Product Spotlight: Pipe Heater

When cold weather hits, your pipes are some of the first victims. Dropping temperatures will alter the viscosity of fluids, often causing buildup and restricting flow. The less fluids flow, the more delays you’ll have while waiting for the pipes to thaw. When this happens, you’ll need some kind of pipe heater.

Bring the Heat

There are many ways to ensure pipelines stay warm in the winter:

  • Cover pipes with insulation
  • Blow hot air on pipes via space heaters
  • Propane flame torch (avoid this if at all possible)
  • Wrap pipes with insulated electrical wire, such as heat trace
  • Use a heat lamp
  • Pre-install a heated blanket

All of these methods are common, but not all are effective. Ambient temperature can have a significant impact on your heating system’s ability to perform properly, so heating lamps, space heaters, or other indirect solutions are usually ineffective. The best solutions are actually combinations of multiple methods.

Heat Trace is probably the most common pipe heating solution, partly because it has been around so long. Wrapping pipes with heating wires is a great solution to maintain temperatures. It is not designed to heat up anything, however. In addition, heat trace requires insulation and protective covering to make it effective. This leads to problems when insulation has to be pulled off to check the heating cables, and troubleshoot issues. There’s no doubt that heat trace works, it’s just not the only solution. That’s where pipe heating blankets come in.

It doesn’t make sense to work at solving a problem when you can prevent it from ever occurring in the first place. Instead of attempting to thaw frozen pipes, keep your pipes from freezing before the freeze even happens.

Pipe Heater

“Piping Hot” Pipe Heater

Powerblanket knows how inconvenient, expensive, and unsafe frozen pipes can be. That’s why, along with our valve, manifold, and instrumentation heaters, we also provide a product for that important element in between. After all, it’s just as important to keep the pipes themselves from freezing, regardless of what type of fluid you may be pumping through them. With this in mind, check out the Powerblanket Pipe Heater, or Heated Pipe Wrap.

Features and Benefits

The Powerblanket Heated Pipe Wrap harbors the same patented technology used in all Powerblanket heating products. This technology, along with its seamless implementation into an easy-to-use and durable blanket, saves labor costs and downtime through simple and fast installation, uninstallation, and reinstallation. It’s also the safest solution, with all of our blankets built to UL/CSA/SE standards.

Protecting fluids from freezing in harsh outdoor environments is what Powerblanket is all about, and Powerblanket pipe heaters make this a real possibility for your pipes or pipeline.

Our Pipe Heaters offer:

  • Savings in labor costs and downtime through easy installation, uninstallation, and reinstallation
  • Freeze protection down to -40°F/-40°C
  • Ready-to-ship sizes, available in multiple lengths and diameters
  • Preparation of pipes for the proper curing of coatings
  • Certification to UL/CSA/CE standards

See all the details of the Powerblanket pipe heater by downloading the free product spec sheet. For more information about pipe heater blankets, click HERE.

 

Pipe heaters from Powerblanket keep your fluids flowing all year long, providing freeze protection for your entire system.


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Alex Pacanowsky

Meet Alex, one of our experts in freeze protection and the head of the custom team at Powerblanket! For the past several years, Alex has worked closely with oil & gas pros, medical device startups, and pharmaceutical suppliers (just to name a few) to create weatherproof operations. No matter how cold the weather, or what needs to be heated, Alex knows just what to do! He also loves mountain biking and spending time with his two boys, 5 and 9, and two Labrador Retrievers.



Pipe Heaters

Custom Heating Solution

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Need Custom Heating for Your Equipment? Answer These Questions

Do you need custom heating for a specific and unique application? Although there are various standardized heating solutions available, to determine the right solution, either standard or custom, a few initial questions need to be understood. The first of the discovery questions is to identify the desired result of the application which is generally one or a combination of the following:Custom Heating

  1. Freeze Protection:  Generally to protect from the elements or cold climate
  2. Temperature Maintenance:  Maintain a specific, constant and optimal temperature
  3. Added heat or Increase Temperature:  Add heat  and Increase temperature higher from starting point

For example, a pipe heating application may require higher energy/wattage to thaw a frozen pipe and then settle to a moderate power/wattage for continual freeze protection and flow control long term.

An epoxy/composite curing application may require pre-heating at higher temperatures prior to the epoxy being applied and then maintained at a higher temperature for optimal curing.

Begin with These Steps

  • Gather as much information as possible using the Custom Application Questionnaire. Be thorough.
  • The dimension needs to be as built, not a CAD drawing .  ALL dimensions must be submitted to the custom team for quote.
  • Once quote is accepted and PO is sent, engineering will begin.
  • Custom products will normally be completed within two weeks.

