Heat tracing system IRHS-15000 based on skin-effect is designed for maintaining pipeline temperature, preventing freezing, and start-up heating of long pipelines. The system supports underground, overground and underwater installation, including explosive areas.
15 000 m long heating system based on skin-effect
The heating element of IRHS-15000 is composed of an inductive-resistive heater (IR-heater) with an external diameter of 15-60 mm and a wall thickness of at least 3.0 mm and a built-in insulated inductive-resistive copper conductor (IR-conductor) with a cross section of 8-40 mm2. At the terminal end of the heating segment, the IR-conductor is electrically connected to the IR-heater, and alternating voltage is supplied at the start end of the segment between the IR-heater and the IR-conductor.
The voltage is determined based on the desired heat generation and the length of the heating section. IR-conductor and IR-heater currents flow in opposite directions, resulting in a surface effect and proximity effect in the system. As a result, the current in the IR-heater flows along the inner layer near the inner surface of the IR-heater and there is no voltage on the IR-heater. The IR-conductor is non-magnetic (copper), there is no noticeable surface effect in it, and the alternating current flows through the entire cross section of the IR-conductor.
The main heat generating element in the skin-effect system is the IR-heater, accounting for up to 80 % of the system’s output.
Safety of the system is provided by the surface effect causing the current to follow the internal surface of the IR-heater. The external surface potential is zero. Heat transfer from the skin system to the pipeline is supported by the tight contact and the use of the heat-conducting paste Silarm.
| Heated pipeline length | up to 60 km without an auxiliary network |
|---|---|
| Heating system output | up to 170 W/m |
| Maximum operating temperature | +240 °С |
| Maximum permissible temperature (de-energised) | +240 °С |
