Application of electric tracing tape in buried environment

　　In modern industrial and civil facilities, the insulation and anti-freezing of buried pipelines has always been an important topic. Because of its unique advantages, electric tracing technology is gradually becoming the first choice to maintain the temperature of buried environment. This technology can not only effectively prevent the pipeline from freezing, but also automatically adjust the output power according to the ambient temperature, so as to realize accurate temperature control and energy-saving operation.

　　Buried environment puts forward special requirements for electric tracing belt. Different from the above-ground installation, the buried electric tracing belt needs to withstand soil pressure, humid environment and possible chemical corrosion. In order to meet these challenges, the buried special electric tracing belt usually adopts reinforced structure design. Its outer sheath is mostly made of high-density polyethylene or fluoroplastics, which has excellent waterproof and mechanical strength. Adding a metal shielding net between the heating core and the insulation layer not only enhances the compression resistance, but also provides reliable grounding protection. This multi-layer protective structure ensures that the electric tracing tape can still maintain stable working performance in long-term underground use.

　　In buried application, the installation mode of electric tracing belt directly affects the system efficiency. In order to improve the heat transfer efficiency, aluminum foil tape should be wound on the outer wall of the pipeline before construction. The electric heat tracing belt is usually fixed by spiral winding or parallel laying to ensure full contact with the pipeline surface. For large diameter pipelines, multiple tracing belts can be arranged in parallel to ensure the uniformity of temperature distribution. After installation, insulation materials, such as polyurethane foam or glass wool, should be wrapped around the pipeline to minimize the loss of heat to the surrounding soil. The whole system is finally covered with waterproof layer to form a complete protection system.

　　Temperature control strategy is the key of buried electric heat tracing system. Because the soil has good thermal insulation performance, the system does not need to run at high power continuously. The intelligent temperature control system can monitor the pipeline temperature in real time and automatically adjust the output power of the tracing belt through the temperature sensors buried in key nodes. In cold season, the system can preheat the pipeline in advance to avoid the freezing risk caused by sudden low temperature. Some advanced systems also have remote monitoring function, which can grasp the running status of the system in real time through the Internet of Things platform, and find and handle abnormal situations in time.

　　The maintenance and management of buried electric heating system has its particularity. Because the equipment is buried underground, the daily inspection mainly depends on the monitoring data for analysis. During the system design, maintenance wells will be set at key positions to facilitate local maintenance when necessary. Periodic inspection shall include insulation resistance test, grounding continuity check and power output verification. After long-term operation, it is necessary to pay attention to the aging of insulation materials and replace the insulation layer with degraded performance in time. Good maintenance and management can prolong the service life of the system, and most high-quality electric tracing belts can work reliably for 8-10 years in buried environment.

　　The electric tracing belt shows wide applicability in various buried facilities. In the municipal water supply and drainage system, water pipes can be prevented from freezing and bursting in cold weather; In the field of petrochemical industry, it can maintain the medium fluidity of buried process pipelines; Under the airport runway, it is used to prevent the fire pipeline from freezing; Even in the geothermal system, it can help maintain the temperature of the pipeline. With the development of urban underground pipe gallery construction, the application scenarios of electric tracing are still expanding.

　　Technological innovation is promoting the development of buried electric heat tracing system in a more efficient and intelligent direction. In the future, with the progress of materials science and Internet of Things technology, the buried electric heating system will achieve greater breakthroughs in reliability, energy efficiency ratio and intelligence, and provide more perfect temperature protection schemes for various underground facilities.