Refurbishing 84,000 Gallons of HTF to Restore 64 MW Solar Farm Efficiency with Zero Downtime
Industry: Energy – 64 MW Concentrated Solar Farm
Date: December 2020
The Challenge
In December 2020, a 64 MW concentrated solar farm in Nevada had reached a critical operational crossroads. After decades of service, the facility’s 300,000-gallon heat transfer fluid (HTF) was nearing its end of life, with high boiler concentrations climbing to a risky 10.5%. The plant management was caught in a difficult position: they had seven years remaining on their 30-year contract, but no planned shutdowns on the horizon to facilitate a traditional fluid change-out. A full system replacement with virgin fluid was cost-prohibitive, yet ignoring the degradation threatened both efficiency and EHS standards. They required a chemical solution that could restore the system while it remained fully operational.
Business Requirements
- Manage a large-scale ~300,000-gallon system of DPO/DP.
- Provide a viable bridge for the final 7 years of a 30-year term.
- Reduce HTF high boilers from 10.5% down to acceptable, high-performance levels.
- Guarantee zero operational downtime, as no plant shutdowns were scheduled.
Project Outcomes
- Realized 70% cost savings by utilizing recycled/reclaimed fluid rather than purchasing virgin HTF.
- Enabled zero operational downtime through a strategic “Bleed and Feed” execution.
- Successfully lowered HTF high boilers to below 7%, reaching the desired technical outcome.
- Restored the system by replacing 84,000 gallons with high-quality refurbished HTF.
- Met all performance requirements by removing only 28% of the total system volume for treatment rather than draining the entire facility.
Key Takeaway
The “Bleed and Feed” approach allowed the solar farm to restore fluid health and save nearly 70% in material costs without ever stopping energy production.
