COMPARISON OF TECHNOLOGIES BARE TUBING TUBE + HTC TUBE + HTC + CHANNEL TraceBOOST™ BARE TUBING Best suited for applications with low performance demands. Freeze protection is the most common application. Provides minimal contact with the pipe and thus has a low heat transfer rate. Installation variables and thermal expansion make consistent direct contact impossible. TUBE + HTC Bare tube tracing with HTC ‘fillet’ added on either side. HTC improves heat transfer with conductive path. But, HTC is not adhesive and does not maintain long-term adhesion to the tube or the pipe. After a short time, the HTC degrades and breaks away leaving the bare tubing by itself. TUBE + HTC + CHANNEL In this case, a channel is installed to contain the HTC and prevent loss. The channel helps, but with time, the HTC shrinks, cracks, and loses conductive contact. After the first 1 to 2 years, performance degradation becomes apparent. TraceBOOST™ TraceBOOST is best suited for applications with higher thermal demands, or applications in which more than a single run of bare tube tracing is required. A single TraceBOOST run can typically replace four bare tube tracing runs. TraceBOOST creates a conductive path using an aluminum enhancer rather than HTC. The aluminum enhancer creates a wider contact area which further increases the heat transfer rate. Fewer steam trap stations, reduced capital cost by 30 - 70%. Reduced installation time and improved reliability. Increased contact area and lower steam consumption.
RELATED INFORMATION ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TraceBOOST® Tracing Brochure TraceBOOST® Case Study vs. Other Conventional Tracing TraceBOOST® Installation Guide (Detailed Version) TraceBOOST® Installation Guide (Short Version) TraceBOOST® Specification TraceBOOST® Tracing Data Sheet TraceBOOST® Order / Part Number Form