Standards, power distribution, monitoring and control of electrical heat tracing, a global view

As electrical heat tracing has become a major and more complicated utility subsystem in production plants, increased focus has been placed on its control, monitoring, and electrical supply systems. This is especially true when the tracing is used for process control. Different schemes have evolved in North America compared with Europe. Supply of electrical power is governed by local codes and practices. The electrical heat tracing, however, is governed by approvals and company practice. The Zone System has been accepted in North America and increased installations using this classification will be seen soon. This paper looks at the different schemes for electrical power supply, monitoring and control, and the heat tracing itself.