Powerblanket News

Tanks are a vital part of so many processes and many of them need to be heated. There are almost as many ways to heat a tank as there are types of tanks. Steam coils, heat transfer systems, direct immersion, tank wraps, or heat trace; the list goes on and on. Knowing that many different types of heat can be effectively applied would drastically improve the best selection for the application.  Different Types Of Tank Heaters Powerblanket discusses several methods that can heat a tank that...

Electric heater cables are wired cables that produce heat, commonly called heat tracing cables or heat trace. Heat tracing cables can be used for a wide range of applications within the home, around the construction site, or along the lengths of the pipeline.  What Are The Different Types Of Electrical Heating Wires?  There are two main types of electrical heating cables used in process heating. These include:  Heating cable (also known as heat tracing or heat trace sys...

Insulating tarps offer efficient and simple ways to regulate temperature. Cold weather can prove detrimental to construction projects. Low temperatures can offset curing times and the final strength of materials like concrete. Insulated tarps are often one of the first solutions that come to mind to battle cold weather conditions. Essential tool for construction workers How do insulated tarps work? Insulated tarps work by trapping a layer of air between the tarp and whatever it is covering. T...

Steam tracing has long been an accepted means of maintaining temperatures of pipes and vessels under insulation. Steam trace systems consist of metal tubing called traces that are ⅜” to ½” in diameter, with lengths are typically 50 to 150 feet for each run. Tracers are attached to pipe or vessel surfaces via wire, heat transfer compounds, or specialty aluminum heat transfer strips. The ways Steam Tracing Works Steam from a plant boiler is piped up to the site where the steam...

Thermon Group Holdings, Inc., a global pioneer in industrial process heating solutions announced that it has acquired Powerblanket, a North American supplier of heated blankets built upon patented heat-spreading technology and portable industrial chillers. Powerblanket increases Thermon’s exposure to growing industrial and commercial end markets through its freeze protection, temperature control, and flow assurance solutions. Thermon solutions Thermon’s CEO and President - Bruce T...

In Mid-February 2021, a winter ice storm pounded Texas and lasted for four days as it knocked out power and froze pipes all the way to Canada. Not a typical winter state, Texas experienced about half of the country’s $18 billion in insurance claims, primarily due to frozen pipes. People think freeze protection for pipes is a residential problem, but every business and industry is susceptible. Anytime a pipe lays against uninsulated walls or is exposed to cold weather, the water can freeze...

Do users have an industrial process that requires container systems to maintain a constant temperature inside? One option is to install an internal heating element. However, that is time-consuming, expensive, and impractical. It requires taking the tank offline, draining it, and cutting a hole in the side to install the heating element. Additionally, there will be eventual maintenance or replacement of the heating element, causing more downtime. Tank heating jacket A jacketed tank has a secon...

Does the user's company handle potentially explosive gasses, liquids, or other materials in freezing environments? To heat critical systems, equipment, and work areas require heaters certified to operate in hazardous locations or “Hazloc.” Ordinary gas and electrically powered heaters can create a potential explosion hazard. hazloc heaters There are two ways users may have heard of hazloc heaters. The generic nickname for hazardous locations is hazloc. Users may also recognize the...

What do the copper, bronze, and iron ages have in common? Its heat, specifically, industrial process heat. Sometime between 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, someone figured out that fire could do more than cook dinner. It transformed raw materials and metal-bearing ores into copper and brass tools and weapons. The ancient discoveries of glass and ceramics were the products of high heat that have changed the way users live. What is industrial heating? In basic terms, it’s applying heat to creat...

Control Valves provide reliable process flow control to many processes throughout your facility.  This type of valve is always very close to the final step of the process, and is key in delivering dependable flow right to the process. Freeze-ups occur on control valves all year long.  Many think that just cold weather is the cause of valve freeze-ups.  Not always the case.  Many processes require higher temperatures in order to work properly. For example, a line in a bread p...

Transmitters can be used for dozens of applications within industrial plants. They are designed to send a dependable signal no matter what the application. When transmitters are used to send a data signal for liquids, pressure, or even pulse lines; they most often use a manifold block with sets of needle valves that allow certain lines to flow or be blocked off. These manifolds feed the media to the transmitter so that it can send its required signal. Challenge A huge challenge in the field t...

Is it known that the steel oil drum has been almost unchanged since its invention in 1901? Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, also known as Nellie Bly, made the first usable and practical oil drum to carry crude oil. The universal 55-gallon drum is the storage container choice of industries worldwide for almost every liquid except crude oil. They are easy to fill, stack, store, and ship. But, sometimes, they aren’t so easy to empty. Barrels containing high viscosity liquids need a little hea...

Electric circulation heaters are very versatile and useful process heaters. Common applications will flow liquids or gasses through the heater and provide very stable reliable temperatures for these processes. The exchange of heat is dependent upon the liquid flowing, the flow rate, and the residence time or time through the heater. Many critical processes require heat to be created and passed to the process. Most of these are flowing, and the tried and true method of doing this is with a shell...

What do modern boat hulls, wind turbines, aircraft wings, luxury sports cars, and space satellites have in common? It’s epoxy, a robust adhesive that is thermal, chemical, and water-resistant. It is one of the more versatile substances used in manufacturing, and any manufacturing process that uses it must factor in the curing time. This article will cover what epoxy is, its uses, and best practices when curing it, primarily the addition of heat. As users will see, adding heat during the c...

