Brine in Other Industries

Further Info:

Refrigeration

Brine is used as a fluid in secondary refrigeration systems. It is used to transport thermal energy from place to place. Brine at 23.3% has a freezing point of -21.1*c. The benefits of using brine in refrigeration is that it is relatively inexpensive. 

Engineering:

The production of some metals requires rapid cooling during the hardening process. Water is most widely used but it often causes steam bubbles on the metal which leads to soft spots in the final product. The only solution is to use Brine or Oil. 

Brine is used during the quenching process for a number of reasons. 
  1. Brine "makes better contact" with the steel. NaCl increases the surface tension of water. It is believed that this is what reduces the amount of steam bubbles created when the hot steel enters the solution. 
  2. Brine can operate at 150 to 595*c, oil cannot be used above 230*c. Therefore Brine can be used in more high temperature processes. 
  3. Brine reaches temperature equalsation faster than oil. 
  4. Brine is non-flammable. Oil poses a serious hazard.