Plant & Works Engineering June 2022

T hermal solutions are a part of almost every industry, from chip manufacturing and medical devices to oil and gas operations. What these diverse industries have in common is a need to design simple, yet responsive systems that can monitor and maintain the precise application of heat. However, this need means that engineers must contend with various complexities. Any device or process with a heater needs some degree of thermal control, with some devices or processes needing more precise control than others. That precision is traditionally achieved by adding sensors and controllers to heaters. The more precision needed, the more complex the control apparatus and the wiring becomes. adaptive thermal solutions (ATS), which combines sensing, heating and control technologies, represent a different and more innovative approach to controlling thermal performance for complex systems. However, adding the complexity is not always an option, which is where challenges present themselves. Complex systems in small spaces A surface that needs to be heated to within a Process, Controls & Plant Focus on: Process Heating & Cooling 30 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk June 2022 Solving thermal system complexity Brandy Phillips* explains how adaptive thermal solutions (ATS) can provide an answer to common heat processing challenges.