Nitrogen Blanketing in Thermal Fluid Heating Systems
Discover how nitrogen blanketing boosts safety, efficiency, and fluid life in thermal fluid heating systems. Learn the key benefits and why it’s a smart investment for long-term performance.
The Ongoing Reshoring Trend: Why U.S. Manufacturing is Moving Back Home
In recent years, many U.S. companies have been re-evaluating the benefits of offshoring and choosing to bring manufacturing operations back home. While cost savings once drove production overseas, shifting economic factors and changing business priorities have made reshoring a strategic move for many manufacturers.
Tank Coils FAQ: Answers to Common Questions About Steam & Thermal Oil Coils
Curious about tank heating coils? You’re in luck. With decades of experience, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the most commonly asked customer questions regarding steam and thermal oil tank heating coils. What’s the difference between helical and longitudinal tank coils? The main difference between helical and longitudinal tank coils is the fin design. Helical tank coils feature fins wrapped in a spiral pattern around the pipe. Longitudinal tank coils have fins that run straight along the length of the pipe. Both designs are used to improve heat transfer in storage tanks, but fin height, fin thickness, and installation requirements can impact overall performance. Learn more about helically wound tank coils vs. longitudinal tank coils here. Are helical or longitudinal fins the better option when it comes to tank coils? Helically wound tank coils offer numerous advantages, including: Enhanced heat transfer: Finned tank coils with helically wound fins boast nearly double the heat transfer rate compared to those with longitudinal fins. Cost reduction: Tank coils equipped with helically wound fins can deliver twice the heat transfer to the tank product, necessitating only half the number of coils to achieve the same outcome. Consequently, they typically entail lower manufacturing and installation costs, yielding significant savings. Improved efficiency: With twice the heat transfer capability, helical coils operate notably more efficiently than longitudinal ones, leading to ongoing energy savings. Decreased coking: Unlike longitudinal designs where fins are welded horizontally, creating a shelf for the product, helically wound fins allow sediment and product to fall and flow between the coils, reducing the occurrence of coking. As you can see in the photo, fouling of the coil does not occur when the proper type of fin is used, even after two decades of use. What is the difference between finned and bare pipe? Bare pipe tank heating coils, simply put, consist of pipe without fins. While bare pipe may suffice for specific highly viscous applications, including helically wound fins often proves advantageous due to their augmented surface area. Helically wound coils boast several benefits over their bare pipe counterparts. As previously mentioned, they offer increased surface area, requiring significantly less pipe to heat the material within the tank. Consequently, opting for helical tank coils can translate into a considerably smaller investment for your facility. Moreover, finned tank coils can mitigate overcrowding issues at the bottom of the tank by occupying less space. Should my tank coils be ASME code stamped? The short answer to this question is Yes. ASME code was established in an effort to prevent accidents by making boilers, pressure vessels, and heating equipment safer. Equipment that is ASME stamped has been thoroughly inspected for quality and meets the standards established by the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. All our tank coils meet ASME code standards and can be code-stamped. You can learn more about ASME code and why it matters here. Do you offer custom tank coils? We do! Our storage tank heating coils are custom-built to meet the specific criteria outlined by our clients and designed to meet each facility’s unique needs. Our engineers can calculate the exact temperature based on your boiler or thermal fluid heater. We can also take the layout of your storage tank into account, enabling us to create a tank coil solution that’s completely customized for you. Where are Enerquip tank coils manufactured? Our tank coils are manufactured in our facility in Oklahoma, USA. Our dedicated engineers are committed to excellence, ensuring that each coil we produce is reliable and built to last. When it comes to tank heating solutions, you can trust us to deliver superior performance every time. Have a question about tank coils that we didn’t answer here? Contact us. More from the Enerquip Blog Tank Coils from Enerquip Biofuel Blending Solutions from Enerquip [Video] Five Ways to Increase Terminal Efficiency Thermal fluid heater FAQs Benefits of Tank Coils with Helically Wound Fins How Tank Heating Coils Work
The Art and Science of Film Temperature to Achieve Goldilocks Efficiency
Understanding film temperature is pivotal when delving into the intricacies of heat transfer, particularly in situations where fluids are involved. This blog post aims to unravel the importance of film temperature in various heat transfer processes. Join us as we delve into the essence of film temperature—what it is, why it holds significance, and the art of mastering its control to optimize heat transfer efficiency. Learn about its role in industrial equipment, such as hot oil heaters, tank heating coils, and heat exchangers. Uncover practical strategies for fine-tuning film temperature, ensuring your processes consistently operate within the Goldilocks zone of efficiency.
