How to use electric heat tracing in crude oil

　　In the process of oil exploitation, storage, transportation and processing, the liquidity maintenance of crude oil has always been a key technical challenge for the industry. When the temperature is lower than the freezing point of crude oil, waxy components begin to precipitate, and the viscosity rises sharply, which will affect the transportation efficiency and lead to the complete blockage of the pipeline. Electric heat tracing technology has become an ideal solution to this problem because of its accurate temperature control ability and high energy utilization rate, and plays an irreplaceable role in the global oil industry.

　　The application of electric heat tracing system in crude oil pipeline shows unique technical advantages. Long-distance oil pipelines often pass through areas with changeable climate, and traditional steam tracing is difficult to adapt to this complex working condition. The electric heat tracing system can set different temperature parameters in sections, and automatically adapt to environmental temperature changes through self-regulation function. In a transnational oil pipeline from Siberia to Europe, the electric heat tracing system successfully met the huge temperature difference challenge from MINUS 50 degrees to above zero 30 degrees. The mineral insulated electric tracing belt used in the system is laid close to the outer wall of the pipeline, and with the high-efficiency insulation layer, the crude oil temperature is accurately maintained within a safe range of 5-8 degrees higher than the freezing point. The intelligent control system monitors the temperature change of each pipe section in real time and dynamically adjusts the output power, which not only ensures the transportation safety, but also controls the energy consumption at the optimal level.

　　In terms of thermal insulation of crude oil storage tanks, electric heat tracing technology has also performed well. The bottom and side walls of large floating roof storage tanks are prone to local condensation of crude oil due to heat dissipation. The traditional method of using heating coil in the tank has the defects of low thermal efficiency and uneven temperature. The new electric heat tracing system for storage tank arranges the special electric heat tracing belt on the outer surface of the tank in a net shape, and keeps the temperature of the whole storage tank uniform through heat conduction. The measured data of a large oil storage base in the Middle East show that this external electric heat tracing system saves more than 40% energy compared with the traditional method, and completely avoids the risk of corrosion and leakage of the heater in the tank. More subtly, the system can automatically adjust the temperature according to the variety and storage time of crude oil, appropriately increase the temperature for high waxy crude oil, and reduce the energy consumption for light crude oil, thus realizing refined management.

　　The application of electric heat tracing for offshore oil platforms is more challenging. The platform space is limited, the pipeline direction is complex, and the corrosive environment with high salt and humidity puts forward strict requirements for the heat tracing system. A three-layer protective electric tracing belt is used in a deep-sea oil field. The inner layer is a high-temperature heater, the middle is a waterproof insulation layer, and the outer layer is a corrosion-resistant metal sheath. This special structure can not only resist salt spray erosion, but also bear the mechanical stress caused by platform vibration. The system adopts explosion-proof design, which fully meets the safety standards for offshore operations. Through the monitoring screen of the central control room, the operator can check the temperature curve of each section of pipeline in real time and find the abnormal situation in time. In typhoon season, the system will automatically increase the heat tracing power of key pipe sections to prevent the operation risk caused by sudden cooling.

　　The application of electric heat tracing in crude oil processing is equally wonderful. The atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit of refinery needs to strictly control the feed oil temperature, and the traditional method has the disadvantage of large temperature fluctuation. After the electric tracing system controlled by zones is adopted, accurate temperature values can be set for different pipe sections according to process requirements. A successful case of a large refinery in Asia shows that the electric heating system improves the temperature control accuracy to 1℃, which significantly improves the fractionation efficiency. What's more, the operation data collected by the system provides valuable reference for process optimization. Engineers found the best combination of heat tracing parameters by analyzing the relationship between temperature and output.

　　Electric heat tracing technology shows special value in heavy oil exploitation. The viscosity of heavy oil is so high that it can hardly flow at room temperature. The traditional steam huff and puff method consumes a lot of energy and has limited effect. Innovative downhole electric heat tracing technology combines special heat tracing cable with oil production string to directly heat crude oil from oil layer. The practice of a heavy oil field in Canada shows that this method can increase the output of a single well by three times, while the energy consumption is only one third of that of steam method. The high-strength insulation material on the outer layer of the cable can withstand the underground high temperature and high pressure environment, and the intelligent control system ensures that the heating power is accurately matched with the reservoir characteristics.

　　With the development of technology, crude oil electric heat tracing system is becoming more intelligent and efficient. The new distributed temperature sensing technology can draw the temperature field of the whole pipe network in real time, and the artificial intelligence algorithm can predict the wax deposition trend and adjust the heat tracing strategy in advance. These innovations not only improve the reliability of the system, but also greatly reduce the operating cost. Under the background of energy transformation, electric heat tracing technology is making an important contribution to the green development of petroleum industry with its excellent energy efficiency performance. From arctic permafrost to equatorial waters, from onshore oil fields to deep-sea platforms, electric heat tracing technology continues to provide a reliable guarantee for the safe and efficient production of crude oil.