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Heat Trace has extended their guarantee period from 12 months to "24 months from date of despatch, or 18 months from date of installation, which ever is sooner" This will be applicable for all products supplied after January 2012.
For a full copy of Heat Traces' Terms and Conditions click link below:
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| Bredbury Re-occupation Gains Pace: |  |
| Heat Trace Ltd has added a second manufacturing facility to supplement the Helsby headquarters. The second location is at Bredbury, Stockport, some 50km from the Helsby plant. The Bredbury factory had previously been our main manufacturing facility from 1987 to 2005, when we moved to Helsby, but ownership had been retained to accommodate future growth. The re-occupation of Bredbury now provides a second manufacturing base offering bespoke and unique process capabilities, a greatly enhanced Research & Development test lab facility, as well as much needed additional office space:- | |
| Manufacturing: | |
| 1) Metal Extrusion: | |
| The major new capital item is the continuous metal extrusion line, a multi-million dollar investment. The line can be operated in numerous ways:- - To make profiles such as metallic foils or wires in infinite lengths. These may typically produce ‘Longline’ heating conductors, or power conductors - To over jacket cables with a continuous waterproof metal sheath. This provides an alternative to the metal braid in cases where, for example, a high mechanical strength is desirable. - To blend different metals to produce alloys having specific properties. We are able to metal jacket virtually our entire range of cables in infinite lengths. This is ideal for applications such as embedded snow melting cables or ‘Downhole’ oil well applications where additional ruggedness is needed. | |
| 2) Constant Power Heaters: | |
| After years of slow growth, sales of Constant Power heating cables are again on the increase! This is primarily due to the high temperature withstand (425ºC) and power capability of AHT cut-to-length cables. This patented product remains unique and without competition, and is being recognised as a very convenient option to MI cable, which is difficult to design, terminate, and install. Manufacturing processes include glass and mica tape wrapping, contact metal spraying and metal over jacketing. Prior to the new continuous extrusion line, cable lengths were limited to 60-70m. Now lengths may be infinite (although circuit lengths are not!). | |
| 3) Silicone Rubber Extrusion: | |
| Heat Trace Ltd has, for more than 30 years had silicone rubber extrusion facilities, to manufacture products such as series ‘Longline’ and constant power parallel cables. Following years of somewhat spasmodic sales, demand has increased for these types of products, as evidenced by recent new applications such as sub-sea heating. Heat Trace is therefore investing in a new ‘state of the art’ elastomer extrusion line at Bredbury. | |
| Research & Development Facility: | |
| In the past R & D have had to utilise production extrusion lines whenever trials were needed. This could sometimes be at great expense to production! Now, whilst customer services will remain at Helsby, R & D is moving into Bredbury, where it will be provided with its own twin screw compounding line, elastomer and fluoropolymer sheathing lines and a film extrusion facility. DSC / TGA test equipment, hot press facilities and numerous pipe test rigs, including a skin effect test rig are being installed. | |
| 1) Personnel: | |
| Heat Trace Ltd Bredbury will by the end of 2011 house approximately 20+ staff involved in assembly operations, metal extrusion, constant power cable processes, and extrusion. The R & D team will work alongside a Sales team and Management. It should be recognised that Heat Trace Ltd Bredbury will provide products and services unique worldwide in the heat tracing market. | |
| This is a further step in the differentiation of Heat Trace Ltd from its competitors. | |
It is said that ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’. And it is usual for the imitator to target those seen as the best in their field.
In this sense, perhaps Heat Trace should feel flattered that Wuhu Jiahong New Material Company of China (Wuhu) has targeted, and attempted to copy Heat Trace’s self-regulating heating cable products for its passing-off and counterfeiting activities. In reality, we are extremely concerned by the activities of this company, as our reputation for best quality may be compromised if clients receive inferior quality products, believing them to be of our manufacture.
Wuhu has a number of websites depicting ‘its’ products. One uses Heat Trace’s FS (Freezstop) product references (e.g. FSLE, FSR, FSP, Gte), including suffixes for voltage, braid, and overjacket, e.g. FSR2-CT. Another website replaces the Heat Trace FS designation with HT. Thus its listed products and datasheets include HTM, HTLe (even the lower case ‘e’ from our reference is copied), HTR, HTE, HTP, HTS and Gte (again the lower case ‘e’).
Each datasheet carries a 100-150 word product description which, word for word, have been copied from Heat Trace’s own product datasheets. And, incredibly, this company has the audacity to claim ‘Copyright 2008 all rights reserved Wuhu Jiahong New Material Company Ltd.’!!!
