Questions regarding steam tracing at the bottom of oil storage tanks?
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I have noticed that the steam tracing for the newly constructed tank area of this device has one outlet and one inlet, located at different heights – the steam enters from the bottom and exits from the top, before being sent to the condensate collection system via a drain valve. Is this way of connecting it correct? Will it cause water hammer? Should steam go in from above and out from below?
Steam tracing and reboiling, due to phase changes, both operate with flow from top to bottom.
Normally, things flow in from above and out from below; it’s a strange phenomenon
In steam connections, steam enters from above and exits from below; if it enters from below and exits from above, the condensate cannot be discharged from the system in a timely manner, resulting in water accumulation within the system. This prevents effective heat exchange, and water hammer phenomena will definitely occur.
It is a design flaw; please correct it promptly.
For the heat tracing of pipelines, there is usually a difference between the inlet and outlet points. However, due to the complex layout of the pipelines and the resulting variations in height, this is not a major issue. In the case of heating tanks, the heat should be applied from higher to lower levels
The heating steam should enter from above and exit from below, with a drain installed at the bottom.
The heating steam should enter from above and exit from below; otherwise, the steam will condense, causing water hammer
The heating steam should enter from above and exit from below; otherwise, water hammer can occur, leading to serious problems
I haven’t been on this forum for a long time now, as I’ve been busy with work recently. I’m very grateful to see everyone’s messages! I have reported these issues to my supervisor, who said it’s not a big problem, which is why nothing has been changed. I can only observe its performance once it is put into use in the future. My factory is located in Daya Bay, Huizhou, in the south; the geographical conditions mean that it has not yet been put into operation, but perhaps there are no major issues in such a southern location. We’ll have to wait and see!