Steam traced tubing
Steam-traced and Electric Bundled Tubing
Written by an Account Manager | October 2020
Jake Smith woke up to a surprisingly cold morning. A cold front had snuck in over night dropping the early Fall morning temperatures to below normal. As he walked to his truck with his coffee in hand, his thoughts turned to the Paper Mill where he worked as the Powerhouse Electric and Instrumentation Planner. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that his caustic system might drop in temperature due to the weather. If the caustic system “froze”, it would crystalize and clog up hundreds of feet of tubing. This would cost the company both down time and maintenance costs to clean out the lines and get the system up and running again.
At another Paper Mill just north of Jake’s mill, Bill Dunning headed to work as if it was a normal day. He held the same position as Jake Smith. Bill, however, was not concerned about the drop in temperatures. His company had installed a Steam Traced Bundled Tubing system last summer. The system Bill installed would ensure the caustic system maintained a constant temperature year-round, no matter the weather conditions.
The system Bill’s company installed was different than traditional steam traced tubing. In the past, when installing a steam tracing line, the contractor would have to touch the system four times to complete the installation. First, they would run the appropriate pipe or tubing. Second, the contractor would have to run a smaller tubing system that would attach to the main process line. The third step was to wrap the system in insulation. Finally, the contractor would have to cover the system in a weatherproof cladding. You can see the high installation cost of a steam trace system.
Bill’s company discovered Swagelok’s Steam Traced Tube Bundle. The Swagelok system was an all in one system that only had to be “touched” one time to complete the installation. With the Swagelok system, the Process tube, or tubes, comes preassembled with a steam traced line, insulation, and weatherproof cover, all in one Tubing Bundle. The system is installed with one visit, instead of multiple contractors being involved. With the Swagelok Bundled Tubing system, the installation cost and times are greatly reduced.
Companies can choose two types of heat sources. The second source is an electrically traced system. Swagelok Electric Traced Tubing regulates temperature the entire length of the system without “dead” spots. The system utilizes thermostats and temperature probes to precisely control the set temperature. Maintaining a consistent predictable temperature throughout the system.
When ordering a Bundled Tubing system, there are wide variety of options to choose from. The tubing comes in a large spool starting at one hundred-foot rolls. Customers can order rolls up to a thousand feet and with exact or random length configurations. Typically, customer order the random length option that is +/- 5% of the overall length.
When installing your new system, Swagelok has a large offering of accessories from Seal Kits, Termination Caps, Tube Benders, Junction Boxes, and Bulkhead fittings. Please see the attached link for a complete list of options.
When it comes to Freeze Protection, Heating, Cooling, or external burn protection, the Swagelok Traced and Bundled Tubing system is a perfect fit. Low Installation costs, Ease of Maintenance, and Confidence in your system, are just some of the benefits for your new system. Contact Swagelok Georgia | Jacksonville | South Carolina for a system review.