HOME PRODUCTS  OUR TEAMS  SUPPORT  NEWS CONTACT

Events  ETI FAQ’S LIBRARY

HEAT TRACE AND HOPPERS

by ETI Staff | Apr 4, 2018 | Featured

Many industries that use hoppers utilize heat trace to aid in material flow. Hoppers are elevated storage
containers that contain and dispense granular materials. Commonly used in agriculture hoppers are also used
in industries such as plastics, chemical, pharmaceutical, energy, and construction. Despite being used to hold
and dispense different types of materials they all function the same way and face the same issues.

The main issues with hoppers focus on the material flow. These issues include aspects related to material
sticking together or accumulating on the walls of the hopper. This is commonly caused by the particle structure
of the material or the presence of moisture. There are many ways moisture can enter the system, these can be
caused by environmental conditions or by water or chemicals being applied to the material in the process
before being placed in the hopper.

Major environmental factors that can introduce moisture into the hopper material are temperature and
humidity. One way to mitigate this is to install a heat trace system onto the hopper. This controls the
temperature of the hopper and material avoiding drastic temperature differences which could cause
condensation to form on the inside of the hopper.

The application of water or chemicals to the material or the hopper for dust prevention, cleaning or as a step in
the production process add moisture to the material. Moisture such as this should be accounted for in the
design and selection of a hopper system to insure proper flow. However, despite accounting for this added
moisture in the system variable conditions can still cause flow problems. One major problem for hoppers with
chemicals or water added is freezing. Material freezing in a hopper can cause the material to clump together or
freeze to the walls, causing a blockage or flow problems. This can cause production to be shut down until the
material can be thawed or it is manually cleared out. The presence of a heat trace system in these cases will
avoid the freezing and allow the material to flow in a predictable manner, avoiding costly shutdowns or
disruptions.

There are many pieces of equipment that can be added to a hopper system to aid in the material’s flow such as
augers and vibration units, but to combat the effects of variable environmental impacts a heat trace system
should be included.
Have a question for the ETI

Click Here to check out ETI’s Tracon Heat Trace controls. Customer Service Team?
 Search

RECENT POSTS
ETI Network of Companies Private Label Capabilities
Did You Know?
Robotic Multi-Station Weld Cell Acquisition Announcement
ETI & ETI FAB Are Hiring!
What type of wire do I need to extend my lead length? Sensor vs. Thermistor

1850 N Sheridan Street

South Bend, IN 46628

SALES DEPARTMENT
(800) 234-4239
(574) 233-1202

PROUD MEMBER OF WTA

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

SUPPORT
• Manuals & Intallation Guides

• RMA REQUEST FORM

• Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Have a question for the ETI

Customer Service Team?
Designed by MOSAIC | Copyright © 2019 ETI - All rights reserved. TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY