Causes of Fire in Electric Heat Tracing Tape
The installation includes laying electric heat tracing on the outer wall of the equipment, the power distribution system at the junction boxes at the head and tail ends, and the outer insulation layer. Today, the editor of electric heat tracing will briefly analyze which key points in the installation of electric heat tracing tape can cause fire at the ends.
The end of the heat tracing tape needs to be sealed with a dedicated terminal junction box or heat shrink tubing. Due to the structural issues of the heat tracing tape, the two parallel bus bars already form an internal circuit. Therefore, during installation, connecting the two wires at the head end directly to the neutral and live wires of the power supply can form a complete circuit. The main causes of fire at the end of the electric heat tracing tape are as follows:
1. The tail end is a sealed section. During installation, a tail end junction box needs to be installed for sealing. It is strictly forbidden to leave the tail end of the heat tracing tape exposed without installing a junction box. After the tail end gets damp, it can easily cause a short circuit and fire.
2. When installing the tail end junction box, the outer sheath should be stripped off and the shielding layer should be removed. It is strictly forbidden to connect the shielding layer of the heat tracing tape into the tail end junction box. If the shielding mesh is connected into the junction box, it will cause a ground fault in the circuit. Under poor grounding protection conditions, it is easy to generate electric sparks, leading to fire.
3. The insulation layer at the tail end expands and contracts with heat, exposing the conductive part. In rainy and snowy weather with humid conditions, it can cause leakage and fire.
4. Using water-absorbent insulating tape causes the tail end to become damp, leading to leakage and fire.
Fire in the Middle of Electric Heat Tracing Tape
Electric heat tracing is a constant temperature heater. During installation, it must be installed according to the specified construction specifications. Otherwise, improper installation can cause safety hazards, leading to safety accidents such as short circuits, leakage, and fire during use.
The analysis of the causes of fire in the middle is as follows:
1. During the installation of electric heat tracing tape, if the heat tracing tape is not protected as a finished product, such as stepping on, dragging, pulling, or twisting the heat tracing tape, it can cause deformation and damage to the internal wire core. Generally, construction sites are messy, and even the tough fluoroplastic outer jacket type heat tracing tape can be easily cut if not careful. Under long-term high-power high-temperature working conditions, the damaged wire core heats unevenly, causing local overheating and leading to fire.
2. The outer sheath of the heat tracing tape is damaged, exposing the live wire core. In rainy and snowy weather with humid conditions, the wire core can cause a short circuit.
3. The insulation layer is not waterproofed. In rainy and snowy weather, the insulation layer absorbs water, causing part of the heat tracing line to work under low temperature or humid conditions with a large output power. The local power of the heat tracing tape is overloaded, the attenuation rate is uneven, and the local current is too large, causing internal fire and short circuit, generating electric sparks.
