The Ives Equipment Process Engineering & Control Blog

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

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).

Happy New Year from Ives Equipment

With 2017 coming to a close, all of us at Ives Equipment wanted to reach out and send our best wishes to our customers, our vendors, and our friends! We hope that 2018 holds success and good fortune for all of you.

How New Lead-Free Regulations Will Impact Your Selection Of Potable Water Valves

Bottom line: Get the lead out.

Recent legislation in several states has tightened regulation of lead content in the components of potable (drinkable) water treatment systems. Other states may well be considering similar moves. This pace of regulation seems unlikely to slacken.

This report examines the choices facing specifiers and purchasers of small solenoid valves for potable water systems. It weighs the advantage and disadvantages of brass, plastic, and stainless steel designs. Finally, it suggests the solutions that smart planners should consider for current and future use.

You can download the full report (courtesy of ASCO Valve) here, or you can view it below in the embedded viewer.

Lead Free Regulations Impact on Selection of Potable Water Valves from Ives Equipment

Increasing Safety in Chemical Waste Water Treatment Plant

Waste water treatment and location of the measurement.

Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) is the preferred raw material for the most common plastic products of daily life. The PTA production process generates various waste water streams which are high in organic content.

Purification of Process Waste Water

In the waste water treatment plant, the water treatment starts with aeration. The last step is an anaerobic bio reactor where the treatment is done in a controlled atmosphere. Micro organisms purify the water and produce biogas. Biogas roughly consists of 60 % methane and 40 % Carbon dioxide. This biogas is compressed and used as a fuel to reduce the net energy supply.

Although production or intrusion of oxygen into the reactors or pipes is highly unlikely, safety systems are installed. In case air enters unexpectedly into the process this first may result in a non-supporting atmosphere for the microbes and in the worst case the gas mixture may lead to an explosion.

Safety Guaranteed Using Siemens LDS 6

To ensure that oxygen never exceeds the maximum accepted concentration, the customer chose an in-situ measurement with the Siemens Laser Diode Spectrometer LDS 6. LDS 6 performs a continuous monitoring of the oxygen concentration in the biogas produced.

Measurement path and the
two LDS 6 sensor heads.

The response of the system is in three levels:

In case the oxygen level exceeds 5 % an alarm is triggered.
The threshold of 7 % causes an automatic nitrogen injection and the closure of a valve preventing the gas mixture from entering into the compressor.
When the limit of 9 % is exceeded, this automatically shuts down the compressor.

The in-situ measurement leads to a fast and reliable measurement.

The stability and availability of the LDS 6 system is ensured by the integrated reference cell which provides a lifetime calibration. To be absolutely on the safe side, the customer operates a weekly safety check which involves opening a valve that allows a controlled air intake into the LDS 6 sensor heads. As the sensor heads are physically separated from the process by process windows, no oxygen may enter into the process. The reaction of the system shows in any of these tests once more the reliability of the measurement method used.

For more information about this application, or for any analytical instrument requirement, contact Ives Equipment by calling (877) 768-1600 or visiting https://www.ivesequipment.com.

Reprinted with permission from Siemens Case Study.

Beverage Container Manufacturer Improves Production Inventory Control with Radar Level Transmitter

SITRANS LR560 Radar Level Transmitter

A company in the southeastern United States produces and supplies beverage containers to a large number of bottling plants. The company produces a wide size range of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for both carbonated soft drinks and water. PET bottles are formed in a two-step process that includes both injection-molding and blow-molding equipment.

Challenge

The customer has a need to monitor the level in storage tanks containing crystallized PET plastic pellets used in the production of plastic soft drink bottles. The crystallized pellets range in density from 30 pounds per cubic feet to 56 pounds per cubic feet, and the tanks can be up to 60 feet in height.

The level measurement is used for inventory control, and it is important to maintain material supply during production periods. Production needs to know if they will need to switch tanks if the inventory is running low.

The customer had been using a plumb-bob for the level measurements and had also tried ultrasonic level measurement instruments, from a different vendor, in the past. The plumb bob cable became a mechanical nuisance, and because of high dust levels, the customer had experienced periodic loss of echo using the ultrasonic level devices.

Solution

The local Siemens representative convinced the customer to install a trial unit of the SITRANS LR560 radar level transmitter. The LR560 transmitter provided a continuous, repeatable and low-maintenance level measurement solution. The SITRANS LR560 unit’s plug and play performance is ideal for most solids level measuring applications, including those with extreme dust and high temperatures.

Its unique design allows safe and simple programming using the intrinsically-safe handheld programmer without having to open the instrument’s lid.

Results

The customer tested the trial unit for almost a year, and because of their confidence in the reliability of the level measurements, the customer placed an order for an additional 9 instruments for use in their storage silos.

Benefits

Time savings: No maintenance required. Because the SITRANS LR560 radar transmitter is a non-contacting instrument, the risk of product contamination is eliminated and no extended delays are caused as when plumb-bob cables get caught or broken.

Improved process reliability: Continuous level measurement is a real time indicator of how much is in the silo. A plumb-bob cable getting stuck at a certain distance can lead to misinterpretation of the actual level. After the cable gets stuck, there is no level history prior to the last request on demand from the instrument.

Easier to use: The SITRANS LR560 transmitter was set up using the quick start wizard and no further tuning or maintenance is required.

Unique product features: The local user interface allows for ease of con-figuration and set-up. Since the customer is only using the removable, local display during setup, the custom-er can save money by moving the display from unit to unit as needed. The narrow, 4-degree beam angle enables reliable depth penetration into the silo and ignores potential silo wall interference.

About the SITRANS LR560 Radar Level Transmitter The SITRANS LR560 2-wire, 78 GHz FMCW radar level transmitter is used for continuous monitoring of solids in silos to a range of 100 meters or 328 feet. Its plug and play performance is ideal for most solids applications, including those with extreme dust and high temperatures to +392ºF. Its unique design provides safe and simple programming using the intrinsically-safe handheld programmer without having to open the instru-ment’s lid.

The SITRANS LR560 transmitter includes an optional graphical local display interface (LDI) that improves setup and operation using an intuitive Quick Start Wizard, and echo profile display for diagnostic support. Startup is easy using the Quick Start wizard with a few parameters required for basic operation. The SITRANS LR560 instrument measures virtually any solids material level up to a range of 328 feet.

To discuss this, or any process instrument application, contact Ives Equipment by calling (877) 768-1600 or visit https://www.ivesequipment.com.

Vector System Image Processor for Water in Hydrocarbons and Particles in Hydrocarbons

Canty Process Technology specializes in many refinery applications. Some applications include oil in water / water in oil, hydrogen reformer cameras, and desalter monitors. The CANTY Inflow™ is a vision-based camera system used with the CANTY Vector System image processor for water in hydrocarbons and particles in hydrocarbons in a lab environment / at-line / in-line process. The presence of these two physical contaminants is a problem for equipment the hydrocarbon is entering.

The CantyVision™ Software accurately measures multiple aspects of the hydrocarbons from water / solids / gas independent of each other for accurate data. In comparison to a laser and capacitance, which measures only one dimension and can’t identify the difference of water and solids in the stream. The CantyVision™ software can identify the differences. The customer can also visually verify the readings.

Hydrocarbon contamination takes place mainly in production and transportation. CANTY objectively takes the measurement and reports based on a two dimensional image. Solids & water are all measured and continuously and objectively monitored. By knowing whether there is a water or solids problem this helps the operators identify how to fix the problem. The Inflow™ is an in-line analysis system to make sure production samples are not skipped over.

A brochure for the Canty Inflow™ can be downloaded here.