ELECTRIC HEAT TRACING

Agenda
• Why Heat Tracing?
• Types of Heat Tracing Systems
• Design Using Vendor Software

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 Why Heat Tracing?
• To compensate for heat losses and to maintain a
minimum temperature (i.e. to prevent freezing.
• The most common heat tracing applications
include:
- Freeze protection & Temperature
maintenance
- Heat-up

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Freeze Protection & Temperature Maintenance
Every pipe or vessel is subject to heat loss when its temperature is greater than
ambient temperature. Thermal insulation reduces the rate of heat loss but does
not eliminate it. Trace heating is used to replace the heat that is lost to
atmosphere. If the heat replaced matches the heat lost, temperature will be
maintained. Normally, a thermostat is used to energise when it measures
temperature falling below a set temperature value - usually between 3°C and
5°C and often referred to as the 'setpoint'. The thermostat will de-energise the
trace heating when it measures temperature rising past another set temperature
value - usually 2°C higher than the setpoint value.

-12 C
Insulation

10 C
Heat
Heat loss

Heater

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Heat-up
This type of application is required where a
critical or emergency condition is foreseen
Heat-up of the fluid or pipe / vessel may be
required during start-up or in order to re-start
the system after a shutdown of the system.

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Heat Loss
T p  Ta
q
1 ln( D 2 / D1) 1 1
  
D1hi 2k D 2hco D 2 ho

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As per IEEE 515, neglecting the hi, hco and ho parameters
for conservative high heat loss, we get

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– Types of Heat Tracing

Hot water jacketing

Steam Heat Tracing / Jacketing

Thermic Fluid Heat Tracing / Jacketing

Electric Heat Tracing

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• Selecting the method: Considerations while choosing heat tracing
system

1. Economics
2. Type of pipeline – Long or Short
3. Cost of steam Vs electricity
4. Availability of free steam from exothermic reactions.
5. Maintenance temperature required.
6. Temperature control accuracy required.
7. Hazardous area classification.
8. Type of power available during plant shut down.

• Steam heat tracing involves laying of steam supply and return

pipelines. Steam tracing requires investment in a steam generation
boiler with attendant issues of operation and maintenance.

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 EHT- Circuits and Cables
• Types of Electric Heat Tracing Cables
Series cables
Mineral-insulated (MI) cable
Skin-effect current tracing (SECT)

Parallel Cables
Parallel / Zone Heater Cables.
Self-regulating (SR) cable
Impedance – Direct Joule Effect Heating
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 Parallel / Zone Heater Cables
Node Resistance wire



Zone
(0.5 m to 2 m) Bus wires

Dielectric insulation
Node
connection

Bus Nichrome heating element (38-41 AWG)

wire

Features: 1. Maximum Maintenance Temperature upto – 66⁰C

2. Maximum Continuous Exposure Temperature - 204⁰C
3. Watt Density upto – 33W/m.
4. Circuit lengths upto 200 mtrs.

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Advantages: 1. Cut to length feature.
2. Not subjected to inrush of current as compared to self
regulating cables.
3. Flexible
4. Usually inexpensive
5. If one small element fails then the rest of the system will
continue to operate.

Disadvantages: 1. Requires infre-red scanning to detect faults.

2. Cannot be overlapped.
3. Poor impact resistance.

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 Series Cables

Resistance Plastic
wire dielectric Braid Outer plastic jacket
insulation

 

 

Features: 1. Maximum Maintenance Temperature upto – 204⁰C

2. Maximum Continuous Exposure Temperature - 260⁰C
3. Circuit lengths upto – 3658 mtrs.

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Advantages: 1. Long circuit lengths
2. Easy to monitor
3. Flexible
4. Usually inexpensive

Disadvantages: 1. Not suitable for short lengths.

2. Comes in pre-fabricated lengths.
3. Cannot be overlapped.
4. Single failure shuts down entire circuit.
5. Poor impact resistance.
6. High Replacement cost.

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 Self Regulating Cables
+

Bus wire - • Suitable for Low

Outer plastic jacket
Maintenance and Design
Braid
Dielectric insulation
Temperature Application.
Heating element
• Parallel resistance constant
Resistance

wattage cable.

Power
Temperature Temperature

Features: 1. Maximum Maintenance Temperature upto – 150⁰C

2. Maximum Continuous Exposure Temperature - 250⁰C
3. Circuit lengths upto – 300 mtrs.
4. Watt Density – 66 W/m

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Advantages: 1. Higher reliability – cannot burnout even if overlapped.
2. Easier to design - Parallel circuit, cut to length. Unconditional
T-ratings, Compensates for variations.
3. Lower installation and operating costs.

Disadvantages: 1. Compared to MI cables these are suitable for Lower

Maintenance Temp. & Lower exposure temperature
2. Lower Watt Densities upto 66 W/m.
3. Higher start-up / inrush current.

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 MINERAL INSULATED (MI) CABLE
• Suitable for High
Resistance wire Maintenance and Design
Temperature Application.

