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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 24, NO. 3, MAYIJUNE 1988

Power Line Carrier Systems for Electric Heat Tracing Control and Monitoring
PETER R. BAEN
Abstract-The addressable power line carrier (ADPLC) is the latest technology for electric heat tracing systems. ADPLC systems are unique in that dedicated instrument wiring is not required for centralized temperature control and monitoring. The applications and value of ADPLC systems are examined.

INTRODUCTION

N 1975 a paper entitled A Discussion of the Control, Monitoring and Alarm Systems Used with Electric Heat Tracing in Todays Power Plants was presented at the joint IEEE/ASME/ASCE Power Generation Technical Conference. The introduction to the paper was as follows.
Control, monitoring, and alarm systems used in conjunction with electric heat tracing cables and tapes for the electric power generating industry may be relatively simple and comparatively inexpensive, or very sophisticated and expensive.

Control Generally, control system means the type of temperature control selected to regulate the temperature of pipes and equipment containing materials that have freezing points above low ambient temperature. In a typical power-generating station such materials as boric acid, caustic soda, fuel oil, water, and condensate may require heat tracing. Temperature controllers may be either mechanical thermostats with a fluid filled capillary and sensing bulb (action due to expansion of fluid) or electronic devices (solid state or semisolid state) that modulate or have an on-off feature. In most cases the mechanical device must be located within 6 to 10 ft of the pipe it controls due to the limited length of the fluid filled capillary. If a considerable number of short piping runs are located in a confined area, mounting of mechanical thermostats may give an untidy appearance and the congestion may cause difficulty for the workmen performing routine maintenance. Electronic controllers using thermistors or thermocouple wires have the advantage of being located several hundred feet
Trademark of Thermon Manufacturing Company, San Marcos, TX. Text is taken verbatim from [I]. Paper PID 87-21, approved by the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society for presentation at the 1986 Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee Technical Conference, Philadelphia, PA, September 8-1 1. Manuscript released for publication June 23, 1987. The author is with the Marketing Department, Thermon Manufacturing Company, 100 Thermon Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. IEEE Log Number 8717885.
I

Fig. 1.

away from heat traced pipes and are often panel mounted and located in a control room for easy access by workmen.

Monitoring
Monitoring of electronic heat tracing is carried out so that the operational status of the system may be surveyed at any time. Chart recorders and digital monitoring devices may be used to give an indication of the operational status of the heat traced pipe and for alarm scanning. I In 1986 the technical fundamentals reviewed in the 1975 paper still apply. However, the economic implication that sophisticated is expensive is no longer true. ADPLC systems utilize the most recent power line carrier (PLC) technology in providing reliable and accurate monitoring and/ or control of electric heat-tracing circuits. A system is comprised of a centralized ADPLC master module and remote transmitters installed adjacent to the heat-tracing circuits. The ADPLC master modules and transmitters communicate with one another by way of a high-frequency digitized signal imposed on the heating circuits power supply wiring. The ADPLC master modules are typically panel mounted and designed in modular fashion for easy access and maintenance (Fig. 1). The ADPLC master modules are microprocessor-based and software-dependent, allowing expandability to

0093-9994/88/0500-0516$01 .oO @ 1988 IEEE

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"

-*-

Fig. 2.

new and/or higher level functions without hardware modifications. The system hardware consists of complementary metaloxide semiconductor (CMOS) components built around an 8bit microprocessor. Data is stored in an electrical eraseable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) where data is retained indefinitely through loss of power to the controller. ANSUIEEE Standard 5 15-1983 recommends pipeline sens1 1 processes. The description ing control for Type I1 and Type 1 for Type I1 is basically general process piping, and Type 1 1 1 is critical process piping. The ADPLC system can provide the basic on/off control recommended by IEEE 515, and in addition provides each circuit with low- and high-temperature alarms, damaged temperature sensor alarms, a circuit fault alarm for loss of voltage or continuity, and a data fail alarm for loss of communications. An ADPLC transmitter (Fig. 2) is uniquely addressable and is capable of independently controlling and/or monitoring more than one (1) heat tracing circuit. The ADPLC transmitters utilize 100-0 platinum RTDs (resistance temperature detectors) to monitor pipe temperature conditions and can include integral relays for heating circuit control. The ADPLC system value is increased through the elimination of field instrument wiring. THEORY OF OPERATION The ADPLC system makes use of the power wiring from a power distribution/load center to a heat-tracing circuit as the

