Don't Risk Equipment or Safety: Freeze Protect Your Plant Now

Don't let this happen at your plant.

Winter is here in its full glory. Plant engineers and plant maintenance have to pay special care in preventing freezing in pipelines, tanks, Vessels, conveyors, and impulse lines.  The cold temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic can often damage or destroy process equipment and it's valuable contents. Most commonly, pipes, instrumentation, and valves are the vulnerable items affected by the sudden drop in temperatures, causing devastating consequences, including costly downtime and unplanned outages. But there's also safety issues to be considered with snow and ice build up, so attention must be paid to snow and ice melting.

Main Categories for Industrial Heat Tracing

• Industrial Pipe Tracing Cable
• Industrial Tank and Vessel Heating
• Industrial Snow Melting
• Industrial Roof Gutter Deicing

Responsible facility management includes protecting buildings and equipment against freeze damage. There are many items in any given manufacturing plant to protect, including piping systems, process instrumentation, holding tanks, transfer vessels, and valves. For each of these items, there's a good freeze protection solution to be applied. Here are some of the more common heat tracing products used in these applications.

Self-regulating Heat Tracing Cable

These self-regulating, cut-to-length cables are normally installed in commercial and light industrial applications, to maintain pipe temperature and/or prevent freezing. These heating cables are available in 120 and 240 voltages and are designed for use in ordinary or hazardous locations (with proper selections and application). Typical applications for this product are freeze protection and low watt density process temperature systems such as product pipelines, fire protection, process water and dust suppression systems.

Constant Wattage Heat Tracing Cable

Constant wattage heater cable is ideal for use in maintaining fluid flow under low ambient conditions. The product is used for freeze protection and process temperature maintenance systems such as product pipelines, process water, dust suppression systems, lube oil and condensate return.

MI (Mineral Insulated) Cable

MI Cable is a metal sheathed cable that uses a metallic conductor as the heating element. It is custom designed and fabricated for specific applications. MI Cable is a high performance, industrial grade heat tracing cable used for applications requiring high temperature exposure, immunity to stress corrosion, high maintain temperature, under tank heating (cryogenic tanks), high power output, constant power output over entire, rugged cable construction heater length, and extended heater life.

It is critical to consider the specific application requirements for any heat tracing application. The following checklist always needs to be clearly understood:

• The mass and material of the item being traced
• Insulation availability - type and thickness
• Temperature to be maintained
• Minimum ambient temperature
• Minimum start-up temperature
• Available supply voltage
• The chemical environment - expose
• Maximum intermittent exposure temperature
• Electrical area classification

Always share your heat tracing requirements and challenges with a process heating specialist. There are many options and product variants from which to choose. A consultation with an expert can help direct you to the safest, most efficient, and most cost effective solution.

Basic Information for the Design and Selection of Heat Trace Products for Pipe and Vessel Heating

Heat Tracing Self-Regulating Cable

To specify components for an effectively designed, totally electric heat trace system, it is necessary to understand the basic principles involved. A heat trace system is designed to replace heat lost through the thermal insulation from equipment in the system. In some applications, heat tracing will also be able to provide enough heat to significantly change the process temperature. 

It is always recommended to use thermal insulation since heat loss from bare surfaces is very high and heat transfer between the heater and the pipe/vessel is highly variable. All insulation should be weatherproofed. Wet insulation is ineffectual and heater output is insufficient to dry it.

There are several distinctively different types of electric heaters - self regulating, constant wattage, mineral insulated and tank heating panels. Each type has its own characteristics, often making one more suitable for a certain application than the others.

Download the entire Nelson Electric
"Heater Product General Information" guide from this link.

