Heat tracing system and method
OwnerJoseph V. D'Amico, IIIinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat tracing assembly for heating a product in a process pipe including a compression layer formed of a conductive material and one or more tracing tubes for the flow of a heat source. The compression layer is positioned around the process pipe with the tracing tubes at least partially disposed within the compression layer. The compression layer may be formed of a plurality of interlocking longitudinal panels for optimizing the transfer and distribution of heat from the tracing tubes to the process pipe.
Claims22
A heat tracing assembly for heating a product in a process pipe, comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking longitudinal panels, wherein each of the panels includes a curved inner surface, an inner groove, and an outer groove;
- wherein in an assembled configuration a plurality of tubing spaces are defined by the inner groove and the outer groove of adjacent longitudinal panels;
- and wherein the longitudinal panels are configured to completely encapsulate and exert a compressive force on an outer surface of the process pipe;
- and
- a plurality of tracing tubes each disposed within one of the tubing spaces.
A heat tracing assembly for heating a product in a process pipe, comprising:
- a compression layer comprising a plurality of interlocking longitudinal panels each formed of a conductive material, wherein each of the longitudinal panels comprises a curved inner surface, an inner groove, and an outer groove, with the outer groove comprising a base portion and a hook portion;
- wherein in an assembled configuration a plurality of tubing spaces are defined by the inner groove and the outer groove of adjacent panels;
- and
- one or more tracing tubes, wherein each of the tracing tubes is disposed within one of the tubing spaces, with the hook portion of the longitudinal panel wrapping at least 50% around a distal quadrant of the tracing tube such that at least 75% of an outer surface area of each of the tracing tubes is encapsulated by the inner groove and the outer groove of adjacent panels.
A heat tracing system for heating a product in a process pipe, comprising:
- a compression layer formed of a conductive material;
- one or more tracing tubes each having an outer surface area, wherein at least 75% of the outer surface area of each of the tracing tubes is disposed within the compression layer;
- a plurality of on/off actuators configured to open or close a heat source flow through one of the tracing tubes;
- and
- a controller configured to transmit on/off instructions to the on/off actuators, wherein the controller generates the on/off instructions using a sliding mode control algorithm.
A heat tracing assembly for heating a product in a process pipe, comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking longitudinal panels, wherein each of the panels includes a curved inner surface, an inner groove, and an outer groove;
- wherein the outer groove of each panel includes a base portion and a hook portion;
- and wherein in an assembled configuration a plurality of tubing spaces are defined by the inner groove and the outer groove of adjacent longitudinal panels;
- and
- a plurality of tracing tubes each disposed within one of the tubing spaces, wherein the hook portion of the outer grove wraps at least 50% around a distal quadrant of the tracing tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.