How to choose electric heating pipe for pipeline?

In winter, cold temperatures in oil and gas pipelines cause the oil to solidify and the gas to sink, slowing the flow rate. Therefore, external heating is necessary to increase fluidity.

Let's take a look at various methods for heating pipes:

1. Heating Coils

Thinner pipes can be heated using circular heating coils made of ceramic, cast iron, cast aluminum, or cast copper. However, heating thicker pipes is more difficult because the coils required are larger, making installation more complex and costly.

2. Silicone Heating Sheets

Silicone heating sheets can be formed into long strips and secured with springs to form a coil for pipe heating. They are lightweight, easy to install, and convenient to transport.

However, their disadvantages are their low temperature resistance and their inability to be used in high-temperature environments. Furthermore, silicone heating sheets cannot be covered with insulation to maintain heat, as this would hinder heat dissipation and cause them to melt.

Silicone is not resistant to oxidation and is easily damaged when installed in open air, exposed to wind and sun.

3. Electric Heating Tubes

(1) Round Electric Heating Tubes

Many people choose to use electric heating tubes to heat the surface of pipes. Electric heating tubes have high temperature resistance and strong antioxidant capacity. They can be used in outdoor places and can also be covered with insulation to keep warm. They have great advantages over the previous heating methods.

However, we all know that the most common heating tubes on the market are almost round, and the oil pipeline is round, so the contact surface between them is point-to-point. The contact surface between points is very small, so even if the heating tube has a heating effect, the temperature transferred to the pipe surface is still limited, and a lot of heat is wasted.

(2) Flat Heating Tubes

There are not many manufacturers of flat electric heating tubes on the market, but Yancheng Feiyu has successfully produced flat electric heating tubes after countless research and attempts. The specifications of the flat electric heating tubes currently produced are 13.5*5.5mm, 15*6mm, 18*6.7mm, and 25*8mm. Other sizes can also be customized by opening molds. Flat electric heating tubes were originally used on high-speed train tracks to melt snow. Because they are flat, they heat with the tube surface in contact with the heated surface. This method allows for faster heat transfer from the tube to the heated surface.

Flat electric heating tubes are therefore ideal for pipe heating, combining the advantages of round tubes with a larger heat transfer surface.