Steam Tracing Design

Bower, J.N. Peterson, H.R. Guide to Steam Tracing Design. Hydrocarbon Processing Petroleum Refiner, March 1963, p. 149. 

Eland, K.G. New Guide to Steam Tracing Design. November 1966, p. 218. 

Design requirements. A slightly higher level of design expertise is required for electric tracing than for steam tracing. 

This cylindrical, low-pressure, horizontal tank had a design rating of about 5 psig (0.3 bar). A steam coil heated this tank. The transfer line to the tank was steam traced and insulated to keep it clear, but the heat tracing and insulation system on the inlet transfer piping was less than ideal. The inlet piping had to be dismantled on several occasions to clear it because of solidification in the fine. (See Figure 6—18.) [7]... 

The possibility of solidification of the fluid should not be overlooked in the design of a piping system. Insulation, steam tracing, and sloping the line to drain valves are methods for handling this type of problem. 

Send pipe designers to the field during construction to detail the routing of small-bore pipe, steam tracing, safety stations and service stations. 

Engineering Design Features. Equipment such as pumps and motors have been designed for outdoor exposure pipelines are well insulated and weatherproofed, jacketed or steam-traced to take care of widely fluctuating temperatures. Weather-resistant metals, materials, and finishes (stainless steel, plastic coatings, impregnated wood, etc.) are significant factors. 

Storage of aqueous NaOH solution. Although the tank had an agitation mechanism, it was suspected to be inadequate for complete and efficient hydrolysis. Additional agitation was provided by an external recirculation loop that accepted material from the bottom of the tank and returned it to the top. The external recirculation loop had steam trace heating and two parallel pathways fitted with closed impeller pumps that were not designed to handle slurries. 

Many caustic lines require insulation and heat tracing. Systems should be designed to prevent excessive surface temperatures, especially when using ferrous metal piping. Steam tracing should use standoffs to prevent direct contact of steam lines with pipe walls. High-chloride insulation material should not be applied to stainless steel piping. 

Thermal elements can be designed to operate at any steam temperature. In steam-tracing applications, it may be desirable to allow controlled amounts of condensate to back up in the lines in order to extract more heat from... 

Plunger pumps are available with one, two, three, four, five, or even more cylinders. Simplex and duplex units are often built in a horizontal design. Those with three or more cylinders are usually of vertical design. The driver may be an electric motor, a steam or gas engine, or a steam turbine. This is the common type of power pump. An example, arranged for belt drive, is shown in Fig. 10-28 from which the action may be readily traced. 

Materials. Since the oxidation of thiols is strongly catalyzed by traces of metal ions, all experimental techniques were designed to prevent the introduction of extraneous metallic impurities. Preparation and storage of reagents were completed in acid-washed, steam-cleaned glassware. Deionized water was used to prepare all solutions. 

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