1.

1 Traced Lines
The temperature of the process liquids being transferred through pipelines often must be
maintained to meet the requirements of a process, to prevent thickening and
solidification, or simply as an anti-frost measure. This is achieved by the use of jacketed
pipes; or by attaching to the product line one or more separate tracer lines carrying a
heating medium such as steam or hot water.

The steam usage may be relatively small but the tracing system is often a major part of
the steam installation, and the source of many of the problems. Many large users and
plant contractors have their own inhouse rules for tracer lines, but the following guide-
lines may be useful in other cases.

1.2 External Tracer Lines

One or more heat carrying lines of sizes usually from 10 mm (3/8)” up to 25 mm (1")
nominal bore are attached to the main product pipe. Transfer of heat to the product line
may be done in three ways. – by conduction through direct contact, by convection
currents in the air pocket formed inside the insulating jacket, and by radiation. The
tracer lines may be of carbon steel or copper, or sometimes stainless steel.
Fig 1.1 - Insulating tracer and product lines

Where the product line is of a particular material to suit the fluid it is carrying, the
material for the tracer line must be chosen to avoid electrolytic corrosion at any contact
points.

For short runs of tracer, such as around short vertical pipes, or valves and fittings, small
bore copper pipes perhaps 6 mm (1/4") bore may be wound around the product lines as
in Figure 1.2. The layout should be arranged togive a continuous fall along the tracers as
in Figure 1.3 a rather than Figiure 1.3 b.

Fig 1.2 - Typical correct and incorrect arrangement

Figure 1.3 Traces lines around pump casing
1.3 Clip on Tracers
The simplest form of tracer is one that is clipped or wired on to the main product line.
The maximum heat flow is achieved when the tracer is in tight contact with the product
line. The securing clips should be no further apart than 0.3 to 0.45m (12" to 18") on 10
mm (3/8") tracers, 0.45 to 0.6 to 0.9m (24" to 36") on 20 mm (3.4") and larger.
Figure 1.4 Installation of three tracers

The tracer pipes can be literally wired on, but to maintain close contact it is better to use
either galvanised or stainless steel bands, about 15mm (1/2") wide and 1.25mm or
0.9mm (18 to 20 SEG) thickness. One very practical method is to use a packing case
banding machine. Where tracers are carried around bends particular care should be
taken to ensure that good contact is maintained by using three or more bands as in figure
1.4.
Where it is not possible to use bands as at valve bodies, soft annealed stainless steel wire
1.25mm (18SWG) thick is a useful alternative.
1.4 Welded Tracers
Where the temperature difference between the tracer and the product is low, the tracer
may be welded to the product line. This can be done either by short run welds as in
figure 1.5a or by a continuous weld as in figure 1.5b for maximum heat transfer.
Figure 1.5 Steam tracing elementary diagram

In these cases the tracer is sometimes laid along the top of the pipe rather than at the
bottom, which greatly simplifies the welding procedure.
1.5 Heat Conducting Paste
The product being carried in the line can be sensitive to temperature in some cases and it
is then important to avoid any local not spots on the pipe.
This is done by introducing a strip of insulating material between the tracer and the
product pipe using gals fibre or mineral wool or sometimes packing blocks of inert
material as distance pieces.
1.6 Insulation
The insulation must cover both the product line and the tracer but it is important that
the air space remains clear. This can be achieved in more than one ways.

1. The product line and tracer can first be wrapped with aluminum, foil, or by galvanized
steel sheet, held on by wiring and the insulation is then applied outside this sheet.
Alternatively, a small mesh galvanised wire netting can be used in the same way as metal
sheet figure 1.7a.

Figure 1.6 Typical trace line and jacket line

2. Sectional insulation, preformed to one or two sizes larger than the insulation is then
applied outside this sheet. Alternatively, small mesh galvanized wire netting can be used
in the same way as metal sheet figure 1.7b.
Figure 1.7 Flanges for jacketted piping

3. Preformed sectional insulation designed to cover both product line and tracer can be
used, as in figure 1.7C.

Preformed sectional insulation is usually preferred to plastic material because being

rigid, it retains its thickness and efficiency better. In all cases the insulation should be
properly cover all parts otherwise it becomes useless as heat conserving material if
mechanical damage is allowed.
1.7 Sizing of External Tracers
The tracing or jacketing of any line normally aims at maintaining the contents of the line
at a satisfactory working temperature under all conditions of low ambient temperature
with adequate reserve to meet extreme conditions.