communications link between the ADPLC master module and the ADPLC transmitters. The ADPLC master module requires a maximum of only four wires (16-AWG minimum) from a power distribution/load center for communications with up to 256 heat-tracing circuits. Each ADPLC transmitter is supplied power from, and transmits information over, the power wiring supplied to a heat-tracing circuit. Each ADPLC transmitter is assigned a unique binary address code, field-settable at the transmitter, which identifies a specific circuit number. Digitally encoded messages with a typical signal strength of 60 mA are transmitted along the circuit's power wiring at frequency ranges of 120 kHz to 130
W I Z.

The ADPLC master module polls each circuit, one at a time, and the respective transmitter replies with circuit status information. The ADPLC master module then compares the circuit data from the transmitter with the baseline data to decide if the power relay is to be turned on or off, and/or if an alarm condition exists. The ADPLC master module is constantly scanning all of the heat-tracing circuits, one at a time. The controller expects a reply every time it polls a specific circuit. Since a constant update of circuit status is important, communication error monitors are included that assist in watching for a reply, and for the validity of the reply. The communications protection of the ADPLC master module provides the best method for controlling circuits and/

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 24, NO. 3 , MAYIJUNE 1988

or monitoring in environments where interference is a common occurrence. Sporadic noise produced by equipment on the same power distribution transformer (e.g., motors) or any RFI in the area is rejected by the controller as invalid data. Two types of communications errors are detected by the ADPLC controller. No reply errors occur if no message is received from the transmitter. An example of this might be an open-circuit breaker. The other type of communications error is an invalid message from the transmitter. A Bose-Chauduri (BCH) checksum is incorporated into the messages sent by the ADPLC master and transmitters. A BCH error occurs when the data received is inconsistant with the checksum transmitted. This ensures that only valid data is used in calculations for a given circuit. An example of a cause of BCH errors is seen when two ADPLC transmitters are set with the same address. The probability of an undetected error making it through to the microprocessor is on the order of or 1 in every 312 500 messages. This is equivalent to a 0.0003-percent error rate per transmission. As continual transmissions are made, the likelihood of the condition going undetected becomes improbable. Both types of errors are accumulated over a programmable time span. If the number of communications errors exceeds the defined maximum allowable number for this time span, a datafail alarm will activate. OPERATOR INTERFACE

Fig. 3.