What are Suction Heaters?
Suction heaters are a type of industrial heat exchanger used in a variety of industrial contexts to heat viscous fluids, including asphalt and fuel oil, to a temperature at which they can be pumped. Keeping entire tanks of these types of liquids at pumping temperatures can be prohibitively expensive. Suction heaters heat only the liquid being pumped through them instead of heating an entire storage tank of products. As a result, suction heaters are an economical, cost-effective option for plants and facilities in a variety of industries.
The Role of Tank Coils in Efficient Tank Heating & Cooling
From asphalt terminals to biofuel plants to food processing facilities, many industries rely on storage tanks to hold temperature-sensitive materials. Whether it’s keeping asphalt pumpable, blending biofuels at precise temperatures, or preventing crystallization in chemicals, maintaining proper heat is critical. In the past, some plants relied on direct-fire burners inside tanks to heat flammable materials—a risky practice. Today, tank coils provide a safer, more efficient solution by keeping the heat transfer separate from the stored product. Tank coils quietly work inside tanks to heat, cool, or regulate stored materials—ensuring consistent quality, safety, and efficiency. But how they’re designed, maintained, and applied makes all the difference. How Tank Coils Work Tank coils sit inside the tank, typically arranged in “banks” across the bottom for even heat distribution. They’re commonly fabricated from carbon steel or stainless steel for durability. Hot oil, steam, or another heating medium circulates through the coils from an external source (such as a hot oil heater or steam generator) in a continuous loop. This controlled flow transfers heat to—or removes it from—the tank’s contents, maintaining a stable temperature. Finned vs. Bare Pipe Coils: Which is Right for You? Choosing between finned and bare coils comes down to efficiency, viscosity, and tank size: Bare Pipe Coils – A simple pipe or tube, ideal for small tanks, viscous materials, or sanitary applications. They’re more cost-effective in setups that don’t require large heat transfer surfaces. Finned Coils – These coils have thin fins welded to the pipe (either helically or longitudinally) to dramatically increase surface area—up to 12 times the heat transfer of bare pipe. For large tanks or higher heat loads, finned coils offer unmatched efficiency. Helically wound fins are optimal for horizontal installation. Longitudinal fins work best in vertical setups. Hot Oil vs. Steam: Choosing the Heat Source The heating media moving through the coils can also impact performance: Hot oil coils are designed to transfer heat to the contents of a tank using hot oil as the heating media. The hot oil flows through the coils in a continuous loop, flowing in a serpentine fashion through the banks of coils. An industrial hot oil heater heats the oil as it passes through the coils. The hot oil then transfers the thermal energy to the stored material and circulates back through the system. Steam coils transfer heat using steam as the heating media. Steam from a steam generator makes its way through a header in the tank coil. Steam enters the coil and flows through the bends until it returns to the header and condenses into water. As the steam passes through the pipes, it transfers heat to the stored material in the tank. Materials of Construction Material selection depends on your process and environment: Carbon steel is an iron alloy that contains a small amount of carbon and very little chromium. It’s strong, durable, and often harder than stainless steel. However, it’s more prone to rust when exposed to moisture or corrosive environments, so it usually requires protective coatings. It’s commonly used in industrial equipment and refining applications where corrosion resistance isn’t a major concern. Stainless steel is also an iron alloy but contains at least 10.5% chromium, often with nickel and other elements. This composition gives it excellent corrosion resistance, as the chromium forms a protective oxide layer on the surface. Stainless steel is ideal for sanitary or corrosive environments like food processing, pharmaceuticals, and chemical plants. Custom Tank Coils for Your Operation At Enerquip, we design and fabricate custom steam and hot oil coils to meet the demands of your industry. Our solutions are engineered for performance, reliability, and safety—helping you protect your products, reduce downtime, and improve energy efficiency. Contact us to discuss your application or request a quote for Enerquip’s high-quality tank coils. More from the Enerquip Blog Choosing the Right Industrial Heating Equipment Supplier Behind the Burn: How Heat Transfer Systems Refine Aviation Fuel How to Store Your Process Equipment Before Installation Thermal Fluid Heaters from Enerquip [Videos] Industrial Tank Heating Coil FAQs How Industrial Heating Equipment Works Through Asphalt Plant Operations [Video] Steam Generator FAQs