Remember that on some exposed sites, with an ambient still air temperature of say-18
deg. C (0 deg. F) the effect of a 24 km/h (15 mph) wind will be to lower the temperature
to an equivalent of-38 deg. C (36 deg. F).
Even 0 deg. C (32 deg. F) in still air can be lowered to an effective-16 deg. C (4 deg, F)
with a 30 km/h (20 mph) wind. Such circumstances which must be taken into full
consideration when studying the tracer line requirements. Most of the sizing of external
tracers is done by rule of thumb.

Rule of thumb practices are generally based on the experiences of a certain company on
a particular process and do not necessarily apply elsewhere. There are also widely
differing opinions on the layout: some say that multiple tracers should all be below the
centre line of the product line whilst other say with equal conviction that it is perfectly
satisfactory to space the tracers equally around the line.

Then there are those who will endeavour to size their tracers from 10 mm (3.8"), 15 mm
(1/2"), 20 mm (3/4") or 25mm (1") and even larger pipe: whilst another school of
thought says that as tracers have only minute contact with the product line it will give
much more even distribution of heat if all tracers are from15mm (1/2") pipe in multiples
to meet the requirements. This does have the added advantage of needing to hold a stock
of only one size of pipe and fittings rather than a variety of sizes.

Type A would suffice for most fuel oil requirements and would also meet the
requirement of those lines carrying acid, phenol, water and some other chemicals but in
some cases spacer tracing would be employed. The steam pressure is important and
must be chosen according to the product temperature required.

For Types A and B (Table 1.1) a steam pressure of 3.5 bar (50 psi) would generally be
suitable but for Type C higher pressure may be required.

Table 1.1 - Number of 15mm ½” tracers used with different product line
sizes
1.8 Jacketed Lines
Ideally jacketed lines should be constructed in no more than 6m, 20 ft lengths and the
condensate removed from each section.
Steam should enter at the highest end so that there is a natural fall to the condensate out
let.

When it is considered impractical to trap each length, a number of lengths up to a total

of 24-30m (80-100 ft) approx may be formed together in moderate climates, but in
extremely cold parts of the world 12 m (40 ft) should be maximum.

Always avoid connecting solely through the bottom loop. This can only handle the
condensate and baulks the free of steam as.

As a general guide see Table 1.2

Although in most cases 15 mm (1/2") condensate outlet will be adequate, it is usual to

make this the same size as the steam connection as it simplifies installation.

Table 1.2 - Steam connection size for jacketed lines

1.9 External Tracers
In horizontal runs the steam will generally flow parallel to the product line but as far as
possible steam should enter from the high end to allow free flow of the condensate to the
low end i.e., it should always be self-draining.

It is generally considered preferable to fit one tracer on the bottom of the line as two
tracers at 30 Deg. as three tracers at 45 Deg.

In vertical lines the tracers would be spaced uniformly.

The maximum permissible length of tracer will depend to some extent of the size and
initial steam pressure but following, Table 8.3, is a general guide.

Table 1.3 Maximum length of tracer

Bends and low points in the tracer should always be avoided. For example if it is
necessary to carry a tracer line round a pipe support or flange this should be done in the
horizontal plane.

Where it is essential to maintain the flow of heat to the product the tracer should be
taken up to the back of the flange and the coupling should always be on the centre line of
the flanged joint.

The same applies to an in line run where the tracer has to be jointed. This can be done in
two ways figure.

Typical branch connection

Notes :-

1. Provided A Slitted Spool Up Ward Or Down Ward The Branch On The Main Jacket.

2. Continuous weld Shall Be Done After Testing Or X-ray Of Process Line. If Required.
Each of these is preferable to which could produce a cold spot. Pumps shall be heated by
means of externally wrapping steam heating coils around the pump casing and sloping
continuously pump must be removable while the tracers supplying suction and discharge
piping remain intact.

In general, instruments shall be protected by separate tracers except for pressure gauges,
which may be protected by the pipeline of equipment tracer.
1.10 Expansion
Expansion in tracer lines is something which is often over looked. Naturally the steam
heated tracer will tend to expand more than the product line. Where the tracer has to
pass around flanges the bends are quite adequate to take care of the expansion.

But where this does not occur and there is a long run of uninterrupted tracer, it is
essential to provided for expansion which can be done by forming a complete loop.
1.11 Steam Distribution
It is important that the steam supply should always be taken from a source which is
continuously available even during a normal shut down period. All distribution or supply
lines should be installed at an elevation above the highest point of lines requiring steam
tracing, if possible the condensate – collection or return lines should be located at an
elevation low enough to permit gravity flow from all connected lines.

