Methanol–water mixtures stay thin and pumpable at temperatures where glycol becomes thick, which is why pharmaceutical API and fine-chemical plants use methanol brine for jackets and vent condensers running at −20 °C to −40 °C and below.
A Teqtive methanol chiller is a low-temperature brine chiller engineered for methanol service: screw or reciprocating compressors, shell-and-tube evaporators in carbon steel or stainless steel with copper or SS tubes, and electrical and mechanical safeties suited to the plant's area classification. For −45 °C and colder we use two-stage or cascade circuits.
Why methanol brine
- Low viscosity at low temperature — better heat transfer and lower pumping power than glycol below about −25 °C.
- Low freezing point — roughly −25 °C at 30 % and below −35 °C at 40 % methanol by weight (approximate).
- Trade-offs — methanol is flammable and toxic, so tanks, vents, pumps and electricals must be designed and installed for it. Glycol is the safer choice where temperatures allow.
Where methanol chillers are used
- API reactors & crystallisers
- Vent & solvent condensers
- Low-temperature synthesis
- Bulk drug intermediates
- Specialty chemicals
Specifying one
Tell us the heat load, brine outlet temperature, methanol concentration, flow, ambient and the hazardous-area requirement for the location. See also brine vs glycol chiller.