We have also been told by our partners that they are claiming to be the real manufacturer of our cables! They have approached our distributors with the offer of ‘our’ products, and we have received copies of their quotations. Frankly, their prices are expensive. Usually, counterfeit products are available at a fraction of the genuine article. Not so with Wuhu, who have quoted US$15.29/m for our 55FSS2-CF! You may then wonder whether it works, and for how long.
We are having samples of their products independently performance tested. A full Test Report will be made available to Heat Trace’s partners and customers on completion. Meanwhile, we have carried out some preliminary in-house tests and, surprise, surprise, the Wuhu products tested fall well short of genuine Heat Trace products. During accelerated ageing tests, their cables exhibit unpredictable and abnormal behaviour, resulting in significant power output variations. These indicate manufacturing issues, and may also result in safety issues. Furthermore, although Wuhu’s datasheets claim approvals for hazardous areas, the samples we have tested do not meet the requirements of the latest standards.
Click here to see the in-house test report.
In essence, the ‘equivalent’ products are poles apart. The main differences are:-
1) Temperature withstand
FSM/FSLe/FSR – Wuhu Jiahong. Onset of melt temperature is 86 °C approx
FSM/FSLe/FSR – Heat Trace. Onset of melt temperature is 115 °C approx
Obviously, the Wuhu Jiahong manufactured products cannot have an 85 °C maximum energised withstand temperature (as per their product datasheets), and tests clearly show that their products lose output and fail when cycled at 85 °C
Similarly, whereas Heat Trace’s FSP has an onset melt temperature of 142 °C, the Wuhu equivalent product’s onset melt temperature is only 108 °C, and so its failure at their claimed withstand temperature is understandable.
2) Efficiency
The cross-sectional photographs clearly show air gaps between the heater core and insulation of the Wuhu Jiahong products. This causes the heater to operate at a higher temperature and less efficiently.
3) Mechanical strength
The Wuhu Jiahong products have a lower braid specification (see report), and hence have a lower mechanical withstand capability
Naturally, Heat Trace intends to take all appropriate legal proceedings against this company for such practices, which are illegal in China as in our own countries.
We also intend to introduce a new system whereby the manufacturing origin of our products can be securely validated, and we will supply further details in the near future.
But in the meantime PLEASE BEWARE – counterfeit Heat Trace products, or products being passed off as Heat Trace products, marketed by Wuhu may be unapproved, unfit for purpose and pose safety concerns.
If you have had any dealings with Wuhu, or require further information, please contact us: genuineproducts@heat-trace.com
Certificates of Conformance are available for critical materials. Test Certificates are available as appropriate in respect of the following Standards and Approvals.
The company is an ISO9001:2008 registered company under NQA Certificate of Registration 0160 dated 04.10.91 .
Ten years ago we created the mission statement, 'Becoming the Best'. Whilst it was unrealistic (at that time) to aim at being the biggest, 'becoming the best' was, we felt, attainable.
The market demanded self-regulating heating cables and as we were joining the race 15 years after the market leaders, we were forced to play catch-up. Our cable source was LG Cable who were themselves learning about this particular branch of polymer technology...
Exciting times...we're on the move, after almost 20 years at Bredbury, Stockport... Heat Trace is to move!
The company is to re-locate its factory and offices to a site some 50km West in the more attractive town of Helsby, near the beautiful City of Chester.
Heat Trace has acquired the electron beam and irradiation business of Brand Rex Ltd., and in doing so has become the owner of one of only 3 such electron beams in the UK. The other two are Brand Rex's other unit in Scotland and one in Swindon in the South of England.