Valve insulation is commonly used to cover petrochemicals products and industrial equipment in the oil and gas industry. Similar to process line piping, valves often must be insulated to minimize heat loss for efficient performance or to keep contents of material passing through the valve at the desired temperature. Valves are a critical part of any industrial or commercial process. Fluid needed to make things run right in your facility is pushed through these valves quickly and efficiently. A...

When it comes to proper temperature sensor placement in circulation heaters, it is important to start by understanding what the circulation heater is being used for. Circulation heaters are designed specifically to heat a flowing product, gas, or liquid, and are an essential part of a thermal loop used in process heating systems. Common uses for circulation heaters are for heating natural gas upstream of a gas turbine to dry the gas out before it is burned, heating hot oil going into a heat exc...

Tanks are a vital part of so many processes and many of them need to be heated. There are almost as many ways to heat a tank as there are types of tanks. Steam coils, heat transfer systems, direct immersion, tank wraps or heat trace; the list goes on and on. Knowing that there are many different types of heat that can be effectively applied would drastically improve the best selection for the application. Tank heating systems What are the different types of tank heaters? They are going to dis...

Heater power control can be performed with one of three methods: Mechanical Contactor Solid State Relay Silicone Controlled Rectifier Many are not aware of the difference between the last two methods, Solid State Relay (SSR) and Silicone Controlled Rectifier (SCR) Power Control. Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages.  Typically in a desire to have finer or more efficient control of an electric heater in a process, system owners will switch from an old-fashioned...

There are a wide variety of pipeline temperature sensors. Each style, no matter how it is made or configured, is absolutely critical in the discussion of an efficient thermal loop. Pipeline temperature sensors can come in the form of a RTD, Thermocouple, Thermistor or even a mercury filled bulb and capillary tube. Configurations can be as small and thin as a human hair, or larger than human arm. No matter the style or mechanical design, if the sensor is not placed in the proper location, the ap...

On/Off temperature control is the most common and widely used method of controlling a thermal system bar none. That’s how users' home air conditioning and heating system is controlled, ovens, water heaters; 50% of all of the electric load in the US is from thermostatically controlled loads  When it comes specifically to controlling a heating or cooling system in industrial applications, thermostats still dominate the control scene. Mostly due to low expense points and ease of use. S...

What is a PID controller? In previous articles in their series covering the thermal loop, they mentioned that there are 3 main types of temperature control: On Off, Proportional, and PID control. Now they intend to go a little deeper into PID Temperature control and how it can help users decide the best way to control the temperature system. PID control loop is the most accurate of all types of thermal loop controllers. First, let’s define what PID means: Proportional Integral Derivative....

Temperature controllers are designed to perform the function of keeping an object or process at the desired temperature. In every application where controlling a temperature is required, a controller is used to set a temperature by way of a set point. A sensor of some kind is used to compare the temperature at that location to the set point required. Some applications require heat to maintain a specific temperature, while some require cooling, and others require both. Maintaining temperatu...

Powerblanket is pleased to accept 2021 Best of State Award for the best electric/power product in the manufacturing category. Best of State Award The Best of State Award was issued after an exhaustive nomination process. According to the award website, more than 100 judges reviewed the nominations. There are ten main categories, with dozens of subcategories businesses across Utah applied to be nominated for. Each nomination is scored for points, followed by an audit of that score by an indepe...

Tank heating systems are often critical to most industrial applications, particularly with temperature control maintenance. For example, caustic tanks provide critical feedstock to refineries, chemical plants, and processes. Biodiesel feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats, palm oils or even jatropha will solidify at relatively normal ambient temperatures, requiring process temperature maintenance to ensure product quality. Keeping this product warm is vital to keep processes running ef...

There is a long debate about the direct comparison between steam heating and electric heating efficiency across many applications. Powerblanket will discuss specifically the use of steam and electric immersion heaters to heat large tanks in industrial applications. Steam Coils In Tanks Large tanks are fabricated with coils in the bottom of their tanks. These coils are designed to hook up to a system that provides steam that is pushed through these coils. Coils are normally installed internally...

The location where a sensor is placed is critical in the function of a good heat trace system. Contractors or installers seldom own the facility where they install a system. If they did own it, they might stop and think a little more often about where the actual best place to install a sensor would be when they built the heat trace system, wouldn’t they? The best place to have a sensor is always where the temperature is most critical. Heat trace circuits can be anywhere from ten feet...

Electric heat trace systems provide needed heat to pipes, tanks, and other processes. Maintaining heat trace and knowing how to troubleshoot the system is the key to its long life and reliability. For heat trace to work properly, it must have: Dry effective insulation. A reliable power source. The ability to create heat or have resistance (Ohm’s law). Resistance to ground or not have the potential to short out. Power and end seal kits are installed properly and watertight. Witho...

An immersion heater is an energy-efficient and cost-effective way to heat liquids and gases stored in tanks, barrels, vats, and other containers. Immersion heaters offer solutions for a wide array of heating applications, from water temperature maintenance to reaching the perfect viscosities. How Do Immersion Heaters Work? While the designs and advantages of immersion heaters are varying, their general function and purpose are standard. Heated electrical elements are welded to a flange or scre...

Heat trace utilizes electricity and insulation to maintain the temperature of pipes or other vessels, replacing any heat lost to outside temperatures. A heat tracing system protects pipes and tanks while maintaining ideal temperatures to ensure that users never have to sacrifice efficiency to heat loss.  Powertrace Powertrace by Powerblanket offers self-regulating trace heat systems that feature a temperature-dependent resistive element housed between two parallel conductors that automat...

When cold weather hits, user 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 the user has while waiting for the pipes to thaw. When this happens, the user needs 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...