Typical operator/machine interface is accomplished through a 16-character keyboard. Data is displayed via alphanumeric LEDs and separately coded LEDs. (See Fig. 3.) The alphanuSYSTEM LAYOUT meric display indicates the circuit number, the temperature of The entire ADPLC system can be installed on new or a particular circuit, and the function the operator wishes to existing power distribution systems with little or no modificaaccess. There are nine (9) coded LED indicators that allow the tion. A wide range of operating voltages offers even further operator the ability to determine the status of the system and flexibility. The advantages of the ADPLC system are best illustrated by individual circuits (refer to Fig. 3). the one-line diagrams shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 is the System Alarm Indicators basic configuration for control and monitoring. The ADPLC DC Power-Indicates that the unit has dc power. This LED controller is mounted near the heat-tracing distribution panel. indicator will always be on, except when external power The four-wire communication link is made in the local distribution panels as shown in Fig. 4. The cost justification is lost. CPU Fail-Indicates that the central proccessing unit (savings) in this layout is the direct cost of labor and materials, (CPU) has been dislodged or damaged. Should the CPU which would normally be associated with control relay and fail, all circuits will activate (turn on). RTD extension wiring. The distance from an individual Alarm Pending-Indicates alarm is present since last transmitter to the ADPLC control module can be more than a acknowledgment. The ADPLC master alarm relay will thousand feet. Fig. 5 describes systems in which even more open (or close) when any alarm is pending acknowledg- savings can be realized using the ADPLC. ment, or when power is lost to the master module. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Circuit A larm LED Indicators Mechanical thermostats, which provide little or no informaHigh Temperature-Indicates the temperature of a circuit has exceeded the high-temperature alarm setpoint. Low Temperature-Indicates the temperature of a circuit has fallen below the low-temperature alarm setpoint. Circuit Fault-Indicates a circuits ac voltage is not detected when it should be present. This could be on the branch circuit-breaker, the control contacts, or for parallel cable continuity. tion in process electric heat-tracing circuits, require regular maintenance and replacement, due to corrosion, etc., and calibration. Retrofit applications replacing mechanical thermostats with an ADPLC system can easily be accomplished. In the past, electronic control systems have often been justified by essentially eliminating the routine costs associated with mechanical thermostats along with the increased reliability, accuracy, and continuous surveillance of each circuit. If

Temperature Sensor Open-Indicates that the RTD temperature sensor is not connected, or has opened, and is accompanied by a high-temperature alarm. Any reading of 527C or 981F will indicate sensor open. Circuit will deactivate (turn off) if sensor open is detected. Temperature Sensor Shorted-Indicates that the RTD temperature sensor is shorted, and is accompanied by a low-temperature alarm. Any reading of - 125C or 193 F will indicate sensor shorted. Circuit will activate (turn on) if sensor shorted is detected. Data Fail-Indicates total communication errors have exceeded the allowed number as defined by the operator.

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Main Power

519

Example I :
Example 1 assumes the following.

N H I H2 H3

The ADPLC System

Free-standing NEMA-12 enclosure. All required terminal blocks. Contacts for local and remote alarm annunciation. Individual ADPLC transmitter. Conduit and wire from second heat-tracing circuit to binary transmitter.

The Conventional Electronic System

Individual circuit RTD extension wire, material, and labor to install in conduit. RTD junction box. Labor to mount junction box and terminate individual RTD extension wire. Shielded-triad cable and labor to terminate at each end. Cable tray supports and labor to install.

Power D i s t r i b u t i o n

' l * Q 2 4
Fig. 4.
PLC C e n t r a l Processing

Items Common to ADPLC System and Conventional Electronic System

Individual circuit RTDs. Heat-tracing circuit power distribution system. Labor for individual circuit power termination and RTD. Labor for individual end termination. These examples are also based on the following. The control and distribution for each system was installed in a central location (motor control center or control room) approximately 350 ft from the process area. Each heat-tracing circuit power point and RTD sensor is located an average of 50 ft from an RTD junction box and entrance to instrument cable tray. Example 1 also assumes the following. The RTD extension wire to each circuit is assumed to be run in the same conduit, with the branch circuit power wiring 50 ft to a local junction box, and then back to the control panel. The heat-tracing circuit load switching for the conventional system is accomplished by solid-state relays located in the same enclosure with the control unit. The ADPLC system utilized local relay switching located in the ADPLC transmitter enclosure at the individual heat-tracing power connection point. The economic analysis in Example 1 is heavily biased. For example, the RTD extension wiring was run in the same conduit with the branch circuit conductors for each circuit. Most specifications and standards do not allow this practice. Instrument wiring for the conventional electronic system, from the solid-state relays to the individual heat-tracing power point, was not included. It was also assumed that a single cable tray could be used for all of the RTD extension wiring. A more realistic example is found in Example 2, where separate conduit is used from the local RTD junction box to the individual heat-tracing circuit. Local NEMA-7 panel boards and load switching is utilized with the added cost for control wiring.