Five Ways to Increase Terminal Efficiency
Efficiency is always a priority for any process, plant, or organization. Creating maximum output while reducing overhead is a core business practice. With so many moving parts in tank terminal operations, there are many places revenue can fall through the cracks. Make sure your operation is sealed tight with these high-impact ways to increase efficiency. Here are 5 ways to increase your terminal’s efficiency. 1. Replace boilers with thermal fluid heaters. Thermal fluid heaters and boilers are essential to the day-to-day operations of facilities in the asphalt, refining, and tank terminal industries. Organizations in these, and other industries, rely heavily on these systems to keep their product warm and pliable for pumping. While in the past, many plants have chosen steam boilers for their operations, thermal oil heating systems outperform them in a number of ways. First, the equipment and operational costs of a thermal fluid system are significantly lower than that of a boiler operation. Unlike steam boilers, thermal fluid heaters typically don’t require a full-time boiler operator. This can save upwards of $80,000 a year. Also with a thermal fluid heater, there is no need for a pretreating skid ($40,000), or deaerator ($10,000), or chemical injection system ($15,000). Next, thermal fluid is a more efficient and lower maintenance option for heating. Though water is often considered a free resource, there’s much more to it. With a steam boiler, the water pumped through the system will need continuous and expensive water treatment, a condensate collection system, and maintenance of steam traps. Don’t forget that water is highly corrosive, so if the water chemistry is slightly off, the system can corrode quickly. Additionally, water can freeze, so boiler systems require heated buildings (adding costs). If a boiler goes down and ice forms, an entire system can easily be destroyed. A thermal fluid system (hot oil) eliminates all these headaches and high maintenance costs. There are no steam traps, condensation systems, chemical treatment systems, or blow-down requirements to deal with. Most importantly, oil is not corrosive like water and will not freeze in cold temperatures. It is simply the best way to heat equipment. Thermal fluid heaters are significantly more consistent and efficient than their alternative heating system counterparts like steam boilers. In addition to decreased operational and energy costs, they are also more environmentally friendly, especially when using a low NOx burner. While many traditional plant operations use a helical coil thermal fluid heater, operators can increase their efficiency even more with superior serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters. The coil is built serpentine, creating more space between the coils to allow for even heat distribution. With an integrated convection economizer, at 86% efficiency, serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters are some of the most highly efficient heaters on the market. 2. Replace tank fire tubes with bottom-mounted tank coils. In older facilities, you’ll sometimes find dated and unsafe direct-fired heaters blasting directly into a tank sidewall. One small leak and you’ve got a major safety situation on your hands. In addition, the single flame creates hot spots and cold spots, reducing efficiency. Replacing fire tubes with tank coils also eliminates an emissions source, reducing your carbon footprint. A much safer and more economical option are tank heating coils mounted to the bottom of a tank. These coils can either be heated with hot oil or steam and can be bare or finned pipes. In most cases, finned is the most efficient way to go as the fins create twelve times the surface area of their bare pipe counterpart. Unlike longitudinal finned pipes whose fins are mounted horizontally, helically wound or vertical fins reduce the risk of coking as any sediments can fall through the fins. 3. Repair or replace old equipment and technology. Let’s face it, all equipment has a shelf life. No matter the quality, eventually, it will need to be replaced. When heating equipment begins to break down, operations may experience problems like process fluid degradation, tube failures, high stack temperatures, high fuel costs, high maintenance costs, and inability to reach optimal fluid temperatures. By replacing old equipment, often you can quickly pay for the equipment itself with the money saved on fuel, water, and other resources. 