What is Heat Trace? Heat Trace Cable Prices

WHAT IS HEAT TRACE and HEAT TRACE CABLE

Heat Tracing, which means “electrical thermal monitoring” in Turkish, is a system in which temperature controls are provided by means of electric current. Tank heating and pipe heating are the general usage areas of the system. In the Heat Tracing system, which is used in many sectors in the production area, specially designed electrical heating cable; It is wrapped around the area to be heated, such as a tank and pipe. The cable, through which current is passed, provides heat management by converting electrical energy into heat energy.

The system is controlled by an automation system to prevent the fluids in the pipes from staying at certain temperatures or freezing. This control system ensures that the temperature of the system remains constant by energizing the cables when necessary.

The heat losses experienced during the transfer of fluid materials through the pipe may cause the material to lose its fluidity, solidify or lose its unique properties. Thanks to Heat Tracing – heating cable application, fluids can be fixed at the desired temperature. The purpose of this application; It is to ensure that the fluids in the pipe remain within the temperature range suitable for the current process and to prevent freezing. In addition to industry, it can be used to prevent roof freezing in buildings or for underfloor heating of houses.

How is Heat Tracing Applied?

In Heat Tracing, the quality of the insulation is extremely important. Heat Tracing cable is fixed to the pipeline with specially manufactured fireproof tapes. Then, it is covered with aluminum foil-like materials with high thermal conductivity in order to spread the heat better. The insulation layer is wrapped by placing materials such as rock wool and glass wool with high insulating power on it. The outermost layer is covered with thin sheet metal. For the points where the Heat Tracing cable contacts the sheet, special apparatuses are used to ensure watertightness. In addition, there are termination apparatuses that are used to terminate the cable at the feeding point and at the end of the line. It is undesirable for the insulation to absorb water. The freezing of the insulation, especially during the winter months, may create a power requirement that the Heat Tracing cable cannot solve with its limited capacity.

Pros of Heat Trace

The use of electrical heating cables for heating and heat monitoring/monitoring purposes in industrial production facilities; It shows a continuous and rapid increase compared to the steam, hot water and hot oil heating systems that were widely used in previous years. This is due to the reliability and extremely long life provided by modern heater cables. In addition, considering the financial dimension of the business, Heat Tracing brings significant profitability in the medium and long term. Steam temperature control is at an affordable level when considering the initial investment cost, but is even more expensive than Heat Tracing systems when maintenance costs are considered.

From another point of view, while the heaters used in most tanks with the immersion method, give high heat only from a certain point and cause the material to deteriorate; With the Heat Tracing system used in tank heating systems, the tanks are heated homogeneously, evenly and evenly. With this application, it is ensured that the material retains its properties. This system, which is generally used in oil and caustic tanks, has started to be used in all kinds of tank heating systems today.

The flexible structures of the heating cables and the fact that they can be produced in different powers provide high energy efficiency and ease of inspection in the industrial field. Thanks to the developing technology, today, heater cable systems with very low installation costs are used in every sector in the industrial line with advanced automation controls.

In addition, the easy management of electrical energy and the fact that the maintenance costs of electrical heating cables are close to zero provide a great reduction in the expenses of the enterprises.

Heat losses during the transfer of fluids with pipes; may cause the substance to lose its fluidity, solidify or lose its properties. With the Heat Tracing application, fluids can be kept at the specified temperature as long as desired.

Where is Heat Tracing Used?

There are two main reasons behind the heating of the liquids in the pipes and tanks: To prevent freezing and to ensure fluidity.

1. 1. prevent freezing

Liquids must be fluid in order to move from one point to another. Since water and some liquids have high fluidity at normal ambient temperatures; The important thing for these liquids is to keep the substance above freezing. The main purpose is to apply enough heating to prevent freezing.

1. 1. Providing fluidity by reducing viscosity

Viscosity, in other words, non-viscosity… Some liquids other than fluids have high viscosity even at ambient temperature. Some are completely solid. Heat Tracing applications provide fluidity by keeping these materials at the ideal temperature.

Heat Tracing; It is also used to prevent icing of the ramps in front of the house and garage during the winter months. Icing on asphalt-stone ground prevents our vehicles from moving. These areas, which are heated by electrical heating cables, allow snow and ice to melt. The most preferred ramp heating system in this area is the application called “wheel track heating”. The application area varies according to the size of the vehicle and wheel dimensions. By evaluating all these situations, with the heating system applied to an area in the size of ruts, only the area to be used is heated instead of the entire area, thus achieving a significant saving in energy consumption.

The same logic applies to roof space heating. While each roof is being designed, it is designed to withstand a certain weight. However, sometimes these accounts may not be kept due to snow and similar natural factors. At this point, electrical heating cables come to our rescue. The winter season, which is experienced in very harsh conditions from time to time in our country, can cause very heavy financial losses. Using the heater cable with the Heat Tracing application; The accumulation of snow and the collapse of the roof and the occurrence of negative situations that cause fatal accidents are prevented.

What are the Heat Trace Cable Types?

Heat Tracing is carried out with various cables called heater cables in the light of rapid and dynamic technological developments. Basically, 3 types of cables are used during the process:

Self Regulating Cable:

Self regulating cable is the most preferred cable type in the market. Thanks to its carbon structure, this cable does not draw energy as it heats up and does not carry the risk of self-burning. Self-regulating cables can be cut in desired lengths.

Fixed Power Heater Cable:

Fixed power heater cable is a type of cable that is generally used at high temperatures and is preferred to intervene in long lines.

Series Resistance Heater Cable:

Series resistance heater cables are produced in standard lengths as fabrication. It is necessary to remain constant throughout the production length.

In addition to getting information about the prices of underfloor heating , you can check our Pipeline Frost Prevention Heat Trace Heating Systems to get information about the systems that can be laid on it and to find out the prices of these systems.