| Heat Trace Ltd - Subsea Project | |
| Heat Trace Ltd has teamed up with Technip to deliver the world's first subsea electrically trace heated pipe-in-pipe (ETH-PIP) system. The end client is TOTAL E&P UK. The Islay project consists of the natural depletion extraction of gas condensate from the Islay reservoir located in block 3/15 of the Northern North Sea, approximately 6km North East of the existing Forvie Manifold. It is this manifold to which the Islay pipeline will be connected. The full Islay project work scope covers installation of a 6 kilometre ETH-PIP, control umbilical, subsea structures and seabed preparation, including detailed design, engineering and project management. The maximum wellhead shut-in pressure is 620 barg, with a wellhead flowing temperature of approximately 110 deg.C. The water depth at the Isay X-tree location is 122m. The Islay development has a design field life of 20 years. The pipeline itself is a 6km long insulated Pipe-in-Pipe, comprising a 6" flowline pipe inside a 12" carrier pipe. The flow line is made from Super Duplex Stainless Steel, a material best suited for aggressive environments due to it's resistance to erosion, corrosion and corrosion fatigue. The 6km ETH-PIP pipeline is to be reeled onto the Apache II vessel in order to lay it on the seabed. The Islay project is the World's first subsea electrically trace heated pipe-in-pipe technology using Heat Trace Ltd's LONGLINE series resistance heating cable. The LONGLINE is a cable featuring 3 individually insulated metal conductors encased within a metal braid and outer insulating jacket. The LONGLINE heating cable maintains the temperature of the gas condensate to ease flow conditions and enhance production operability of subsea pipelines that can become blocked by the formation of hydrates or wax. Successful application of this technology reduces capital and operating costs for fields with challenging flow assurance conditions. The Islay project is a pilot project for the use of this innovative pipeline technology, which is suited to both shallow and deepwater environments. |  |
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Flowline Pipe, Trace Heating Cable, | |
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Flowline Pipe within the Carrier Pipe | |
| Design & Engineering | |
| The heat tracing cable has been specifically designed for the Islay project. The cable is constructed from three metal heating conductors, each individually insulated and then brought together within a braid and outer jacket. This specially designed construction increases flexibility of the cable. Manufacture of the LONGLINE cable was carried out completely in house at Heat Trace Ltd's Helsby and Bredbury facilities. The project comprises six pipe "stalks" each approximately 1km in length. Each "stalk" requires a heating element of a single length in order to minimise cable joints and ease installation and handling. To achieve these cable lengths Heat Trace Ltd's metal extrusion facility produced conductors in infinite lengths which were then cut down to the required 1km lengths. Whilst the Islay EHT-PIP system is a test project it is Heat Trace Ltd's intention to use the same metal extrusion technology for future subsea, above and below ground, multi-kilometre pipeline projects, to minimise the number of electrical power supply points. In addition to the specialist metal extrusion process and cable construction, the heater for this particular project is connected to a single power supply of around 2000v, three phase. This is believed to be the highest voltage ever applied to a conventional heat tracing system. Another WORLD FIRST for Heat Trace Ltd. Other areas of specialist design include the terminations and splice assemblies. Each power termination, splice and star connection method were specifically designed by Heat Trace Ltd and approved by Technip and Total. All terminations use fast curing materials specifically designed for these terminations. Throughout the Design and Manufacture phases, Heat trace Ltd have continued to liaise with Technip to improve elements of the design where possible, working with all involved parties towards the common goal of providing this WORLD FIRST. |
2km Drums of Longline awaiting |
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Heat trace cable on winding machine | |
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Heat Tracing & Optical Fibre Cables | |
| Installation | |
| The 6km long pipeline is manufactured in approximately 1km stalks, after which each 6" flowline pipe is inserted within the 12" carrier pipe. Whilst this process takes place, a cable application machine applies both the heat tracing and fibre optic cables. After each push, centralisers are applied to ensure the flowline is centred within the 12" carrier pipe, then, insulation material is applied between centralisers. The next stage of the project is the pulling of each length on board the Apache II vessel. After the first length is reeled on board, the 6" flowline is welded to the next 6" flowline stalk. At this point the heat tracing cables are spliced together, the fibre optical cables are also spliced together, centralisers and insulation applied, and then the 12" carrier pipe is pulled over and finally welded. During pipelay Heat Trace Ltd will have a member of staff on board the Apache II. This caters for the unlikely event of emergency pipe cutting being required during pipelay in the North Sea. |
Apache II Pipe Laying Vessel |
| In the past, trace heating applications having a high power or high temperature requirement (outside the limit of polymers), had to be satisfied by means of series resistance, metal sheathed mineral insulated (MI) heating cables. These must be individually designed for each application and pipe length, and are difficult to terminate and install. Available resistances are limited, so that low voltage transformers are often required when short cable lengths are called for. | |
| Parallel constant power (zonal) tracers are popular, as they can be conveniently cut to suit pipe lengths, but until recently, they were all of polymeric construction and so were limited in temperature capability. However, Heat Trace has patented a parallel resistance, convenient cut-to-length metal sheathed, mineral insulated (MI) heater having a withstand temperature of 425 deg. C, and power outputs in the range 15 to 150 watts/metre |  |
| This type AHT product caters for virtually all applications that previously could only be met by the old series MI cables. Thus cut-to-length parallel tracers are now available for virtually all heat tracing applications. | |
| AHT is particularly beneficial in the case of instrument lines, the lengths of which are usually not known at the design stage of a project, and which are site run according to convenience. It carries approvals for use in hazardous areas – IEC (World), ATEX (Europe), IEEE and CSA (N. America), and GOST (Russia), and patents in Europe, the USA and Canada. | |
“Heat Trace explain how 3rd generation heat trace cables improve safety of heat tracing circuits and help to reduce overall system operating cost, without sacrificing high temperature performance”.
