Panel discussion on electrical heat tracing

Electrical heat tracing has matured in the last 30 years to be the preferred method of both freeze protection and process temperature maintenance. In most applications. The IEEE has provided guidance for the design and installation of heat tracing through recommended practices and standards such as those sanctioned by the IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) and IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS). Changes in product, design, control and monitoring, and approvals all have impacted the evolution of the engineering topic of electrical heat tracing. In this panel discussion we highlight the available standards and recommended practices with a focus on power generation processes. Hopper heating, instrument heating and special applications are also discussed. The IEC standards being modeled by the CEC (Canadian Electrical Code) and NEC (USA National Electrical Code), with acceptance of the Zone classification system give the designer more opportunity to optimize the heat tracing system. The NESC (National Electrical Safety Code) also plays a part in the power generation side of the equation. Economic analyses of comparisons of steam tracing and electrical tracing as well as advancements in monitoring and control add another dimension to the situation.