Tracer lines and jacketed pipe may have to work at any steam pressure (usually in the
range between 0.7 to 17 bar 10 to 250 psi) but always choose the lowest pressure to give
the required product temperature. Excessively high pressures cause much waste and
should only be used where a high product temperature is essential.

To suit product temperature requirements, it may be necessary to use steam at different

pressures. It should be distributed at the highest pressure and reduced to meet the lower
pressure requirements. A Spirax Saco Reducing valve can be used for this purpose.

Note : It may be necessary to steam trace the valve body to stop the water freezing in the
diaphragm chamber.

A number of tracers can be supplied from one local distribution header. This header
should be adequately sized to meet the maximum load and drained at its low point by a
steam trap as. All branches should be taken off the top of this header, one branch to each
tracer line. These branches should be fitted with isolating valves.

The size of the header will, of course, depend upon the steam pressure and the total load
on the tracers but the following, Table – 1.4, is suggested as a general guide :

Table 1.4 Suggested header size of steam supply header

No more than 15 tracers shall be served by one distribution header.

1.12 Steam Trapping
This in general should always follow the rule. One tracer-one trap. No two tracers can
have exactly the same duty so group trapping two or more tracers to one trap can
considerably impair the efficiency of heat transfer.

Even with multiple tracers on a single product line each tracer should be separately
trapped.
When branch tracers are taken to serve valves then each should be separately trapped.
1.13 Important – Getting Rid of the Muck
Pipes delivered to the site may contain mill scale, paint, preserving oils etc. and during
storage and erection will collect dirt, sand, weld splatter and other debris, so that on
completion the average tracer line contains considerable amount of ‘muck’.

Hydraulic testing will convert this ‘muck’ into a mobile sludge which is not adequately
washed out by simply draining down after testing.

It is most important that the lines are properly cleaned by blowing through with steam to
an open end before diverting to the steam traps.

Unless this is done the traps will almost certainly fail to operate correctly and more time
will be spent cleaning them out when the plant is commissioned. Almost any type of
steam trap could be used to drain tracer lines, but some lend themselves to this
application better than others. The trap should be physically small and light in weight,
and as they are often fitted in exposed positions they should be resistant to frost. The
temperature at which the condensate is discharged by the trap is perhaps the most
important consideration, in selection between types.

Thermodynamic traps are the simplest and most robust of all traps. They meet all the
above criteria and they discharge condensate at a temperature close to that of steam.
Thus they are especially suitable on those critical tracing applications where the holding
back of condensate in the tracer line until it has sub-cooled would be unacceptable.
Tracers or jackets on lines carrying sulphur or bitumen typify these applications where
the tracer must be at steam temperature along its whole length.

It must be remembered that every time a thermodynamic trap opens, it discharges

condensate at the maximum rate corresponding to the differential pressure applied. The
instantaneous release rates of the steam flashing off the condensate can be appreciable,
and care is needed to ensure that condensate return lines are adequately sized if high
back pressures are to be avoided. Thus, the use of swept connections from trap
discharges into common headers of generous size will help avoid problems.

Just as the distribution of steam is from a common header, it often is convenient to

connect a number of traps to a common condensate header and this simplifies
maintenance. As noted, the discharge should preferably enter the header through swept
connections and the headers be adequately sized as suggested in the Table 1.5.

Table 1.5 Suggested header size for steam condensate lines

No more than 15 tracers shall be served by one condensate collection line. These sizes
may be increased where high pressures and traps discharging condensate at near steam
temperature are used or decreased with low pressures and traps discharging cooler
condensate.
1.14 Sequence of Fabrication of Jacketted Piping – Steps
Involved
1. Weld S. S. Flange to S. S. Pipe (Weld – A)
2. String S. S Pipe to the C. S. Jacket spool
3. Make Weld (B)
4. Sliding C.S. Jacket Spool, carry out NDT of weld (A) & (B) (If required as per specs).
5. Make Weld (c)
6. Weld C.S. Mitre to the Jacket Spool.
7. Prepare the Spool (D) with jacket (E), as per steps 1-2-4, without Branch.
8. String the spool (F) to the S. S. Pipe (D) and weld the S.S Branch.
9. Carry out NDT of Weld (G), sliding the Jacket Spool (F).
10. String the Jacket Spools (H) & (I) and weld them to the Spool (F).
11. Make Weld (L) and carry out NDT (if required as per specs).
12. Weld the C.S. Splitted Spools.
13. Weld the C.S. Splitted Spools.
14. Carry out Hydrostatic Test of the Jacket.
Notes:

• NDT indicates Non-Destructive Testing of a weld joint.