Main Power

(Control
Module)

Local Power Distribution Panel

Fig. 5.

an electric heat-tracing system requires electronic control and monitoring at the power distribution center or a nearby control room, control and instrument wiring would be required for each circuit. Conventional electronic or microprocessor-based control systems that use RTD temperature sensors require three leads to compensate for the lead-wire loop resistance and changes in lead resistance with change in ambient temperature. Justification of electronic control and monitoring is further enchanced by the ADPLC system in eliminating the need for any field-routed instrument wiring. It may also be designed for use with high-voltage distribution equipment. An installed cost comparison for the ADPLC system and a centralized conventional electronic system using hard-wired RTD extension wiring is outlined in Examples 1 and 2.

Example 2: Example 2 assumes the following.

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TABLE I INSTALLED COST OF SYSTEM 1
# of Ckts

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 24, NO. 3, MAYIJUNE 1988

Items Common to ADPLC System and Conventional Electronic System

Conventional $26 500 36 625 50 115 57 715 70 915 84 315 95 219 108 071

ADPLC System U S . $14 280 22 560 30 840 39 120 47 400 55 680 63 960 72 240

16 32 48

64
80 96 112 128

Individual circuit RTDs. Heat-tracing circuit power distribution system. Labor for individual circuit power termination and RTDs . Labor for individual end terminations.

SYSTEM VARIATION
The economic discussions presented here represent heattracing systems requiring line-sensing control. ADPLC technology is also applicable and justifiable for those ambientactuated freeze protection systems which require cable continuity and/or pipe temperature monitoring.

TABLE I1 INSTALLED COST OF SYSTEM 2

# of Ckts

ADPLC System

Conventional $38 092 62 341 88 023 109 505 131 177 156 894 178 431 202 783

CONCLUSION
The ADPLC systems are state-of-the-art heat tracing, control, and monitoring systems. These systems can be economically justified when compared to any hard-wired control or monitoring system for electric heat tracing.
REFERENCES

16 32 48

U.S.$14 280
22 560 30 840 39 120 47 400 55 680 63 960 12 240

64
80 96 112 128

The ADPLC System

e e
e
0

Free-standing NEMA-12 enclosure. All required terminal blocks. Contacts for local and remote annunciation. Individual ADPLC transmitter. Conduit and wire from second heat tracing circuit to binary transmitter.

[I] P. E. Irwin, R. Knox Pitzer, and B. C. Johnson, A discussion of the control, monitoring, and alarm systems used with electric heat tracing in todays power plants, in Conf. Record 1975 Joint IEEE/ASME/ ASCE Power Generation Tech. Conf., p. 1. [2] IEEE Recommended Practice for the Testing, Design, Installation

and Maintenance of Electrical Resistance Heat Tracing for Industrial Applications, ANSIIIEEE Standard 5 15-1983.

The Conventional Electronic System

0

e e

e
e

Labor and materials for individual circuit conduit and RTD extension wire. Individual circuit control tray cable and labor for installing and terminating from motor control center to local load switching panel. RTD junction box. Labor to mount junction box and terminate individual RTD extension wire. Multitriad tray cable and labor to terminate at each end. Cable tray supports and labor to install.
These items not included in Example 1.

Peter R. Baen received the bachelors degrees in physics and mathematics and the masters degree in mathematical analysis at Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos. He is presently enrolled in the MBA program at Southwest Texas State University. He is currently a Marketing Analyst for Thermon, where he has been with the company for the past ten years. He joined the Sales Department as Product Sales Manager before becoming responsible for systems sales, and had served as Laboratory Physicist in the Research and Development Department. Before joining Thermon in 1976, he was an Instructor in the Department of Mathematics at Southwest Texas State University. Mr. Baen is actively involved in two Workine GrouDs develouing recommended practices for heat tracing in power gengrating skions.
1 Y