Orange oil has long been known to have appealing properties for industries such as cleaning products. Dan Loikits and James Hsu have developed yet another use for the product—heat transfer fluid for the HVAC market.

Over the past decade, Dan Loikits followed a fortuitous path that began with an orange peel and ended with Dynalene—a multimillion dollar company that produces a full range of patented, high-performance heat transfer liquids.

By using fluids to transfer heat instead of directly applying heat or coolant, manufacturers across a wide range of industries gain a more uniform, reliable process that recirculates the fluids in a heating or cooling loop. Not only does this method save time and energy, it's a much safer alternative.

Loikits has built Whitehall-based Loikits Technologies into a successful commercial refrigeration and pollution control business involved in installation, maintenance and emergency repairs. From early on, Loitkits found routine evidence of system failures created by the heat transfer fluid.

The few alternatives that were thermally stable were also expensive—unaffordable for most customers, especially in larger volumes. There were no competitive alternatives that could meet the medium to ultra-low temperature goals required by emerging technologies. Seeing a niche opportunity, Loikits formed a spinoff company, Dynalene, to focus on heat transfer fluids using an unlikely ingredient—orange oil.

Orange oil has long been known to have appealing properties for other industries such as cleaning products. The orange oil concept that provided the inspiration for Dynalene was brought to life after BFTP introduced Loikits to Dr. James T. Hsu, a professor of chemical engineering at Lehigh University.

“BFTP taught us the value of partnering with the right people at the right time. They guided us through all the challenges we faced throughout the process— everything from locating the right patent attorney to writing more effective proposals.” —DAN LOIKITS, founder, Loikits technologies and dynalene

"In Hsu's lab, they discovered that by blending orange oil with other hydrocarbons, you have a very effective heat transfer fluid," explains David Arcury, vice president of sales for Dynalene.

BFTP aided the partnership by providing $187,500 in funding, business assistance and critical assessment and guidance. "Not only did they help get us started," says Loikits, "but they taught us the value of partnering with the right people at the right time. They guided us through all the challenges we faced throughout the process—everything from locating the right patent attorney to writing more effective proposals."

Dynalene products distinguish themselves from other heat transfer fluids by functioning well at ultra-low temperatures and providing cost-effective applications for a range of industries, Arcury says. Applications range from ongoing climate control for a Bethlehem-based ice rink, to the manufacture of the artificial sweetener Aspartame. Other uses include supermarket refrigeration, electronics cooling, environmental chambers, petroleum refining, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, chemical processing, plastics and cryogenics.

Dynalene's "minimum viscosity" heat transfer fluid—called Dynalene MV—functions at temperatures as low as -170°F, explains Dr. Satish Mohapatra. Mohapatra is an excellent example of "brain gain"—attracting and retaining talented people to the region—which is a priority for both BFTP and the Commonwealth.

Mohapatra began developing the first product with Hsu during the mid-1990s while still a graduate student at Lehigh and decided to stay rather than move away. Now the company's vice president of engineering, Mohapatra has since created his own research team and developed more than 15 products for a variety of heat transfer applications.

"Dynalene products represent the most thermally efficient and the lowest temperature heat transfer fluids in the market," says Hsu in explaining Dynalene's marketplace advantage. "The fluids are environmentally friendly and cost effective as well."

 From the March/April 2006 issue