ControTrace
Since 1980, ControTrace bolt-on heating elements have offered significant economic advantage over fully jacketed piping while providing substantially more heating capacity and reliability than tube tracing. ControTrace also prevents cross-contamination between the heating medium and the process. For these reasons, ControTrace has grown to be the product of choice for many heated piping applications. Today, thousands of miles of ControTrace are in service in plants and refineries on every continent.
The basic configuration of a ControTrace element is a 2-in. by 1-in. rectangular tube formed of SA178 Grade A boiler tubing. One of the 2-in. sides is contoured to closely fit the outside diameter of the pipe or vessel onto which it will be placed. The standard wall thickness is 1/8 in., which gives ControTrace ample robustness and pressure-containing capability. Individual elements are fabricated to specific lengths. The ends of the tubing are closed, and inlet and outlet connections are added to enable heating medium transfer. When multiple elements are required, these are most often joined together in a panel configuration to minimize the number of inlet/outlet connections. ControTrace is secured to the pipe or vessel with high-strength banding. Before banding, a thin layer of heat transfer cement is spread onto the ControTrace surface that will be in contact with the pipe or vessel.
During operation, the heating medium (typically steam or hot oil) flows through the ControTrace and transfers its heat through the heat transfer cement and into the pipe/vessel wall and into the process. The number of ControTrace elements required depends upon the design objective and the design conditions. Most ControTrace applications are designed to maintain a process temperature (to keep liquid flowing) or a minimum pipe/vessel wall temperature (to prevent vapor condensation). CSI utilizes finite-difference computer modeling to predict temperature profiles and heat transfer rates based upon process, ambient, piping, and insulation conditions. The computer model has been corroborated time and again with empirical field data.
The engineering of ControTrace bolt-on heating elements and panels is based on design details which have been burst tested in accordance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1. All welding is performed per Section IX. Each piece of ControTrace is pressure-tested per Section VIII. The standard pressure rating for ControTrace is 150 psig at 400°F, but higher ratings are available if required.
Additional ControTrace information can be found using the following links: