Winter has arrived; what measures does your organization take to prevent freezing?
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Discussion: Preventing freezing is a key task every winter. As the weather gets colder, are your unit’s anti-freezing measures already in place? How is it done? Share Share
Refine the anti-freezing and anti-condensation management plan, establish records, and implement \"graded management with one record per piece of equipment\".
Special attention should be paid to the instrument tubes for air, the drainage from idle equipment, and the valves in the water supply pipes of containers. The on-site inspection must be thorough, leaving no blind spots. The establishment of relevant management records, as well as their subsequent updates and revisions, must also be followed up in a timely manner.
It is necessary to thoroughly analyze the shortcomings and deficiencies in anti-freezing work over the years, and propose targeted corrective measures to address the persistent problems related to anti-freezing in the installations. It is necessary to organize and complete technical improvement projects such as the upgrade of the heat tracing material, the renovation of heat tracing insulation, and the addition of a condensate water system, in order to fundamentally improve the level of anti-freezing management.
In our area, there are few frosty periods, so we don’t have much experience in this regard. But in reality, proper design has been taken into account; if things are done according to that design, there will be no problems. The problem we encountered was that during the construction phase, the design was altered without authorization, which led to poor flow of the medium in the pipelines when extreme weather conditions occurred. Therefore, the design cannot be changed arbitrarily, unless viable reasons and countermeasures are presented. Of course, this also reflects the lack of rigor in change management back then
Of course, the issues mentioned by the original poster are far from just the one I’ve mentioned here; there are many others as well. Since the frost period here is short, this issue isn’t significant: lol
Each workshop should refine and revise the anti-freezing management regulations, further clarifying key areas prone to freezing in various installations, as well as the inspection methods and frequency. Manage winter moisture leakage points in the same way as oil and gas leakage points, and continuously increase the intensity of oversight. Include all key areas for anti-freezing inspections in the inspection route to ensure timely and effective follow-up checks. Strictly control vapor emissions, and manage the efficient use of vapor while meeting the heating requirements, in order to save costs through small improvements. Intensive training is provided on the key points and challenges related to anti-freezing, so that employees can fully master the inspection items, methods, and preventive measures for anti-freezing.
Each workshop shall also establish a special anti-freezing inspection team to conduct multi-level inspections of key areas, critical components, and weak points related to anti-freezing measures, to identify and address any issues promptly and ensure the safe and stable operation of the equipment throughout the winter period. Regarding the management of key areas and critical processes, the workshop must determine the inspection routes, contents, and frequency based on the characteristics of each position, to ensure that no corner is overlooked. It is necessary to organize specialized training for employees on anti-freezing measures, using examinations to encourage practice and ensure that operators thoroughly master the relevant tasks and procedures for preventing freezing.
For different types of instruments in each device, the isolation fluid (such as glycerin and ethylene glycol) should be replenished regularly every 2 to 4 weeks. For instruments with severe liquid accumulation, a regular drainage schedule must be established on a weekly basis.