Capital Construction and Planning
Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future
C. Sandberg
Tyco Thermal Controls
N.R. Rafferty – M. Kleinehanding – J.J. Hernandez
E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Inc
Abstract: In the past, electrical heat tracing has been thought of as a minor addition to plant utilities. Today, it is recognized as a critical subsystem to be monitored and controlled. A marriage between process, mechanical, and electrical engineers must take place to ensure that optimum economic results are produced. The Internet, expert systems, and falling costs of instrumentation will all contribute to more reliable control systems and improved monitoring systems. There is a harmonization between Europe and North America that should facilitate design and installation using common components. The future holds many opportunities to optimize the design.
CLICK HERE to order complete paper
Today our focus turns to outdoor electric deicing and snow melting wiring systems identified as suitable for the environment and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. They work silently to keep snow load from caving in roofs and icicles falling from gutters onto pedestrian pathways.
While the voltage and ampere requirement of the product itself is a known characteristic, the characteristic 0f the wiring pathway — voltage, ampere, grounding, short circuit, disconnect and control — is relatively more complicated and worthy of our attention. Articles 426-427 of the National Electrical Code is the relevant part of the NEC
Free Access 2023 National Electrical Code
Insight into the ideas running through technical committee deliberations is provided by a review of Panel 17 transcripts:
2023 NEC Panel 17 Public Input Report (633 pages)
2023 NEC Panel 17 Public Comment Report (190 pages)
We hold Articles 427 in the middle of our priority ranking for the 2023 NEC. We find that the more difficult issues for this technology is the determination of which trade specifies these systems — architectural, electrical, or mechanical; covered in previous posts. Instead, most of our time will be spent getting IEEE consensus products in step with it, specifically ANSI/IEEE 515 and IEEE 844/CSA 293.
Comments on the Second Draft of the 2026 NEC will be received until April 18th.
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We collaborate with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facility Committee which meets online 4 times per month in European and American time zones. Since a great deal of the technical basis for the NEC originates with the IEEE we will also collaborate with IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 18 whose members are charged by the IEEE Standards Association to coordinate NFPA and IEEE consensus products.
Issue: [19-151]
Category: Electrical, Energy
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard, Jose Meijer
LEARN MORE:
“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”
— Winston Churchill
…”The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that he spent many hours of his leisure to instruct me. He was convinced (as he afterwards told me) that I must be a Yahoo, but my teachableness, civility and cleanliness, astonished him; which were qualities altogether opposite to those animals…”
That’s great!
The horse lies down with its owner. pic.twitter.com/lCB85DSkAl
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) February 10, 2025
Brought to You by Howard: Alice H. Parker’s historic patent of the gas heater warms the world
Historically, “Town Gas” referred to a manufactured gaseous fuel, primarily produced from coal, that was supplied to homes and businesses in towns and cities for heating and lighting purposes. We use it as a general term for a manufactured gas distributed through educational settlements because of its cleaner and safer properties. Among them:
Heating and Cooling – Most settlements use natural gas to power boilers and furnaces for heating buildings during cold months. It also fuels absorption chillers for air conditioning in warmer seasons.
Electricity Generation – Settlements with cogeneration (combined heat and power) plants use natural gas to produce electricity while capturing waste heat for heating, improving energy efficiency.
Cooking Facilities – Dining halls rely on natural gas for precise and reliable cooking, making meal preparation efficient.
Laboratories and Research – Science and engineering labs use natural gas for Bunsen burners, sterilization, and other experimental applications requiring controlled flames.
Hot Water Supply – Dormitories, gyms, and other campus facilities use natural gas water heaters to provide a continuous supply of hot water for showers, washing, and sanitation.
Transportation – Some universities operate shuttle buses and service vehicles on compressed natural gas (CNG), reducing emissions and fuel costs.
Emergency Backup Power – Natural gas generators provide backup power during outages, ensuring critical systems, like research labs and data centers, remain operational.
Glorious gas lamps of London
Their warm glow adds beauty to these winter evenings pic.twitter.com/UgHK8yh2YN
— Conor Lynch (@c_k_lynch) February 18, 2025
Safety and Sustainability Bibliography:
ISO 13686 – Specifies the quality of natural gas for use in various applications.
ISO 14001 – Provides environmental management standards for reducing the environmental impact of natural gas operations.
ISO 50001 – Energy management system standard for improving energy efficiency, including natural gas usage.
IEC 60079 – Covers explosive atmospheres, ensuring safety in handling natural gas in industrial settings.
OHSAS 18001 (now ISO 45001) – Occupational health and safety standards for workplaces dealing with natural gas.
IPCC Guidelines – International standards for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas operations.
49 CFR Part 192 – Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations, governing natural gas pipeline transportation.
EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) – Requires natural gas facilities to report emissions data.
ANSI/GPTC Z380.1, Guide for Gas Transmission, Distribution, and Gathering Piping Systems
NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code) – Covers safe installation and use of natural gas in buildings.
NFPA 58 – Safety regulations for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), including storage and handling.
