the solution, and more.  I also learned the a refractometer, which is used to determine the freezing point of a fluid, is only accurate if you know what type of glycol that you are using.

Over at Trerice, I had a conversation about gauges and thermometers.  Now from my experience engineers have a bad habit of not paying attention to the types of gauges that are used (or maybe it is the contractor that is to blame, doesn't matter).  I can't remember a time when I say a liquid-filled gauge on a pump, but applications with vibrations that is the proper choice.  On thermometers, I was reminded that if you are going to use a thermometer outside make sure that it is either hermetically sealed, wash down rated, or for outdoor use.  Another type of thermometer they had on display was a light-powered digital thermometer.  Turns out that display will turn off after around 15 minutes without light but will power back-up after only 2-3 seconds of light (this of course will vary by manufacturer.  Last in our conversation was the discussion of thermal wells, it was recommended that one buy their thermal wells from the same place they buy their thermometers to ensure proper fit and make sure you use the thermal paste supplied with the thermometer to aid in thermal transfer and hinder corrosion.

Off to the last day of the AHRExpo, I wonder what I will learn today.