What Is Gut Tracing? : Keeping The Heat In The Pipe
Travis Hannah
Life Safety Circuits are <10% of the EC package, yet do >95% of the heavy lifting in an Emergency! Downtime is not an option.
Pipe, Insulation, Heat Trace and you're done ... Stop! What if it's already in the ground? Gut Tracing is the Answer...
20+ years of heat tracing experience including designing buried electric gut tracing systems for public and private water transfer lines over 1000 FT, and piping traversing the permafrost line, tells me it works from the inside out.
Gut Feeling or Gut Tracing?
When it comes to pipe heat tracing, it's all about keeping the heat where it belongs - inside the pipes.
Gut tracing is an innovative approach that combines electrical principles with the art of controlled heat management.
The term "Gut Tracing" might sound a bit quirky, but its significance in the realm of heat transfer systems for water and other fluids is profound.
So, what exactly is Gut Tracing?
In essence, it's applying NRTL listed heat trace, or a cable carrier tube with heat transfer fluid, or steam, or electric heat trace, inside a fluid transfer pipe, often existing pipe like submerged pipelines, pipeline river crossings, underground road and rail-track crossings, long underground or buried pipelines.
These systems provide challenges when applying heat if the existing pipe surface mounted heat trace, under insulation has failed, or the insulation has been compromised increasing the heat loss dynamics.
The Gut Tracing System: Basic Components
To maintain focus this article will address the direct cable installation in the transferred fluid, which for direct heating cable systems is usually water.
These systems typically include:
1. Heating Cable: This is the backbone of any heat tracing system. High-quality heat cables, like Mineral Insulated Cable, or Self-Regulating Cable, provided by nVent, are designed to deliver consistent and controlled heat to the fluid in the pipes, preventing them from freezing.
2. Thermal Insulation: Just like how you'd wear a winter coat to stay warm, pipes need proper closed cell or moisture protected insulation to keep the heat inside, and offset the heat losses to the surrounding ground. Insulation materials and techniques play a crucial role in the effectiveness of Gut Tracing. In situations where the existing insulation has been compromised, consult with a heat trace specialist, or the manufacturer's technical support.
3. Temperature Control: A temperature controller is the brain of the Gut Tracing system. It ensures that the heat is applied when needed, preventing energy wastage.
4. Proper Installation: Installing Gut Tracing is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each component must be installed correctly, especially the entry and exit (if needed) ports, for pressurized systems, so they don't leak, always follow the manufacturer's guidelines and local electrical codes.
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The Gut Tracing System: Meeting Electrical Codes
When implementing a Gut Tracing system, it's crucial to adhere to electrical codes to ensure safety and compliance. NEC Article 427 -"Fixed Electric Heating Equipment for Pipelines and Vessels", and CEC Section 62 - "Fixed Electric Heating Systems" provide specific guidelines for the installation and maintenance of electrical heating systems, including pipe heat tracing. These codes address various aspects, including:
Ensuring compliance with these codes not only guarantees the safety of your system but also helps avoid potential legal issues down the road.
Case Study 1: Arctic Water Transfer Lines
Imagine a scenario where a buried 6" HDPE water runs through a frigid northern region, and the buried pipes surface mounted heat trace has failed, but is unable to be extracted and replaced without an expensive summer time window of opportunity to dig it up. Freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on the pipeline, causing blockages, disruptions and breaks. In such cases, Gut Tracing comes to the rescue.
By strategically installing heat tracing cables inside the pipe, allows for reduced excavation and an overall lower cost retrofit. Existing temperature control elements can still be utilized, as long as the heating cable sheath maximum temperatures have been addressed.
Gut Tracing: The Future of Pipe Heat Tracing?
Gut Tracing is a engineered solution for a certain installations, and retrofit challenged conditions.
For further reading and insight to Gut Tracing Systems, review the IEEE Paper : ELECTRIC GUT TRACING - AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO PIPELINE HEATING
Connect with a Heat Tracing Specialist to determine the solution that is right for your Pipe Temperature Management project.
References:
#electric #heattrace #heattransfer #power #electricity #heatmanagement #heatingfluid #wireandcable