Custom Application Questionnaire

Once we understand the problem, these types of questions reveal the best solution:

  1. Which of these best describes the system requiring Cooling: drum/bucket, tote, tank, gas cylinder, pipe, flat surface (vertical or horizontal?), other?  
  2. Can you provide drawings and/or photos?  
  3. What are the critical dimensions of the system?  
  4. What material is the container or surface made of (i.e. tank wall, drum wall)? How thick? 
  5. What is the substance being Cooled (i.e. water, oil, pipe contents, concrete, frozen ground)? 
  6. Is this a flowing system? If so, what is the flow rate (include units, gpm, cfm, etc.)? 
  7. What is the expected ambient temperature (include units, °F, °C)? 
  8. What is the maximum expected wind velocity (include units, mpg, km/h, etc.)? 
  9. Are there other environmental conditions that may be relevant? 
  10. What is the beginning temperature of the substance or contents (include units, °F, °C)? 
  11. What is the desired final temperature of the substance or contents (include units, °F, °C)? 
  12. What temperature range is acceptable? 
  13. Are there upper or lower temperatures where the substance or contents will be damaged? 
  14. Is there a time frame requirement for the initial cool down? 
  15. What power source is preferred (120, 208, 240, DC)?  
  16. How far away is the power source (cord length)? 
  17. Do you require UL/CSA certified products? 
  18. Is your location considered hazardous (Class I Division 2)?
  19. How many units do you need now and in the future? 
  20. What is the required delivery date? 

Custom Heating Case Study

Powerblanket completed a project for a large chemical company to solve freeze protection problems. The company stores a chemical solution in large 4,000 to 8,000 gallon stainless steel tanks. Their customers live in various climates throughout North America. This solution is water based and freezes at roughly 32°F.  This company needed freeze protection and to maintain regular temperatures between 40°F -70°F.

The question became, “How do we provide a ‘one size fit all’ customized solution for various climates?” Powerblanket created a modular custom design, adjustable by region and tank size, that came in two pieces.

Powerblanket engineers calculated the amount of heat and insulation required to combat freezing temperatures and wind chill to maintain optimal temperatures in these various climates. What appeared to be a complicated application turned into a simple and effective custom solution.

So many industries need heating solutions, and not just during the cold months either. Epoxy curing, chemical storage, viscosity maintenance, food preparations, concrete curing, and much more all benefit from innovative temperature regulation year round. 

Custom Heating vs. Ready to Ship ProductsNeed Custom Heating

Powerblanket manufactures an extensive line of ready-to-ship products designed and engineered for a myriad of purposes. For example, if you store temperature-sensitive materials in drums, barrels, or totes, then our ready-to-ship barrel and drum heaters or tote heaters will accommodate your heating needs perfectly. If you store DEF, then take a look at our DEF heaters. If you have palletized product you need to keep warm, check out our Hot Box.

Along with all these great product offerings, however, one of Powerblanket’s greatest contributions to the industries we serve is custom process heating solution for any project under the sun.

Often “custom” connotes extended lead times and a lot of money. With some manufacturers, that may be true, but Powerblanket’s customization process is fluid and effective.  We turn around a custom product in a reasonable window. Expect to be wowed.

Whether you need a heating solution for a large or oddly shaped propane tank, truck-mounted water cylinders, valves, manifolds, instrumentation, large scale epoxy curing, or any other specific application, Powerblanket is ready to help.

Custom Heating Solutions from PowerblanketCustom Heating Questionnaire

  • A reasonable window for completion
  • The ability to answer varying levels of customization
  • Certification to universal safety standards
  • Easy installation and use

Powerblanket engineers solve every kind of temperature problem from simple to very complex. Our expertise guarantees satisfied customers in a very short turnaround time. Need custom heating for these vessels?

  • Drums / Barrels / Pails
  • Totes to include Diesel Exhaust Fluid Totes
  • Gas Cylinders to include Propane and Specialty Gases
  • Specialty Tanks to include Frac Tanks
  • Water Transfer Trucks
  • Water Storage Tanks
  • Hydraulic Fluid Tanks
  • Vac Trucks
    Need Custom Heating Solution

Industries Powerblanket Serves

With Powerblanket, equipment lasts longer, projects stay on track, and fluids flow smoothly. Use Powerblanket technology year round to achieve total temperature control. Some of the various industries we serve include:

  • Oil/Gas
  • Railroad
  • Sprayfoam
  • Coatings
  • Chemical
  • Piping
  • Valves
  • Instrumentation
  • Food Processing
  • Composites
  • Construction
  • Precast
  • Roofing
  • Industrial
  • Manufacturing
  • Specialty Gases
  • Agriculture
  • Dairy
  • Mining
  • Concrete
  • Public Works
  • Excavation
  • Water Purification
  • Government & DOD 
  • Fertilizer
  • Brewing
  • Fermentation
  • Welding
  • Diesel Exhaust Fluid

When you need a custom temperature control solution, Powerblanket is the company to call. With over 30 years of experience, we can solve any heating dilemma you have.


TITLE

Alex Pacanowsky

Meet Alex, one of our experts in freeze protection and the head of the custom team at Powerblanket! For the past several years, Alex has worked closely with oil & gas pros, medical device startups, and pharmaceutical suppliers (just to name a few) to create weatherproof operations. No matter how cold the weather, or what needs to be heated, Alex knows just what to do! He also loves mountain biking and spending time with his two boys, 5 and 9, and two Labrador Retrievers.



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