"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is especially true when it comes to heat tracing. Effective heat tracing starts with a system audit, a thorough assessment of your heat trace system mapped by a professional to avoid unexpected system outages, minimize risks and optimize system reliability. In fact, a comprehensive audit of process piping, transmitter lines and enclosures, control panels, power connection boxes, thermal insulation and electrical circuits is a vital part of any quality plant maintenance program.
What we encounter during inspections is important to safety and can uncover potential problems before they cause downtime and irreparable harm in power plants, refineries, petrochemical plants and other process plants. If heat tracing or insulation has malfunctions, they must be identified and repaired or replaced.
This is essential in the winter, when freeze protection is a must. Even a minor freeze-up in power plants could trip a utility boiler, causing a customer to fall off the power grid, potentially facing severe penalty charges. Similar problems and downtime can occur in refineries and petrochemical plants that experience freezing of their process lines or instrumentation.
Being proactive, not reactive
A heat trace audit, whether for an electric or steam application, provides the customer with specifics about the integrity of their system, which can eliminate significant downtime and headaches later. Planning accordingly throughout the year based on audit results and creating a regular maintenance program greatly improve the plant's financial bottom line and give the customer peace of mind.
Insulation for preventing heat loss should also be audited at the same time. If the insulation or outer lagging wrapping the pipes isn't adequate or is installed improperly, moisture or water can enter, creating problems that will negate any benefit the heat tracing provides. To prevent freezing, insulation should be inspected for exterior cladding problems, lack of or poor caulking around valves/instruments and poor installation practices.
A thorough heat trace audit expert uses industry guidelines and sophisticated procedures to reveal the true operational status of the heat trace operation, determines if any circuits and power boxes in the field are malfunctioning or taking on moisture/water, and identifies what needs repair or replacement to avoid future failures. This can improve product quality and cost efficiencies throughout, which is vital in large facilities.
What's involved in an audit?
Audit procedures vary with each application, but all bring unprecedented visibility to the true status of your system. The heat trace professionals drill down where the actual work occurs to reveal the true state of the heat trace operation and produce a "heat trace status report."
During an audit, heat circuits are inspected, tested and documented for every heat trace power/distribution/control panel connection kit plant-wide, and are noted in the status report. Audit teams also verify each power connection kit, and any failed heat trace lines and potential issues are photographed and documented for inclusion in the final report. Once every power kit has been tested, a status review is performed before all procedures are conducted on each panel/work area. All paperwork is reviewed for accuracy and properly documented before signoffs.
A "report of findings," including photographs, details line-by-line recommendations with estimates of materials, repairs or replacements, and labor costs for any identified failed items. Comprehensive heat trace audit diagnostics can also include but aren't limited to:
- Insulation resistance testing.
- A current (amperage) reading.
- Resistance (ohm, megaohm) readings.
- An operational test of temperature controllers.
- A visual inspection of all accessible heat tracing components.
- An evaluation of any existing fault conditions.
- Confirmation of cable integrity.
- A cable fault location test.
A recommendation for ongoing heat trace maintenance can help prevent future issues and downtime in the long run and provides critical data that should be evaluated regularly.
For more information, visit www.brace.com or call (281) 749-1031.
