System
The ThermEx heating elements are secured to the pipe or vessel making use of high-strength stainless steel banding. In a vertical situation, special brackets or mounting strips can be used to secure the elements.
To promote heat transfer, a thin layer of high conductive heat transfer compound is applied between the surface of the element and pipe or vessel wall. This system has zero air gaps and results in a more reliable and efficient heat transfer. The precise number of elements for a specific temperature maintenance design or required melt-out condition, is determined by state-off-art heatloss/transfer computer calculations. The temperature profiles of the elements can be verified by FEA (Finite Element Analysis) or CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis as well.
Vermeer ThermEx International will provide the full design of your ThermEx Thermal Maintenance Heating System to ensure correct temperature maintenance. If required we can also provide you with a melt-out or heat-up verification/design.
The external bolt-on heating elements provide a higher heating capacity than regular tube tracing and prevent cross-contamination between the heating medium and the process flow compared to fully jacketed pipe.
This pre-formed bolt-on jacketing design provides significantly more heat capacity than regular tube tracing formed to the shape of the pipe.
The ThermEx element/jacket is molded from carbon steel SA-179 – P235GH Gr.B or alternatively SA-312 grade TP316, 2” O.D. boiler tube and pressure rated according the design standard ASME VIII Division 1, edition 2015 (incl. EU type examination Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU), and has been installed at plants and refineries on pipes, storage tanks and vessels for many decades.
The ThermEx heating element is shaped to closely match the pipe surface and maximize the contact area with the pipe or vessel wall. A special highly conductive heat transfer compound is used during installation of the system to ensure good heat transfer properties and prevent air gaps. Different types of heat transfer mastic are available for different temperatures ranges and purposes.
Vermeer ThermEx International will provide the full design of your ThermEx Thermal Maintenance Heating System to ensure correct temperature maintenance. If required we can also provide you with a melt-out or heat-up verification/design.
There are two main types of heat tracing: electric and fluid (steam, water/glycol or hot oil). Both of these types involve molding tubing/elements to match the contour of the equipment for optimal effect. While both types have their benefits, steam tracing is still the most commonly used.
One of the reasons for using fluid tracing systems is to prevent certain process media from solidifying, examples arepolymers, wax, sulphur, asphalt, chocolate or bitumen. This is especially important during interrupted production when the process media are not flowing. It is also beneficial to prevent separation, which is often caused by too much heat loss and cooler than expected temperatures.