Heat tracing systems can also be used to maintain higher temperatures and reduce the viscosity of the media.
The cost of installing a tank frost protection system can be insignificant when compared to costs of damage caused to tanks as a result of freezing or worse still, process down time.
It is important when designing a tank frost protection heat tracing system, that all factors are considered including, tank size & orientation, tank material, tank contents, minimum ambient temperatures and thermal insulation.
T&D have over 35 years heat tracing experience and use the latest computer software to design a heat tracing system that offers adequate frost protection but is also energy efficient and provides the client with the control options necessary.
Depending on the size of a tank or vessel, it may be possible to install a heating jacket which is manufactured to fit. These offer the user a more flexible approach as the jackets can be removed as and when necessary.
It can also reduce costs associated with thermal insulation and mechanical protection. T&D offer a standard range of heating jackets but can also offer tailor made solutions for any given application. This includes frost protection and heat up of tanks and vessels in hazardous areas.
The Benefits Of Tank And Vessel Trace Heating for Frost Protection
By installing heat tracing cable you can frost protect your tanks and vessels ensuring that freezing temperatures don’t affect production or processes and result in costly delays.
T&D provide a free design service for frost protection for tanks & vessels send us the following information about your tank and we can design a system for you. This specification includes:
Tank/vessel dimensions including any outlet and inlet pipes
What material is the tank made from and is it indoors or outdoors
What product is in the tank
What is the minimum ambient temperature
What is the maintain temperature- note for frost protection we assume 5 degrees Celsius
We will recommend an insulation thickness but if you have any preference please confirm size
What power supply do you have available, i.e. either 110v or 230v
Tank Heating
Once we have the above information we can design your tank/vessel frost protection system for you to install. Installation is very straight-forward. Fix the trace heating cable to the outside of the tank, at the spacing we recommend, using the foil tape supplied.
Connect the frost protection trace heating cable into the surface temperature sensing thermostat, connect to a power supply and your tank/vessel is frost protected . The digital display on the thermostat allows you to quickly and easily see the temperature of the tank/vessel.
The thermostat also has volt free contacts allowing you to connect your frost protection trace heating system to the BMS.
Supplying Heat Tracing To British Tank Manufacturer
T&D are proud to be supporting British tank manufacturers by offering heat tracing solutions for rainwater harvesting tanks.
The manufacturer approached T&D for a heat tracing solution that would provide frost protection and temperature maintenance for the rainwater harvesting tanks.
Installing heat tracing cable frost protects your tank and stops freezing temperatures from effecting processes or production which ultimately could avoid costly delays.
EXPERTS IN WINTERISATION SOLUTIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL & HAZARDOUS AREA ENVIRONMENTS
Thorne & Derrick hold the largest UK stocks of frost protection & winterisation equipment to help keep your plant and personnel operational during the winter months.
Thorne & Derrick understand that prolonged periods of low ambient temperatures can bring operations to a standstill costing thousands of pounds in lost downtime.
Experts in heating solutions for use in industrial & explosive atmospheres, Thorne & Derrick have the knowledge & expertise to help clients prevent unnecessary down time this winter.
We can provide overnight delivery of Trace Heating Cables at the most competitive prices to guarantee frost protection of your pipelines and mechanical services.| Ask About Our Heat Trace Design Service.
💡 Contact us today and our skilled and friendly team can provide technical support as well as reliable, fit for purpose and compliant solutions to suit your exact requirements.
➡See our Winterisation blog TOP PICKS, including our most read articles about Trace Heating and the requirement for electrical heating products and systems to combat and mitigate Winter weather effects.
Eltherm Heat Tracing Cables – Frost Protection For Pipework Can Be Used in Hazardous & Non-Hazardous Areas
By Chris Dodds : estimated reading time 5 minutes
➡ Please note that this blog article was originally written in 2017 and was correct at the time of publish
Winter wreaks havoc and inflicts damage to process plant equipment, pipework and vessels every year if an adequate preventative maintenance plan is not in place – it is not unreasonable to expect freezing temperatures, wind chills and seasonally cold weather from October to March in the UK.
Add on the strength of the wind and it will feel bitter for many of us today, so you will need that extra layer ❄️ pic.twitter.com/C0nqGf8yVw
What often catches plant managers and operations out however, is not simply that exposed areas of pipework can freeze if not suitably trace heated and insulated using heat tracing cables, but actually that the more extreme weather has a physical effect on products within process equipment.
For instance, drum heaters can be deployed to provide viscosity maintenance to prevent drum contents from freezing, provide heat-up and high temperature process heating.
Heat Tracing Cables For Pipework Protection
Against Freezing Temperatures
For many products, colder temperatures will also mean higher viscosities and whilst a well specified trace heating solution would normally cater for this and regulate working temperatures thermostatically, it is often overlooked that extreme cold snaps can actually mean that the watts per metre of heating power installed maybe insufficient to maintain a higher temperature (perhaps of 30°C or more) against an extremely sharp fall in ambient temperatures, unless this is considered up-front.
During the winter of 2010, temperatures of -17°C were recorded in parts of the UK.
Whilst a conventional frost protection set-up can prevent water pipes from freezing, process lines operating at higher temperatures can become blocked causing overworking to pumps and resulting in the product under process not being manufactured to sub-standard with an under-powered system.
To counter this, the process temperature should always be stated upfront and used in heat-loss calculations and not simply the frost protection level of +5°. This may sound an obvious statement, but often heat tracing installations are sub-contracted to third parties to resolve, with the ensuing ‘Chinese Whispers’ scenario resulting in a defacto frost protection solution being arrived at.
Heat Tracing Cable
Eltherm Self-Regulating Key Features
Self-regulating heat tracing cable with adaptable output
A wide range of temperature applications
Demand orientated output grading
High chemical resistance for hazardous area heating
No temperature limitation required
Simple to lay and install and can be cut to length
Connection with plug-in connectors
Self regulating heat tracing cables have become the cornerstone of Winterisation systems in recent years and if specified correctly will provide an effective and energy efficient solution to frost protection as well as process temperature maintenance applications in industrial and hazardous area heating requirements – it is crucial to understand that the heating cable power output decreases as the ambient temperature rises, this is the “intelligent cable” concept of self-regulating cables.
The self regulating characteristic will mean that the power output at the intended temperature is somewhat less. It’s vital that the manufacturers trace heating cable datasheets are referred to and that the output for the trace heater cable is selected based upon the target maintain temperature and not the ambient temperature.
Another misconception is that self regulating heat tracing cables will automatically maintain a sensible frost protection level. It may well materialise this way under certain circumstances but a correctly set thermostatic line sensing controller is important to prevent water and other products in pipes from overheating.
Even a 10 watts per metre heat tracing cable if incorrectly specified can spell trouble on small pipes. For plastic pipework, we would always recommend remaining below 20W/m, whether thermostatically controlled or not. Simply put, when the trace heating cable is energised, depending on the level of the thermal insulation and the current temperature of the pipe contents, it’s not impossible to weaken pipes made from lower melt temperature plastics, for example PVC pipes.
Conversely, plastic pipes do not transfer the heat from a trace cable efficiently therefore heating cables should be over-wrapped with aluminium foil tape to improve heat dissipation to the pipework.
Specialist Distributors of Electrical Heating, Lighting, Power & Process Instrumentation Equipmentto deliver significant safety and reliability improvements in the Industrial, Explosive Atmosphere & Energy sectors.
Your proactive problem solvers experienced in succession planning for the replacement of obsolete, non-conformant and legacy equipment in hazardous areas with ATEX & IECEx Certification & DSEAR Regulatory Compliance.
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