Is it appropriate to arrange stainless steel pipes alongside carbon steel heat tracing pipelines?
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There are many stainless steel pipes at the site that require heat tracing. If carbon steel pipes are used for heat tracing, will their long-term use cause damage to the stainless steel pipes? Some people say that when the two come into direct contact, long-term use can cause the components of stainless steel to be penetrated, affecting its performance. What is the reason for this? If it is necessary to arrange things in this way to save costs, are there any effective measures that can avoid or **reduce the impact on performance?
This post was last edited by Paris on 2023-4-24 08:22.
The usual practice is to use stainless steel for the heat trace; carbon steel should not be used for this purpose, even with any kind of lining measures in place.
Is stainless steel piping more expensive, or are heat tracing wires more expensive?
If you’ve already used gaskets for insulation, then what heat is there left?
This post was last edited by wanlirn on 2023-4-24 08:05. There’s no need to worry too much – the rate of carbon diffusion is at most a few dozen micrometers per year. If you do the math, even with carbon diffusion occurring, it will still take much longer than the lifespan of your equipment. In other words, before carbon diffusion reaches a level that causes damage, your processing equipment might already have been taken apart. Some experts are simply nonsense
This post was last edited by Paris on 2023-4-24 08:22
It is recommended to use a stainless steel heat trace. Since carbon steel heat tracing wires experience a high frequency of corrosion-related leaks during operation, requiring frequent inspection and maintenance, Sinopec has now issued guidelines recommending the use of stainless steel for such heat tracing wires. If a carbon steel heat trace is used, shims (insulation foam can be used) should be placed between the stainless steel main pipe and the carbon steel heat trace