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The core of the application of heating cables in pipeline heat tracing is to actively generate heat to prevent the low-temperature solidification and freezing of the medium (liquid, gas) inside the pipeline, or to maintain the required temperature for the medium process, while avoiding system failures caused by low-temperature cracking and blockage of the pipeline. Its application scenarios cover multiple fields such as industry, civil use, energy, and environmental protection.

Industrial sector: Ensuring the fluidity of production media and process temperature

The media transported by industrial pipelines (such as crude oil, chemical raw materials, lubricating oil, etc.) often have problems of "low-temperature solidification" and "high viscosity easy blockage". Heating cables are a key heat tracing solution, and common scenarios include:

1.Petrochemical industry: crude oil/refined oil pipeline heat tracing

• Scenario characteristics: Crude oil has a high pour point. In cold winter or long-distance transportation (such as oil field gathering and transportation pipelines, refinery pipelines), if the temperature is below the pour point, it will solidify and block the pipeline, causing transportation interruption.
• Application case: The "wellhead gathering station" crude oil pipeline (diameter DN150, length 5km) in a certain oil field uses self limiting heating cables to spiral wrap along the outer wall of the pipeline, and is maintained at a temperature of 40-50 ℃ with a temperature controller to ensure that the crude oil is always in a low viscosity flow state and avoid winter shutdown. In addition, the diesel and lubricating oil pipelines in the refinery are also heated by heating cables to prevent the medium from clogging the filter due to low temperature viscosity.

2.Chemical industry: raw material/solvent pipeline heat tracing

• Scenario characteristics: Methanol, ethylene glycol, benzene solvents, or high molecular weight polymers (such as PVC slurry) commonly used in chemical production may experience sudden viscosity increases and crystallization phenomena at low temperatures, affecting reaction efficiency or transportation accuracy.
• Application case: The "methanol storage tank reactor" transmission pipeline (diameter DN80, length 300m) in a chemical industrial park is prone to local crystallization and pipe blockage due to the low ambient temperature of -15 ℃ in winter. Using a constant power heating cable (power 20W/m) for full heat tracing, the temperature controller is set at 10-15 ℃ to ensure stable methanol transportation and avoid interruption of raw material supply to the reactor.

3.Mechanical manufacturing industry: Hydraulic oil/lubricating oil pipeline heat tracing

• Scenario characteristics: The hydraulic system pipelines of large equipment such as machine tools, wind turbines, and metallurgical rolling mills can experience an increase in hydraulic oil viscosity due to low temperatures in winter, resulting in insufficient system pressure, slow operation, and even damage to the oil pump.
• Application case: The "gearbox lubricating oil tank" pipeline (diameter DN50, length 10m) of a wind turbine unit in a wind power base is located in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia (the lowest temperature in winter is -30 ℃). Flexible self limiting heating cables are used to wrap the pipeline to maintain the oil temperature at 25-35 ℃, ensuring proper lubrication of the gearbox and avoiding gear wear caused by viscous lubricating oil.

Civil and Commercial Fields: Preventing Freezing and Cracking of Domestic/Public Facility Pipelines

If civilian pipelines (such as water supply and drainage, fire protection pipelines) freeze in winter, it will directly affect residents' lives or public safety. Heating cables are the core means of winter antifreeze in cold regions:

1.Building water supply and drainage pipelines: anti freezing for outdoor/underground pipelines

• Scene characteristics: The outdoor water supply pipe, underground garage sewage pipe, and rooftop solar water heater inlet pipe in the community will freeze and expand when the temperature drops below 0 ℃ in winter, causing cracks in the pipes (especially PPR pipes and galvanized pipes).
• Application case: The "roof solar indoor water tank" connecting pipeline (diameter DN25, length 8m) in a certain residential area has a low roof temperature of -18 ℃ in winter. In the past, the pipeline cracked every year due to icing and needed maintenance. During the renovation, self limiting heating cables (with waterproof sheaths) were laid along the pipeline, wrapped with insulation cotton on the outer layer, and the temperature controller was set to 5 ℃ (automatically started below 5 ℃), achieving no freezing in winter and allowing residents to use solar hot water normally.

2.Fire protection system pipeline: ensuring emergency water supply capability

• Scenario characteristics: If the fire pipes (such as outdoor fire hydrants, indoor sprinkler pipes, and underground garage fire main pipes) freeze, water cannot be supplied during a fire, and the consequences are serious, especially for outdoor or semi outdoor fire protection facilities in cold regions.
• Application case: The outdoor fire hydrant pipeline in a shopping mall had a ground temperature as low as -20 ℃ in winter. In the past, it was necessary to regularly release water to prevent freezing, which wasted water resources and posed hidden dangers. Explosion proof constant power heating cables (suitable for outdoor humid environments) are used to wrap the pipes exposed to the ground, combined with insulation layers. The temperature controller is set at 2 ℃ to ensure that the fire hydrant does not freeze all year round and meets the requirements of fire safety regulations.

