As temperatures drop and seasons change, many facilities begin to look at ways to protect their equipment from freezing in the winter. Properly protecting your tank from freezing temperatures is important because cold conditions have even led plants in the Gulf Coast to perform emergency shutdowns due to instrument and utility failures. A vital step in protecting your tanks is properly equipping them with enough insulation and heat power to prevent catastrophic problems such as frozen pipe and equipment failure from arising. Current techniques utilized to minimize environmental impacts and freezing temperatures include insulation, heat tracing (electrical or fluid), environmental mitigation and continual flow. Of these methods, the most effective procedure in terms of cost and maintenance is a combination of heat tracing and insulation.
Freeze protection involves properly insulating your tank to prevent the liquid inside from freezing. The process includes making sure the tank's temperature does not go below 32 F because, if it does, the liquid inside will freeze. The most common and effective solution for freeze protection today is a mixture of electrical heat tracing and insulation. Electrical heat tracing is more advanced than any other form of heat tracing. It is used to compensate for heat loss and to conserve a minimum temperature, or prevent freezing. In certain instances where fuel oils are transported through a pipeline, insulation is highly suggested on any piping that may be exposed to extreme temperatures and winds. This avoids any clogged pipes and assures your tank or equipment does not freeze.
Electrical heat tracing utilizes an electrical heating component that runs the length of a pipe. This component is used to keep temperatures high within the pipe so the fluids stay in liquid form and do not freeze. Electrical heat tracing is valuable to plants with no access to steam. This method offers more variety in temperature ranges than steam heat tracing systems. They are also more cost effective and have lower maintenance costs than steam heat tracing. Not only do costs remain low, but electrical heat tracing systems are easy to install, utilize energy proficiently and can be monitored remotely.
For existing electrical heat tracing systems, an evaluation on the overall insulation and tracing system during the late summer or early fall is recommended. If areas of damage are noted, work orders should immediately be generated to repair the areas, life-cycle completion or mechanical damage that were not repaired. Addressing the issues before impending weather conditions allows them to be properly addressed with a plan and permanent solution, versus a temporary repair that could increase corrosion.
Geographic location generally dictates the attention required for tanks to need freeze protection. As mentioned earlier, temperatures along the Gulf Coast are moderate, and many areas have historically not been as active in providing freeze protection on all systems. However, freeze protection is crucial for continual, prolific and safe operation of the plant regardless of location. Plants located in the northern part of the U.S. will definitely view freeze protection as an essential process to undertake due to the temperatures yielded in the wintertime. Areas of the U.S. with temperatures that reach below 32 F for a long period of time need the proper amount of insulation and heating power to protect against the freezing temperatures.
Tanks and equipment that lack continual flow are at the highest risk of freezing. If tanks and equipment are not properly protected from extreme temperatures, pipelines may be interrupted and problems with the tanks may arise. The equipment, if frozen, could also limit the availability or reliability of the plant and reduce unit output. Therefore, it is imperative all facilities, regardless of typical weather conditions, protect their tanks and equipment. If your facility's tank is well insulated and the heater is working with the proper conditions, then your tank should be well protected for all environments.
For more information, visit www.brockgroup.com or call (281) 807-8200
