what is steam tracing?

Steam tracing is a form of heat tracing that circulates steam around process pipes to keep the
process media within a specific temperature range.

How Steam Tracing Works

Heat tracing is one well-known method to keep process media warm. This process involves applying
an external heating source to process pipes, tanks, or other vessels. Steam tracing is a form of heat
tracing that circulates steam around process pipes to keep the process media within a specific
temperature range. Tracer lines are the tubing that carries the steam alongside the process pipe. Both
electrical heat tracing and steam tracing are commonly used at process plants.

Where Steam Tracing is Found in Applications

Steam tracing is commonly found in process facilities such as refineries or chemical

manufacturing plants. Typical applications for steam tracing include:

 Low- or slow-flow piping sections such as branch connections from parallel heat exchangers
or pumps, or bypasses around equipment.
 Equipment or piping that needs to be kept warm due to low ambient temperature conditions.
 Suction piping of a gas compressor from the outlet of the upstream KO drum (to prevent
condensation).
 Inlet piping of relief valves (to keep the piping and valve interior free of any precipitating
materials or crystallized hydrates).

Reasons to Use Steam Tracing

Steam tracing is commonly used to:

 Prevent process media from solidifying due to wax separation, crystallization, and water
freezing.
 Maximize plant efficiency, as instrument bridles and external piping to the process are
inherent heat sinks.
 Maintain the fluidity of viscous products during shutdown or in isolated piping.
 Avoid fluid-component separation caused by low temperatures.
 Prevent freezing of process media that contain water.
 Prevent condensation of gaseous process fluids.
 Prevent pipes from being damaged by very cold ambient temperatures.
 Prevent formation of hydrates or related compounds as scale in pipes due to low temperatures.
Types of steam heat tracing
Jacketed - used in ultra-critical applications, usually where a product temperature has to be
maintained at an elevated temperature all of the time. The use of a steam jacket also allows quick pre-
heating of the pipeline.
Critical - here, steam tracing is used to maintain the temperature of a product that will solidify, or
spoil should its temperature fall below a predetermined level.
Non-critical - tracing is used to maintain the product viscosity at its optimum pumping level.
Winterization - to ensure pipelines are not damaged due to freezing in adverse weather conditions.
Instrument - small bore steam tracing pipes, normally 10 mm, used to protect flowmeters, control
valves, sampling stations, impulse lines etc
Process Temperature Range Tracer Type
Low 10°-38°C Isolated
Medium-Low 39°-66°C Isolated/Convection
Medium 67°-93°C Convection/Conduction
Medium-High 94°-149°C Conduction
High 150°-204°C Conduction