Solutia Inc. (St. Louis, Mo.; www.therminol.com) announced today that it has supplied Therminol D12 and Therminol 66 synthetic heat transfer fluids to a new state of the art, 15,000 metric ton per year (m.t./y) solar-grade high-purity polysilicon manufacturing plant in Xinyu City, China.
The facility is owned and operated by LDK Solar and came online in the fall of 2009. LDK is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of multi-crystalline solar wafers, which are the main raw material for photovoltaic solar cells.
Earlier this year, Solutia announced a number of significant projects in which Therminol VP-1 will be used downstream in the solar-power chain. In these concentrating solar power plants, very large volumes of Therminol heat transfer fluid are heated in trough-shaped mirror assemblies by absorbing energy from concentrated sunlight. The heated Therminol is then used to generate steam that drives power generating turbines. All in all, Solutia’s focus on the solar power market is getting stronger. “Solutia recognizes the value of energy generation from renewable sources and is committed to serving the solar market, both in the concentrated solar power market and the manufacture of polysilicon used in photovoltaic solar modules,” said Richard Altice, vice president of commercial services of Solutia’s Technical Specialties division.