• Above sequence of fabrication should be used only as a guide. It should be modified to

suit the shape of a jacketed line.

• In the above sample, the jacket elbow is a 3-piece mitre. Normally, jacketed elbow are
as follows :
Process Line : Long Radius (R=1.5D) E1bows
Jacket : Short Radius (R=D) Elbow/Mitre

Heat Tracing of Piping Systems

Types of Heat Tracing Systems
Heat-tracing systems can be divided into two broad classes, electric and fluid. Fluid
heat-tracing systems utilize heating media at elevated temperatures to transfer heat
to a pipeline. The fluid is usually contained in a tube or a small pipe attached to the
pipe being traced. If steam is the tracing fluid, the condensate is either returned to
the boiler or dumped. If an organic heat-transfer fluid is employed, it is returned to a
heat exchanger for reheating and recirculation. In general, heating of tracing fluids
can be provided by waste heat from a process stream, burning of fossil fuels, steam,
or electricity.
Electric heat-tracing systems convert electric power to heat and transfer it to the pipe
and its contained fluid. The majority of commercial electric heat-tracing systems in
use today are of the resistive type and take the form of cables placed on the pipe.
When current flows through the resistive elements, heat is produced in proportion to
the square of the current and the resistance of the elements to current flow. Other
specialized electric tracing systems make use of impedance, induction, and skin
conduction effects to generate and transfer heat.
Effective Steam Tracing
Steam tracing is the application of steam heat to piping and vessels for the purpose
of maintaining desired process temperatures, freeze protection, viscosity control or
to obtain a temperature control point within a fluid for its chemical interaction in a
process.
Steam tracing is usually accomplished by running steam lines in direct contact with
the piping or vessels to be heated. The entire assembly is then insulated to direct the
heat into the process fluid. Many technical articles have been written concerning
steam tracing along with their associated heat loss equations and graphs. Younger
engineers, maintenance personnel, pipe fitters and others who steam trace do not
always use effective methods for winterization and process temperature
maintenance.

The need for steam tracing

Steam tracing is very simple in its principle of operation. When a product in a
pipeline is at a higher temperature than the air surrounding it, heat will pass through
the wall of the pipeline from the product to the surrounding air.
This heat loss will cause the temperature of the product to fall. Insulating the pipeline
will significantly lower the rate at which heat is lost, but unfortunately, no insulation is
100% efficient.
Steam is a very efficient carrier of heat with a fixed relationship between its pressure
and temperature. It can transport heat over long distances and gives up its heat at a
constant temperature.
To make up the heat lost from the product pipeline, small bore steam pipes, or
tracers, are attached to the product line. Heat from the steam passes into the
product line and replaces the heat lost. The amount of heat transferred, and
therefore the product temperature, can easily be controlled by simple self-acting
control systems. The same type of control can also be used in winterization
applications, only allowing steam into the tracing line when the ambient temperature
falls below a predetermined level.

Types of steam heat tracing

 Jacketed - used in ultra-critical applications, usually where a product temperature
has to be maintained at an elevated temperature all of the time. The use of a steam
jacket also allows quick pre-heating of the pipeline.
 Critical - here, steam tracing is used to maintain the temperature of a product that
will solidify or spoil should its temperature fall below a predetermined level.
  Non-critical - tracing is used to maintain the product viscosity at its optimum
pumping level.
 Winterization - to ensure pipelines are not damaged due to freezing in adverse
weather conditions.
 Instrument - small bore steam tracing pipes, normally 10 mm, used to protect
flowmeters, control valves, sampling stations, impulse lines etc.

Jacketed Piping

Determining tracer requirements

To select the size and number of steam tracing lines required for a particular
application, the rate of heat loss from the product pipeline under worst design
conditions must be determined.
This rate of heat loss is dependant upon the difference between the product
temperature and the ambient temperature. Other factors such as the thermal
conductivity of the insulation, ambient wind speed and the emissivity of the insulation
surface will affect this rate of loss.