Self Regulating Heater Cable

Self Regulating Heater Cable will adjust its own output in response to pipe temperature. Available in a variety of temperature and power ratings up to 230°C (450°F) and 65.6w/m (20w/ft.). Product features include:

• Variable Output
• Self-Regulating heaters will react to variations in temperature encountered at every point along its length. Colder sections receive more heat output, while warmer sections receive less. This provides greater energy efficiency and more uniform pipe temperatures.
• Can Be Overlapped Without Damage
• Because Self-Regulating heaters controls its own output, overlapped sections produce less heat, eliminating “hot spots” and possible burn-through common with other types of cable.
• Fail Safe
• Upon reaching the upper limits of its temperature range, Self-Regulating heaters diminishes its own heat output to an insignificant level. This guarantees that maximum temperatures (T ratings) cannot be exceeded no matter what product is used in any application.
• Easy Installation
• Because of its infinite parallel path circuitry, Self-Regulating heaters can be cut to any length in the field without affecting the heat output or creating “dead zones”.

Constant-Wattage Heater Cable

Constant Wattage Heat Tracing Cable

Constant Wattage Heater Cable is a parallel resistance heater that produces the same watts-per-foot of heat along its entire length.

• EasyInstallation
• Constant-Wattage heaters can be cut to length and terminated in the field. 
• Economical 
• Provides good power densities and exposure temperatures with parallel circuit cable capabilities at economical prices. Exposure Temperatures to +204°C (+400°F). Ideal for maintaining many process temperature applications. 

Mineral Insulated Heater Cable

MI Cable

Mineral insulated Cable is a series conductor, high temperature heater cable with a special, thin metal sheath. Some of MI advantages are:

• Corrosion-Resistant
• Alloy 825 sheath provides excellent corrosion resistance and immunity from chloride stress corrosion - a common problem with stainless steel. 
• Ideal for High Temperature Applications
• Mineral Insulated heaters can withstand exposure temperatures up to 593°C (1100°F). Exposure temperatures can be increased to 750°C (1400°F) with special components. 
• Ratings To 600V
• Mineral Insulated heaters are available in a variety of voltages to match the available power supply. 
• High Heat Output 
• Mineral Insulated heaters have heat output ratings up to 10 times higher than most other cables, reducing the amount of cable required. 
• Rugged Construction
• A durable metal sheath provides greater mechanical protection.
• Thin Wall Construction
• A unique manufacturing process allows thin wall cable construction for easier field installation. 

Tank Heating Panels

Heating Panel

• Low Cost Installation
• Flexible silicone construction allows panel to conform to tank wall. No bonding or heat transfer aids are required. 
• High Temperature 
• Tank Heating Panels maintain temperatures up to 79°C (175°F) and can withstand exposure to 204°C (400°F).

A Specialty Temperature Sensor Specifically for Improving Heat Tracing Applications

Heat Tracing RTD (courtesy of
Applied Sensor Technologies)

A temperature sensor is key to any heat tracing application as it provides temperature feedback about the pipe temperature, which in turn, is used turn on or off the heating system (electric pipe tracing or steam control valve).

The temperature sensor is critical for both categories of heat tracing - process temperature maintenance and freeze protection.  Failure to maintain process temperature in a pipe or vessel could significantly effect product quality, or cause failure of ancillary equipment such as pumps, valves, and compressors. Properly protecting against freezing keeps pipes from bursting or product from blocking the flow. For both situations, product maintenance and freeze protection, accurate and reliable temperature sensing is critical.

There’s a new and very innovative line of RTD temperature assemblies specifically designed for heat tracing applications. The unique, replaceable element concept can save customers both time and money, plus increase overall system reliability and up-time.

A major refining company determined that they save over $1,000 in labor each time they have to replace a sensor and have reduced their repair time from two days to less than one hour.

The design consists of a terminal head and right-angle shaped outer sheath, with a curved weld-pad at the end. The replaceable RTD element assembly is contained in the outer tube and, when installed, presses against the pipe. Heat transfer is excellent and heat conduction away from the element is minimal. Should the element ever need to be replaced, it's a five-minute job to open the terminal head, unwire the sensor, slide it out and slide a new one in.

For more information, contact:

Ives Equipment
(877) 768-1600

www.ivesequipment.com