Tank heating

For highest demands: perfectly heated tank containers

Whether for storage or transport, whether water tank, oil tank or tank container for chemicals, highly viscous or natural substances: an electrical trace or tank heating system ensures that substances of all kinds - from sensitive chemicals such as MDI and petrochemical industrial substances to oil, grease, resin and paint to bitumen, adhesives and even foodstuffs - can be stored, preserved or transported at the right temperature without heat loss.

Freight forwarders who have to transport demanding cargoes and potting compounds in particular benefit from eltherm's solution. If you want to claim the highest quality, you have to be able to guarantee that even complex liquids reach their destination undamaged and remain intact there. The right heating makes it possible. The best thing: it is even possible to heat up the tank before it is filled.

Design and temperature regulation of a tank heater

Regardless for which application: Resistant heaters made of robust stainless steel with IP 68 certification protect the tank's contents against dust, foreign material, as well as dripping, spraying, jetting and salt water. Inside, a limited temperature controller ensures effective heat distribution and ideal heating levels. Redundant routing of the heating cables ensures safe and loss-free transport without cold zones even if one heating cable per heating circuit is damaged.

Technical advantages:
  • Electrical controllers with a hysteresis of + / - 1 °C
  • Repair of PTFE-insulated heat cables always and everywhere
  • Monitoring and storage of temperature data at any time
  • Tank container heating for hazardous areas with ATEX approval
  • Low weight for minimal loss of vehicle payload and low additional fuel consumption
  • Movable cables with very tight bending radius
  • Operational capability of the entire fleet
  • Exact temperature maintenance during loading and unloading

Control and design: differences depending on the type of tank

Temperature-sensitive chemicals are being used more and more frequently in the automotive industry, in mechanical engineering and in plant engineering. Therefore it is even more important to transport these chemicals worldwide safely and with lasting product properties. This is predominantly done using tank containers, SWAP containers, road tanks and IBCs (intermediate bulk containers). Highly sensitive chemicals in particular are subject to stringent requirements for safe transport, which necessitate differences in design and control depending on the type of tank.

Electrical heating of high temperature tank containers

For the transport of highly viscous materials from the chemical and petrochemical industry, suitable transport containers are required that can be used globally. Electrically heated 20' Iso tank containers, SWAP containers and road tankers are ideally suited for this purpose. Special demands are made on the electrical heating system. High heating capacities with the lowest possible heat losses, brief heating of the empty tanks before filling, and resistance of the heating system to filling temperatures of up to 260 °C are required.

Since these tank containers are generally operated without generators, an appropriate power reserve must be installed to be able to heat up the entire tank contents over several hours if necessary. Power ratings up to 18 kW, at supply voltages between 380 and 440 V, can be realized at maintain temperatures up to 210 °C. Due to the temperature spectrum, the electrical controllers can be operated with a hysteresis of + / - 5 K.

Advantages:
  • Specially manufactured tank container heating cables
  • Uniform heating of the tank surface
  • Multilayer insulation for efficient energy management
  • Continued use of the heater without cold zones even in case of damage
  • Operating hours counter for documentation of energy consumption

Installation of tank heating

Besides engineering, design and calculation, installation is part of eltherm's superior range of services. In order to mount the respective tank heaters on the tank surface, a correspondingly large opening is required for insertion, depending on the heating conductor. In order to ensure uniform heating of the entire stainless steel tank, up to two-thirds of the tank surface is covered with the heater and taped with self-adhesive aluminum tape or high-temperature aluminum foil. The standard length of the supply line is 16 m. Other lengths are available on request. The capacity and maintain temperature depend on the tank specification as well as on the medium being transported.

FAQ

As currently the only supplier of cable-based heating solutions for tank containers with valid certificates and approvals in the area of ATEX as well as IECEx, we can also offer you a safe solution and thus minimize your liability risks as an operator.

Since an eltherm tank container heater uses about 80% of a container's jacket surface for heat input, the load per surface is very low because of the system. The advantage of this is that at the inner wall, i.e. the contact surface towards the medium, there is usually only a temperature difference of a few tenths of a degree in relation to the setpoint value of the heating system.

If a medium is to be transported that solidifies at ambient temperature, an outlet valve should be heated to ensure that the tank can be emptied quickly. We have appropriate heating solutions for many commercially available valves. Just contact us!

An eltherm cable heater covers about 80% of the shell surface in comparison to about 15-20% for a steam or glycol heater. This allows for faster heating and significantly more precise temperature control.

In general, any electrical power supply from car batteries to overhead lines can be used. Heating solutions with power supply in the range of 400V 3 phases have turned out to be common and technically appropriate.

In general, any electrical power supply from car batteries to overhead lines can be used. Heating solutions with power supply in the range of 400V 3 phases have turned out to be common and technically appropriate.

Products used

Heating Cable ELKM-AG-L

Heated Hoses

Mineral-Insulated Trace Heaters

Power & Control Panel EL-PCP-TC/IP69

Power & Control Panel EL-PCP-TC/IP66

On the move globally
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Phone: +49 (0) 27 36 / 44 13-0

Fax: +49 (0) 27 36 / 44 13-50

E-mail: info@eltherm.com

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