• Series resistance constant

wattage cable.

Magnesium Oxide Metal Sheath

Dielectric Insulation

 
- -

Features: 1. Maximum Maintenance Temperature upto – 500⁰C

2. Maximum Continuous Exposure Temperature - 600⁰C
3. Circuit lengths upto – 1200 mtrs.
4. Watt Density – 262 W/m.

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Advantages: 1. Compared to SR cables these have:
-High maintenance temperature
-Suitability for High exposure temperature
-High Watt Densities
2. Easy to monitor.
3. Rugged.
4. Uniform Power along entire length.

Disadvantages: 1. Pre-fabricated lengths.

2. Difficult to install due to non-flexibility.
3. Cannot be overlapped.
4. MgO Dielectric Extremely Sensitive to Moisture.
5. Not suitable for short lengths.

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 SKIN-EFFECT CURRENT TRACING (SECT)

.0
.

Pipe Insulated
conductor
Insulated
High conductor Weld Heat tube
voltage
AC

Advantages: 1. Suitable for Very long circuit lengths (1.5-30) km.

2. High watt density up to 60 w/m per tube.
3. High temperature capability up to 205°C.
4. Low installation, operation and maintenance costs.
5. Rugged.
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Disadvantages: 1. Not suitable for complex piping
2. High voltage (500-5000 volts)
3. Special transformer required.
4. Custom design for each circuit
5. Must be welded to process pipe

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 Impedance – Direct Joule Effect Heating

Advantages: 1. Low Voltage Operation – less than 30V.

2. Uniform Heating – since entire pipe acts as
heating element.
3. Low installation, operation and maintenance costs.
4. No hot-spots and burn-outs.
5. Wide temperature range from below freezing to 850°C
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Disadvantages: 1. Usually operates at very high currents.
2. Special transformer required.
3. Isolating flanges required.
4. Terminals must be welded to process pipe.

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 Comparison between different types of cables
Sr. Description Series Parallel Cable MI Cable Self Regulating Cable
No
Cable

Uniform & length Uniform & length Uniform & length

1 Power output Not Uniform
dependant Independent Independent

2 Start up currents High

Variation in output to match heat losses with

3 Not possible Not possible Not possible possible
variation in ambient temperature

Difficult to install over

4 Site modification / cutting & field repairs Cumbersome Possible Possible
complicated shapes.

Possible design Possible design Can tolerate brief period

5 Burnout possibility Burnout proof
Dependent Dependent of overheating

6 Effect of circuit failure Large Only Faulty portion Large Only faulty portion

7 Watt density - W/meter 25 33 262 66

8 Suitability for following criterias:

8.1 Short length -Pipe lines (Upto 300 meters) Can be used Can be used Can be used Can be used
8.2 Long length Pipelines (Above 301 Meters) Upto 3~4 kms - Upto 1.2 kms. -
8.3 Maintenance Temperature (Deg. C) 204 66 500 150
8.4 Exposure / Design Temperature (Deg. C) 260 204 600 250

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 EHT- The Design
INPUT DATA
• Line List (Process & Piping)
-Maintenance Tempertaure
-Design / Exposure Temperature
-Pipe Line Material, Length and Diameter
-Insulation Type and thickness
-Pipe Fluid / Material
• P&ID
• Piping Isometrics
• Area Classification – Safe / Hazardous
• Application – Maintenance / Heat-up
• Instrument Hook-up drawings

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OUTPUT DELIVERABLES / DOCUMENTS
• Design & Calculation Sheet
• Circuit Schedule
• EHT Isometrics
• SLD
• Cable Schedule
• BOQ

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 Sample Calculation
– q = 2K(Tp - Ta)/ln(D2 / D1)
• Pipe Size – 4” with Outer Diameter – 114.31 mm
• K : Cellular glass insulation thermal conductivity – 0.0494 W/m°C
• Insulation Thickness – 40 mm
• D2 : Outside Diameter of the Insulation – 0.1143 mtrs.
• D1 : Inside Diameter of the Insulation – 0.1943 mtrs.
• Tp : Temperature to be maintained - +80°C
• Ta : Minimum Ambient Temperature - +5°C

Using the above formula, we arrive at Heat loss Q = 43.85 W/m

Same can be verified using the vendor design software.

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 Standards And Codes
• IEEE 515 - Testing, Design, Installation, and
Maintenance of Electrical Resistance
Heat Tracing for Industrial
Applications.
• NFPA 70 – Article 427
• IEC 60800 - Heating cables
• IEEE 844 - Practice for induction and skin effect
heating
• BS 6351 - Electric surface heating
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TYPICAL HEAT TRACING PANEL WITH OFFLINE THERMOSTATS

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TYPICAL HEAT TRACING PANEL WITH ONLINE THERMOSTATS

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EHT- The Design

Figure 7: Typical Config. (MI) 30

EHT- The Design

Figure 8: Typical Config. (MI) 31

 EHT- The Design

Figure 9: Typical Config. SR Cable 32

EHT- THE END

Thank you!

Questions?

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