LIQUID DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS – PREINSULATED AND HEAT-TRACED PIPING FOR POLAR CAMPS

摘要

Freeze-protected piping systems suitable for installation in temperatures to -30 degrees F and operation in temperatures to -65 degrees F are required for distributing water and collecting sewage at polar installations. A study is being made of piping, insulating materials, field assembly techniques, and maintenance procedures to develop design criteria for preassembled piping materials and fittings suitable for these systems. Low-temperature cold chamber tests were made on the Triangle Conduit and Cable Company's underground X-50 preinsulated piping and fittings with preapplied Electro-Trace Corporation Electro-Wrap heating elements. These tests indicated that this piping is adequate for transporting freezable liquids in temperatures down to -65 degrees F in sizes up to 4 inches when traced with an 8-watt-per-foot heating element. In pipe sizes between 4 and 8 inches, it is adequate for this purpose when traced with a 25-watt-per-foot heating element. It was concluded that with minor manufacturing changes to simplify assembly, the underground X-50 piping system is suitable for installation and operation at low temperatures when manufactured within the specified tolerances. A piping system nearly identical to that tested by NCEL is being installed to carry water and sewage at the new Arctic Research Laboratory at Point Barrow, Alaska. The system is being installed by contract; upon completion, it will be instrumented and monitored by NCEL during the first year of use. (Author)