Recently, our company was featured in Construction Today, the magazine aimed at the people who build North America. This feature allowed us to highlight some of the areas where we stand as segment leaders and discuss how we are constantly trying to move forward with asphalt heating technology.
Dealing With Challenges and Presenting Solutions
One way that we, at Paratherm, have demonstrated our superiority is through the solutions we have developed from our fluid analysis program. Our customers work with asphalt, which stays fluid prior to use, but when it cools it becomes the solid surfaces you find on roadways. Keeping that asphalt hot and pliable is important.
Often, customers come to us with systems where the fluid that is in use (sometimes a multi-purpose oil instead of thermal fluid engineered for high-temperature heating use) has degraded faster than expected, which can cause all sorts of problems with uneven system heating, component damage, or loss of production. Our engineers use fluid analysis to troubleshoot the systems, and help to address any problems. The engineers can help the customer to correct incipient problems and avoid full system failure, or and use a running fluid analysis history to track their fluids over time, keeping them in good condition — preventing problems before they occur.
Developing New Products
One of the biggest dilemmas our customers face, and possibly the most crucial, is assessing and replacing heat-transfer fluid in hot-mix asphalt plants and storage tanks. Asphalt needs to be kept hot and fluid for time periods of up to a week. Timing depends upon the plant schedule and the schedule of the crews spreading the asphalt. The fluid must be able to take the high temperatures without degrading or breaking down, and still be operable for years to come.
On top of developing these new products for industrial indirect heating, and improving services for maintaining them, we also work with our customers to provide training sessions on using our heat-transfer fluids. After all, simply having the technology isn’t enough. Clients must have the necessary training and knowledge of the product. We work on-site, with equipment manufacturers as well as plant managers and maintenance personnel, to make recommendations and help our customers get the best life out of the fluid.
As a national leader in heat transfer fluids, we expect our business to continue to grow. With the investment in infrastructure and road repairs that seemingly increase year after year, Paratherm sees a big future in the market. We also continually explore other uses for our heat-transfer fluids, in other applications.
We would like to take a moment to recognize Janice Hoppe for the great article write in Construction Today. Continue reading our blog for the latest updates!