Industrial liquids like heavy oil, lubricants, asphalt, and bitumen must be stored at certain temperatures so that the liquids maintain their fluidity. Many fluids turn to a heavy viscous matter at room temperature and some into solid or semi-solid states. So, keeping the viscosity lower is important to ensure flow assurance.
At storage tank farms, oil batteries, oil refineries, or even on remote well sites these liquids are stored in tanks. It is important that tanks are not only insulated but also there is a source of heat provided to reduce viscosity. Electric immersion heaters are an ideal heat source because of their efficient and compact design.
Immersion heaters provide the necessary heat for storage tanks. In this article, we discuss their application and advantages versus contemporary systems like steam boilers-based heating systems.
Heating Storage Tanks
Fuel, raw crude products, lubricants, and heavy oil require storage at temperatures that allow for easy transportation. To achieve this, the heating system is installed at the port terminal, tank farm, or refinery.
The importance of these heating systems is paramount where the storage tanks are exposed to subzero temperatures. Cold conditions mandate a tank heater system along with back up heating systems. There are three key ways of heating oil storage tanks.
. Steam Heating
. Thermal oil systems
. Electric immersion heaters
The liquids should be heated at a temperature slightly higher than the temperature at which the viscosity is low enough for them to flow. This prevents the liquids from solidifying while being transferred to the tank.
As well, when pumping liquid from a tank to another location it is important to increase the temperature. This way, the transfer pump consumes less energy. The more viscous the fluid, the more energy transfer the pump will consume.
Heavy oil, bitumen, and asphalt have a higher risk of solidifying during transport. Oil storage tank insulation is not sufficient without the aid of a heating system.
