Trace heating

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A trace heating , also pipe trace heating , is the heating of a pipe with an electrical heating cable, which is placed around the pipe. This type of heating is used, for example, to protect water-carrying pipes from frost in winter or to maintain hot water temperatures. The heating cables are made of plastic with incorporated carbon particles , the tracks of which are live and have a self-limiting effect.

Trace heating

The heating element consists of a special plastic with embedded carbon particles that form the current paths between the two parallel copper conductors . If the temperature rises, the plastic expands and the carbon particles move away from each other more and more. This interrupts the current paths and the heating cable is no longer warm. If the heating cable cools down, the plastic particles contract again and the current paths are restored (the heating cable produces heat). Due to this self-limitation, the heating tape reacts to temperature fluctuations at any point in the pipe system.

Correct assembly is important so that the heat is distributed evenly on the pipe. The heating cable should be obliquely mounted on the side (on a watch - dial would be the positions "4" or "8" clock). In the case of a chrome steel pipe, the heating tape can be mounted directly on the pipe with a cable tie (which must be plasticizer- free). In the case of a plastic pipe, the pipe should first be covered with aluminum tape parallel to the pipe's longitudinal axis . This ensures better heat distribution on the pipe circumference. The heating cable is then attached, for. B. with a temperature- resistant polyester or fiberglass tape that is wrapped around the pipeline approx. 2 to 2.5 times every 20 to 25 cm.

literature

  • Dirk Bohne: Technical expansion of buildings: and sustainable building technology. 11th edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2019, ISBN 978-3-658-21436-4 .

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