Installation Manual

22 Trace heating
Document ID WDAAA116779c

Date of issue 22.09.2011

Status Approved

Classification Confidential
INSTRUCTIONS
 Installation Manual

Table of Contents

22. Trace heating............................................................................................................................................ 22-1

22.1. Trace heating of HFO/sludge pipes with steam or hot water.............................................................. 22-1
22.2. Trace heating with electrical trace cable............................................................................................. 22-2

WDAAA116779c Confidential i
 Installation Manual 22. Trace heating

22. Trace heating

22.1 Trace heating of HFO/sludge pipes with steam or hot

water
This section gives some important guidelines for installing steam or hot water trace heating
pipes. Before installing the trace heating pipes, the pipes must be pressure tested and
checked.
● Typical trace heating piping is annealed copper and the typical size is only 12 mm for
smaller pipes.
● Size the pipe to maintain the required temperature for a single straight run along the main
pipe (refer to Fig 22-1). Choose the correct dimensions to maintain the design temperature
of the media in the traced line.

Fig 22-1 Trace heating pipe mounted along the main pipe GUID-91EF1D08-4577-4B61-BBA3-756922956295 v1

● Do not wind the heat tracing pipe around the main pipe to obtain more heating surface per
length (refer to Fig 22-2). Install the heat tracing pipe underneath the HFO/sludge line in
order to get the best heat transfer results.

Fig 22-2 Incorrect installation of trace heating pipe GUID-BDB59DEE-4AE8-4CC1-90D1-E0DDF7302B8C v1

● Attach the heat tracing pipe to the main pipe with strong nylon cable straps or stainless
steel straps to get surface contact between the HFO/sludge pipe and the steam pipe (refer
to Fig 22-1). The distance between attachment points should not exceed 600 mm.
● Allow for flexibility when attaching trace heating pipes to HFO/sludge pipes.

WDAAA116779c Confidential 22-1

22. Trace heating Installation Manual

● At flange and valve connections, extend the trace heating pipe from the main pipe to allow
for gasket renewal or any normal maintenance (refer to Fig 22-3).

Fig 22-3 Installation of trace heating pipe at flange connections GUID-

DA28DC2F-97D5-4F91-84F4-339477A52CDF v1

● Do not place any insulation between the trace heating pipe and the HFO/sludge pipe when
insulating the pipes.
● If the main pipe does not have enough bends to maintain safe heat expansion, add loops
to the trace heating pipe to maintain the expansion. Do not tie the pipes to each other in
the bends; leave 360 mm clearance (refer to Fig 22-4).

Fig 22-4 Installation of trace heating pipe at pipe bends GUID-32E9B174-C880-4D86-8E13-D4972D858F20 v1

● Mark trace heated lines clearly; indicate where the line comes from and where it goes.
Similarly, mark the respective valve in the header. Otherwise, when repairs are required to
trace heating pipes, it is very difficult to know for sure which valve controls which circuit,
because there is normally only a tag with device list number hanging from the valve handle.
Drawings and device lists are not always easily available and when repairs are done, there
is a danger that a pressurized joint or fitting is opened, resulting in physical injury.

NOTE
Do not install trace heating so that the same heating circuit is mounted on two
separate piping systems, for instance HFO and sludge.

22.2 Trace heating with electrical trace cable

This section gives some important guidelines for installing electrical trace heating cables of
the self-regulating type. For specific installations, refer to the manufacturer’s information.

22-2 Confidential WDAAA116779c

Installation Manual 22. Trace heating

All HFO/sludge pipes must be trace heated if the minimum ambient temperature is less than
5 °C over the pour point of the fuel, or if the viscosity of the oil is 380 cSt or more. The fuel oil
pipes must be pressure tested and checked before attaching the cable. If the pipes are
painted, the paint shall be thoroughly dried before attaching the cable. The outer surface of
the pipe shall also be clean.
● If there is only one cable per pipe, attach the cable to the underside of the pipe.
● If there is more than one cable, attach them at an angle to each other (refer to Fig 22-5).

Fig 22-5 Mounting of two trace heating cables GUID-41808DD4-111A-4CDE-A93A-D47EC94E6162 v1

● Attach the cable to the pipe by means of heat-resistant adhesive tape or cable straps. The
distance between the attachment point should not be greater than 300 mm. Refer to Fig
22-6.

NOTE
Do not install trace heating so that the same heating circuit is attached on two
separate piping systems, for instance HFO and sludge.

Fig 22-6 Fastening the trace heating cable GUID-57A3217A-F4B7-4D19-AEDF-052178A3A83F v1

● If needed, wind the cable around the pipe to increase the heat transfer (refer to Fig 22-6).

WDAAA116779c Confidential 22-3

22. Trace heating Installation Manual

● At pipe bends, run the cable as shown in Fig 22-7.

Fig 22-7 Installation of trace heating cable at pipe bends GUID-4E4B1D31-7638-48E5-8A07-7FC1C0AD4052 v1

● Use more cable for flanges, valves, strainers and other equipment with higher heat losses.
Attach the cable so that the extra length is left at the location of the flange, etc. Wind this
extra length of cable around the equipment in a way that the component can be changed
without damaging the cable (refer to Fig 22-8).

Fig 22-8 Installation of trace heating cable at flange connections GUID-93D893B8-6074-4128-8439-

A4075F192127 v1

● Attach the cable so that there is as much surface contact as possible between the cable
and the equipment.
● Insulate the equipment thoroughly and cover it with aluminium plate or similar cladding.

22-4 Confidential WDAAA116779c

Installation Manual 22. Trace heating

● For pipe supports, an additional length of cable is also required (refer to Fig 22-9).

Fig 22-9 Installation of trace heating cable at pipe supports GUID-2DDEA22C-C158-4880-92A9-86FBE6135100

v1

● Inspect all cables before starting the insulation work.

● Measure the resistance of the cable before and after insulating the pipes.

NOTE
If the cable is damaged, replace it with a new one; do not repair the cable. The
proper function of a trace heating system depends on the attachments and the
insulation. The insulation protects the cable from mechanical damage. Thoroughly
clad the insulation.

WDAAA116779c Confidential 22-5

22. Trace heating Installation Manual

22-6 Confidential WDAAA116779c

 Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By
emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and
economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. Wärtsilä is listed on the
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.

See also www.wartsila.com

WÄRTSILÄ® is a registered trademark. © 2011 Wärtsilä Corporation.

Wärtsilä Services Main Office Vaasa, Finland

24hrs Phone +358 10 709 080
Switchboard +358 10 709 0000
Fax +358 10 709 1380
Find local offices at www.wartsila.com/addresses