what type of thermal fluid works in electric radiators?

[werner]

Howdy,

to control synchronous or asynchronous generators electronically, we need dump or ballast loads. Of-the-shelf resistive type often have not the required wattage.

I used a coil to heat water in a coffee cup (500 w)and placed it into a radiator for central heating. For the latter, water is pumped through, in my case I closed it off. Two heater elements got too hot so I added a third, now it keeps temp at 70-90 C.

For lack of finding thermal fluids locally I used olive oil. It may work, but when first heating, it sizzles a lot. One question is if continuous heating, or these intense initial heating periods, can alter the oil to the point where a radiator fails, causing possibly a run-away situation of the turbine.

I would like to know if others have assembled useful dumploads with specific wattage, which are reliable.

Werner

Argentina

PS I submitted a similar post which I could not find thereafter, so it must have gotten lost, and this is  +/- a repeat.

[nack]

If there is no chance of cross-contaminating the drinking water, I would probably just use water/ethelene glycol antifreeze mix with a light pressure cap to prevent evaporative losses.   I've never tried olive oil for anything other than eating and cooking, but from those experiences I would expect it to gum up on you eventually.

[Matrix1000]

maybe try...motor oil or synthetic? or a 'high' tempurature cooking oil.

The problem with cooking oil is that is is basically a food product, and food burns up. After repeated heating the oil will break down, gum up and leave a varnish on everything...ask any fry cook.

[Matrix1000]

Now that I think about it....baby oil might work.

[N9WOS]

I have found that mineral oil works good.

I use it for RF dummy loads.

It doesn't really break down, and when it evaporates,

(Load overheating.)

it doesn't leave a lot of crud.

The thermal convection is strong when it is taking a lot of wattage.

But,you need to have the heating element

at the very bottom of the container to maximize

the sustained high power handling capacity.

(ie)It consumes all the cold oil before the hot oil is finally feed back

Though the heating element via convection.

Any of the oil below the heating element will not take an predictable

role in cooling the element unless you have active oil pumping.

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

"Transformer Oil" - whatever they're filling pole-pigs with these days.

Lasts for decades at high temperatures in contact with metal and oxygen.

Doesn't evaporate easily.

DON'T salvage some from an OLD transformer.  They USED to use a PCB-based oil.  Great for transformers.  (It absorbed energy when breaking down so it would extinguis arcs rather than catching fire.)  But it turned out to be very toxic.