Sizes and Lengths

The most common diameters of steam tracing are 3/8 in. (9.52 mm) and 1/2 in. (12.7
mm) OD copper or stainless steel tubing. Diameters of 5/8 in. (15.88 mm) and 3/4 in.
(19.05 mm) OD tubing have been used; however, this entails greater expense.
Tubing that is 3/8 in. is more easily plugged by sediment and/or debris, so it is less
frequently used. Copper is preferred for its heat transfer characteristics, while
stainless steel displays better resistance in corrosive environments.
Benefits of Steam Tracing Versus Other Methods
Though the benefits of each method can be debated, the table below shows the
relative benefits and drawbacks of each system.
Due to the rising cost of energy, one of the key areas the plant needs to focus on is
the tracer system's reliability and energy efficiency. The high usable heat content of
steam offers many benefits over the use of thermal fluids for tracing and is
significantly more efficient than electrical tracing.
As steam is primarily made of water, it has a low impact on the environment in the
event of leakage to the atmosphere. It has been estimated that cleaning up a one-
liter spill of glycol can cost up to $5,000.00. This cost includes the cleanup, reporting,
and documentation required when a spill occurs on an industrial site. Steam is
intrinsically safe, which makes it the practical choice for most industrial applications
where ignition sources must be minimized.
For these reasons, the use of steam tracing is still the preferred choice for
temperature maintenance in most industrial and process applications.

Comparison of Steam Tracing and Other Methods

STEAM THERMAL FLUID ELEC.

COST OF FLUID Low Med High

COST OF COMP. Low Med High

Low to high depending

COST OF MAINT. Med Low
on maint. practices

CONTROL OF TEMP. High Med High

TEMP. RANGE Med High Med

LENGTH OF TRACER Med Low High

INTRINSICALLY SAFE Yes Yes No

ENERGY EFFICIENCY High Med Low

FREEZE-UP POTENTIAL Yes No No

SPEED OF HEAT UP High Med Low

REQUIRES PUMPING No Yes No

 STEAM THERMAL FLUID ELEC.

REMARK(S) OF THE AUTHOR...

CONVENTIONAL STEAM HEAT TRACING VS NEW METHODS OF STEAM HEAT
TRACING
For conditions where the tracer could overheat lines containing acid, caustic, amine,
phenolic water, or other chemicals, insulation spacer blocks shall be installed
between tracer and pipe.

The old "spacer block" method was the best choice of the time to supply heat
transfer rates below the rates that could be provided by convection tracing. Varying
heat delivery requirements called for different spacing dimensions, and accuracy of
design in such a system was difficult at best. Although the old tracing systems were
not very sophisticated or efficient, they were made to work by the early pioneers in
the refining, chemical, pulp and paper and other industries.
One was to suspend a bare tracer above the pipeline and attempt to maintain an air
gap with spacer blocks. This system was problematic. The blocks were difficult to
keep in place during assembly and thus were tedious and time consuming to install.
They frequently slipped out of place in service because of the natural expansion and
contraction of the tracer tube. This system was plagued with unpredictable heat
transfer rates, hot spots, and high installation costs.

SAFETRACE ISOLATED STEAM TRACING TUBES FROM THERMON REDUCE

STEAM CONSUMPTION AND BURN RISK
For over 40 years Thermon has been helping their heat tracing customers get more
heat out of their steam tracing tubes, and now their heat efficiency is so good that
many customers are demanding less heat.
To meet these demands, Thermon have created the SafeTrace series of isolated
steam tracing tubes specifically designed to winterise pipes while reducing burn risks
and decreasing steam consumption compared to conventional bare tube steam
tracers.
Designed to provide the accurate and predictable heat transfer properties required to
maintain temperature sensitive or corrosive products, SafeTrace steam tracing tubes
permit winterisation of any sized pipe and eliminate the hot and cold spots
associated with bare metal tracers and spacer blocks.
SafeTrace steam tracing tubes comply with ASTM Std C-1055 for skin exposure
temperatures of less than 58°C when in contact with a hot surface for five seconds,
and a safety yellow jacket alerts plant personnel to inherently dangerous materials,
such as steam, as per ASME/ANSI A13.1-1996.
Easily installed without the need for channels, spacer blocks or metallic attachment
bands, SafeTrace steam tracing tubes are simply attached to the pipeworks or
vessel with temperature rated adhesive tape. This reduces installation costs by
requiring 1/3 less labor than spacer blocks and eliminates the need for transition
lines and fittings. Furthermore, fewer fittings cuts maintenance and repairs.