Hey ,here is Gulfam Raza HaideryQ. What is line tracing of reactors In Chemical Engineering? How is it done? What are its advantages? What is difficulity in Line Tracing?

Purpose of Heat Trace
Heat trace provides a way to add heat to a pipe, vessel, tank, or equipment using a line of heat transfer fluid or an
electrically heated cable. For simplicity, we will limit our heat transfer fluid to steam and compare steam and electric
trace.
Heat trace is primarily used to prevent freezing by keeping a liquid above 32 degrees (or whatever temperature
necessary to keep the material flowing through the piping). Heat trace can be used to reduce viscosity of a fluid to
allow for effective pumping. Heat trace may also be used to maintain a specific temperature for a material (process
maintain). Other uses of heat trace include compensation for heat loss, raising piping temperature to recover from
outages, eliminate formation of liquids in gas or powder lines, and minimize the formation of solids in liquid pipes.
As an example, cooling water lines usually have enough velocity to not freeze very often because there is enough
flow through the line to prevent freezing. Steam lines have high potential to freeze because the condensation does
not move. In a hot water application, lines maybe need to be kept warm so water does not have to be reheated for
use in a process.
Generally speaking, a freeze protection application is typically easier to engineer. A system to maintain a specific
temperature to support a process is more critical and requires more complex engineering.
Knowing the function of the trace is critical when selecting the type of trace, heat trace monitoring methods, and
the control scenarios for the trace. Heat trace does not come in a one size fits all package. It is recommended that
you consult with process designers and engineers that understand your process in order to size and design the heat
trace system that is right for your needs.


Heat Trace Control Options
Heat trace control scenarios range from simple to complex based on the type of trace used and the process
requirements. Freeze protection for water lines may only require a single ambient temperature sensor
where process-maintain applications will likely require a well-designed control scheme.



Thank You
Ruchi
Askiitians Faculty