Energy and Environmental Protection: Antifreezing and Temperature Maintenance of Special Medium Pipelines

Pipelines for energy extraction (such as LNG and coalbed methane) and environmental treatment (such as wastewater treatment) require targeted heat tracing due to their unique medium characteristics (such as low-temperature media and wastewater containing impurities).

1.LNG/natural gas industry: auxiliary pipeline anti icing

• Scenario characteristics: Valves, flanges, and other parts of LNG (liquefied natural gas, boiling point -162 ℃) transmission pipelines are prone to freezing of moisture in the air due to refrigerant leakage, which can block valves or corrode sealing surfaces; If the temperature of conventional natural gas transmission pipelines is too low in winter, it may cause impurities (such as condensate) in the pipeline to freeze.
• Application case: The "BOG (evaporated gas) recovery pipeline" of a certain LNG receiving station is prone to frost and ice formation on the outer wall of the pipeline due to the leakage of cold energy. A low-temperature self limiting heating cable is laid along the valve and flange parts to maintain the surface temperature at 5-10 ℃, prevent ice formation from affecting valve opening and closing, and protect the service life of the sealing components.

2.Sewage treatment industry: Anti clogging of sewage/sludge pipelines

• Scenario characteristics: The "sludge conveying pipeline" and "dosing pipeline" (such as PAC and PAM agents) of the sewage treatment plant can be affected by low temperatures in winter, which can cause the water in the sludge to freeze, the agents to crystallize, block the pipeline or pump body, and affect the efficiency of sewage treatment.
• Application case: The "sludge dewatering machine sludge storage tank" pipeline of a sewage treatment plant has a sludge moisture content of 80% and is prone to freezing and blockage when the temperature is below 0 ℃ in winter. We use waterproof constant power heating cables for full heat tracing, wrapped with rock wool insulation layer on the outer layer, and set the temperature controller to 10 ℃ to ensure smooth transportation of sludge to the dewatering machine and avoid production line shutdown caused by blockage.

Agriculture and Special Fields: Meeting Specific Production Needs

1.Agricultural irrigation pipeline: winter antifreeze and spring plowing protection

• Scene characteristics: Underground pipelines for greenhouse and farmland irrigation (such as drip irrigation pipes and sprinkler irrigation main pipes), if the water is not drained in winter, it will freeze and swell, affecting spring plowing the following year; However, in some greenhouses, the "water fertilizer integration" pipeline may cause crystallization of fertilizer solution and blockage of drip heads due to low temperature.
• Application case: The "water fertilizer mixture transportation pipeline" in a certain greenhouse has a low nighttime temperature of -5 ℃ in winter, and fertilizer solutions (such as potassium nitrate solution) are prone to crystallization. Low voltage self limiting heating cables are laid along the pipeline, with a temperature controller set at 8 ℃ to ensure stable transportation of water and fertilizer solutions, without clogging the drip heads, and to ensure crop growth in winter.

2.Food processing industry: Temperature maintenance of food raw material pipelines

• Scenario characteristics: The pipeline used by food factories to transport raw materials such as syrup, honey, edible oil, chocolate syrup, etc. may become viscous or solidify at low temperatures (such as the solidification point of chocolate syrup being about 30 ℃), making it difficult to transport and potentially affecting food quality.
• Application case: The "chocolate slurry forming machine" pipeline of a chocolate factory uses food grade waterproof heating cables (compliant with FDA standards) for heat tracing, and a temperature controller accurately controls the temperature of 35-40 ℃ to ensure that the chocolate slurry remains smooth and evenly transported to the forming machine, avoiding the deterioration of chocolate taste caused by temperature fluctuations.

Core advantages of heating cables in pipeline heat tracing

1. Strong flexibility: It can be customized for laying (spiral winding, parallel laying) according to the length, diameter, and shape of the pipeline (such as bending and valve positions), adapting to complex pipeline layouts;
2. Accurate temperature control: Combined with temperature controllers (such as electronic and intelligent) to achieve "on-demand heating", avoid energy waste, and prevent medium deterioration or pipeline aging caused by high temperature;
3. Wide environmental adaptability: There are various models including waterproof, explosion-proof, low-temperature resistant, and chemical corrosion resistant, which can cope with special scenarios such as outdoor, humid, and chemical explosion-proof;
4. High safety: The self limiting heating cable has the characteristic of "overheating self limiting" to avoid local overheating and fire; A constant power heating cable paired with a temperature sensor can monitor temperature anomalies in real time.

These characteristics make heating cables the mainstream solution in the field of pipeline heating, especially in low temperature and high demand scenarios, where their reliability and economy are far superior to traditional "steam heating" and "hot water heating".