The term heat-tracing refers to the continuous or intermittent application of heat on the piping, equipment, and instrumentation where fluid (water or other product) may be exposed to low temperature/freezing conditions. Whenever the contents of a pipe or vessel are maintained at temperatures exceeding the ambient temperature, there will be a flow of heat from the product to the external air. Insulation will slow the heat loss, but will not prevent it. Heat tracing is a method to provide the supplemental heat just enough to compensate for the heat loss due to lower ambient temperature.
The general intent of heat tracing is either tracing for winterization and/or tracing for process maintenance. Winterization tracing is designed to protect the product from freezing and is typically designed to operate when the ambient temperature falls below a certain level; commonly 40°F to 50°F. Heat tracing for process maintenance is commonly used where higher temperatures must be maintained for the purpose of reducing product viscosity and/or preventing wax or hydrates from forming in the product. The design is more complex compared to freeze protection in a way that additional heater circuits and more specialized controls may be needed.
Sometimes, heat tracing is used for raising the temperature of a product following short shutdown periods, but this is not the primary objective. Heat tracing can be accomplished through several methods, including electricity, steam, glycol, and even hot oil. However, for the majority of applications, the choice falls between electric and steam tracing.
This training course presents an overview of heat tracing systems and describes the criteria for selection.
- Explain what is heat tracing and where it is used
- List different types of heat tracing systems: electric, steam, hot water
- List the advantages and limitations of constant watt, parallel circuit, self regulating and skin type heating
- Use control techniques: ambient air sensing or line control for optimum energy efficiency
- Use the power supply, protection and safety devices
- Understand various codes and standards governing the design and installation of electric heat tracing
- Understand three types of steam heat tracing systems: external tube tracers, cemented tracers and fully jacketed pipe
- Understand the do's and don'ts of steam tracing
- Learn step-by-step approach for estimating the heat loss and selection of an electric heat tracing system
- Learn the key factors affecting the selection of heat tracing systems
- Learn the factors favoring and against the application of electric and steam heat tracing systems
- Types of electric heat tracing systems
- Series circuit mineral insulated (MI) cables
- Parallel circuit heating cables (constant watt output)
- Self-regulating heating cable
- Skin effect heat tracing
- Selection & sizing of appropriate electric tracer
- Temperature control & safety
- External tube tracers
- Cemented tracers
- Jacketed piping
- Steam tracing design considerations
- Steam tracing installation tips
- Heat loss
- Empirical method of estimating heat loss
- Select cable type and output rating
- Quantifying the circuits
- Factors affecting the selection of heat tracing solution
- Factors favouring electric tracing
- Factors against electric tracing
- Factors favouring steam tracing
- Factors against steam tracing
Training can take place in 4 formats:
- Self-paced
- Blended learning
- Instructor-led online (webinar)
- Instructor-led offline (classroom)
Description of training formats:
- Self-paced learning or e-Learning means you can learn in your own time and control the amount of material to consume. There is no need to complete the assignments and take the courses at the same time as other learners.
- Blended learning or "hybrid learning" means you can combine Self-paced learning or e-Learning with traditional instructor-led classroom or webinar activities. This approach requires physical presence of both teacher and student in physical or virtual (webinars) classrooms or workshops. Webinar is a seminar or presentation that takes place on the internet, allowing participants in different locations to see and hear the presenter, ask questions, and sometimes answer polls.
- Instructor-led training, or ILT, means that the learning can be delivered in a lecture or classroom format, as an interactive workshop, as a demonstration under the supervision and control of qualified trainer or instructor with the opportunity for learners to practice, or even virtually, using video-conferencing tools.
When forming groups of students, special attention is paid to important criteria - the same level of knowledge and interests among all students of the course, in order to maintain stable group dynamics during training.
Group dynamics is the development of a group in time, which is caused by the interaction of participants with each other and external influence on the group. In other words, these are the stages that the training group goes through in the process of communicating with the coach and among themselves.
The optimal group size for different types of training:
- Self-paced / E-learning: 1
- Instructor-led off-line (classroom): 6 – 12
- Instructor-led on-line (webinar): 6 – 12
- Blended learning: 6 – 12
- Workshop: 6 – 12
- On-the-job: 2 – 4
- Simulator: 1 – 2
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The technology provides the following learning opportunities:
- Focused on the needs of the user
- Instant feedback
- Independent decision making and choice of actions
- Better assimilation and memorization of the material
- Adaptive pace of learning tailored to the individual needs of the student
- Better transfer of skills learned in a learning situation to real conditions
Basic principles of training:
- A gradual increase in the level of difficulty in the game;
- Using a simplified version of a problem situation;
- Action in a variable gaming environment;
- The right choice is made through experimentation.
The main advantages of Game Based Learning technology:
- Low degree of physical risk and liability
- Motivation to learn while receiving positive emotions from the process;
- Practice - mirroring the real situation
- Timely feedback
- Choice of different playing roles
- Learning in collaboration
- Developing your own behavior strategy
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