Mineral insulated electric trace heating for nuclear power plant facilities

The nuclear power plants of today require some form of process heating to keep various process fluids moving in their associated systems and thus render the plants operational. Such applications of process heating include the following: 1) heating to prevent borated water from dropping below its crystalization temperature, 2) heating to prevent caustic solutions from dropping below their crystalization temperatures, and 3) heating to prevent outdoor service water systems from freezing during cold weather (if applicable). At Duke Power Company mineral insulated (MI) electric trace heating systems are being used in all of the above listed applications. It is felt that the use of MI electric trace heating systems will be beneficial due to their durability, long life, and relatively maintenance free operation.