ASME B31.8 – Pipeline safety code for natural gas transmission and distribution.
Clean Air Act (CAA) – Regulates air emissions from natural gas production and consumption.
California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) – Encourages sustainable fuel alternatives, including renewable natural gas (RNG).
State of Michigan Technical Standards for Gas Service
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Natural Gas Policies
University of Michigan Design Guidelines
Related:
Michigan Central § 2024 Net Position: $5.600B
“…Hot cocoa and hot chocolate are terms that we often used interchangeably. Technically, hot cocoa and hot chocolate are as different as milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, the way my mother made it when I was a kid. Hot chocolate is made from melting chocolate bars into cream…”
Plant science at your dinner table: Hot chocolate vs. hot cocoa
The global standards for heat tracing systems are developed by IEC Technical Committee 27. The scope of work for this committee is reproduced below:
Standardization in the field of industrial equipment and installations intended for electroheating, electromagnetic processing of materials and electroheat based treatment technologies Note: The scope of interest covers industrial installations with the use of the following equipment: – equipment for direct and indirect resistance heating; – equipment for electric resistance trace heating; – equipment for induction heating; – equipment using the effect of EM forces on materials; – equipment for arc heating, including submerged arc heating; – equipment for electroslag remelting; – equipment for plasma heating; – equipment for microwave heating; – equipment for dielectric heating; – equipment for electron beam heating; – equipment for laser heating; – equipment for infrared radiation heating. The list presents typical examples of equipment and its applications and is not exhaustive.
CLICK HERE for the link to the TC 27 Strategic Business Plan
Titles in this committee’s bibliography appears to be stable. As with all IEC titles, they are relatively narrow in scope compared with the titles promulgated by most US standards developing organizations. Our interest lies primarily in the application of this technology within and around education community buildings.
While heat tracing generally goes un-noticed it is an essential part of cold weather safety. It is wise to keep pace with its evolution with innovation in materials and controls with the lead.
We maintain this committee’s work on the standing agenda of our seasonal Snow & Ice colloquia; along with US standards developed by UL, IEEE, NEMA, NFPA, ICC, ASHRAE and a few others. We also collaborate with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee on this topic. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Issue [18-332]
Category: Electrical
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Lorne Clark, Jim Harvey
Today we break down the catalog for food safety in education communities; with primary attention to consultations from private standard developing organizations and federal agencies charged with food safety. We do so with sensitivity to animals and plants and sustainability of the global food supply chain. Many schools are the communal cafeterias for the communities that own and operate them and run at commercial scale.
We prepare responses to public consultations released by standards developing organizations which, in many cases, have significant conformance enterprises.
ANSI Standards Action | Current Weekly Edition
Note the call for public comment on proposed WTO Agriculture, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures (Page 48)
Core titles are published by the ANSI accredited organizations listed below:
The ASHRAE catalog is the most cross-cutting and fastest moving catalog in the land. If you claim ownership of the United States energy domain you pretty much capture everything related campus safety and sustainability. Best to deal with it on a day-by-day basis as we usually do according to daily topics shown on our CALENDAR.
Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
National Electrical Safety Code (Our particular interest lies in the safety and reliability of off-campus agricultural and research facilities that receive power from regulated utilities)
Kitchen Safety and Security System for Children
TupperwareEarth: Bringing Intelligent User Assistance to the “Internet of Kitchen Things”
Designing an IoT based Kitchen Monitoring and Automation System for Gas and Fire Detection
Re-Inventing the Food Supply Chain with IoT: A Data-Driven Solution to Reduce Food Loss
International Code Council
International Building Code Assembly Group A-2
International Building Code Group U Section 312 Agricultural Buildings
International Building Code Moderate Hazard Factory Industrial Group F-1 (Food Processing)
National Fire Protection Association
National Electrical Code Article 210 (Branch Circuits)
National Electrical Code Article 547 (Agricultural Buildings)
Standard for the Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems
Public Input Report for the 2024 Revision
Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations
Public Input Report for the 2024 Revision
Food Equipment
Commercial Warewashing Equipment
Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers
Commercial Cooking, Rethermalization and Powered Hot Food Holding and Transport Equipment
Commercial Powered Food Preparation Equipment
US Federal Government:
US Department of Agriculture
Food & Drug Administration (HACCP)
State Governments:
Lorem ipsum @StandardsState
Global:
International Organization for Standardization
International Electrotechnical Commission
Codex Alimentarius
Food safety and sustainability standards populate are of the largest domains we track so if we need a break0-out session, let’s do it. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
More
Standards supporting vertical farming
STANDARDS SUPPORT SOPHISTICATED FARMING METHODS THAT BRING PRODUCE TO YOUR TABLE
US Food & Drug Administration: Food Facility Registration Statistics (as of January 11, 2021)
National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry
The U.S. Land-Grant University System: An Overview
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Standards Development
The origin of the Land grant act of 1862
International Electrotechnical Commission: Keeping food safe from farm to plate
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education: Dining Services Programs
Science and Our Food Supply: A Teacher’s Guide for High School Classrooms
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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