It depends. What is the pipe contents? Consult the MSDS, Safe Handling Guide, and technical info. on the pipe contents. Ask the material supplier.

Good Luck,
Latexman

Content is wash water

Generally regarding my doubts i have found this in some book but can not really understand it

"Steam tracing cannot overheat the contents of the line that it is protecting because its maximum temperature is that of the incoming steam"

It means the wash water can never exceed 297 °Fahrenheit, the incoming steam temperature.

Good Luck,
Latexman

Ok but i do not want it to boil either..to reach
212ºF ..how can you accomplish having that temperature near 158ºF?


To make up the heat lost from the product pipeline, small bore steam pipes, or tracers, are attached to the product line. Heat from the steam passes into the product line and replaces the heat lost. The amount of heat transferred, and therefore the product temperature, can easily be controlled by simple self-acting control systems.

This bold part, how can you control that temperature?


I have long low pressure steam header from which one i am taking steam to steam manifold from which i use steam to heat pipes that needed to be heated (in this case my wash water line)

What is the objective on the wash water? To maintain temperature? Prevent from freezing? What happens to the wash water once it reaches it’s destination? Cools down? Maintains temperature?

Good Luck,
Latexman

There are passive (self regulating) systems for this that control pressure and flow. The option that is more common is self-limiting electrical heat tracing. There isn't even a controler, but based on the resistance and thermal coefficients you set a power supply limit and walk away.
Contact a company that does this for a living.

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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

Objective is to keep it from freezing during winter

Pls see the design guidance pamphlet from Spirax Sarco on steam traps and tracing systems for answers to your queries.

In theory, the liquid line can become at or close tot he steam temperature.

In reality this is not possible because of the heat loss through the insulation and normally the low power input from what is often a 1" tube on a much larger pipe.

But what that temperature is needs to be calculated based on those parameters (steam temp, steam tube size, pipe size, insulation type, insulation thickness, ambient air temp (min/max) wind speed.

For freeze protection, many location will use electrical trace heating or self limiting electrical trace heating.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

"normally the low power input from what is often a 1" tube on a much larger pipe."

Can you please elaborate this? How lower power affects that

You can only get so much heat input from a 1" tube.

In static conditions, eventually heat in = heat out.

If there isn't much heat in then the temperature will gradually fall until the two become equal.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

Thank you for your explanation, and also everyone else for the help

Steam traps for heat tracing

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com