4. Go low NOx on your burners. Over the last decade, low NOx has become more of a mainstream practice. NOx is an abbreviation used to describe Nitrogen Oxides, a family of greenhouse gases. When fuel is burned at high heat, nitrogen oxide gases are emitted. While some operations choose low NOx for their sustainability consciousness, many states and countries now require it. Enerquip’s hot oil heaters can be built with low NOx burners utilizing flue gas recirculation or mesh head burners that can reduce NOx levels to less than 9PPM in total NOx. 5. Invest in tank insulation. Especially in colder climates, it can be challenging to maintain the temperature of contents stored in tanks and running through pipes. Often, insulation is an afterthought, but it’s an important piece of this efficiency puzzle. Without proper insulation, valuable heat energy is lost, and it can take much more fuel to heat up the same contents to the desired temperature. The proper insulation and surface protection will not only protect the thermal properties of the product in the tank, but it will help increase its lifespan. A properly insulated tank will ensure the product inside won’t freeze due to outside temperature or deteriorate due to heat caused by solar radiation. High-Efficiency Industrial Heating Equipment from Enerquip Enerquip (and the former American Heating Company) has been manufacturing quality heating equipment for decades. With robust building standards, much of our equipment is still working hard decades later. With continuous process improvement at our core, our equipment has grown with us. Ready to start talking about strategic equipment planning? Bring us in on the conversation. Contact us or request a quote today. More from the Enerquip Blog Thermal Fluid Heaters from Enerquip [Videos] Industrial Tank Heating Coil FAQs How Industrial Heating Equipment Works Through Asphalt
Thermal Fluid Heaters from Enerquip [Videos]
Enerquip specializes in the design and fabrication of high-quality thermal fluid heaters and heating systems. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about Enerquip’s Serpentine Coil Thermal Fluid Heaters. From industrial applications to low NOx options, we’ve got you covered.
Engineering & Fabrication Advancements [Video]
Enerquip Thermal Solutions Enerquip Thermal Solutions is the joining of Enerquip and the former American Heating Company. This union of manufacturing leaders, has provided customers with a variety of product advancements and process enhancements. Watch the video to learn more. New Website is Coming Enerquip will be rolling out a new website late summer of 2022. It will be a merger of both Enerquip.com and AmericanHeatingCo.com. Planned for an August roll-out, the new site will include Enerquip’s expanded product offering which includes a variety of sanitary and industrial heating and cooling solutions, from shell and tube heat exchangers to industrial thermal fluid heaters and tank heating coils.
Biofuel Blending Solutions from Enerquip [Video]
From ethanol to biodiesel to landfill gas, Enerquip’s thermal solutions play a key role in the production process of facilities across the county and the world. Our tank heating solutions including tank coils, bayonet heaters, heat exchangers, and more, are built with longevity and durability in mind. As part of the green initiatives across the country and the world, we’re seeing more and more states moving toward biofuel blending. There’s now a larger need for equipment that is suitable for that type of industry, including those made of stainless steel and higher alloys – a niche for Enerquip. The experts at Enerquip will walk you through determining your sizing needs, considerations for heating and cooling product, materials of construction, and more. We’ve got the experience, the software, and the track record to design equipment that’s a perfect fit for your application. Watch to learn more.