Winterization
Effectively Manage Winterization Activities
Ensure the safe and uninterrupted operation of your facility throughout the winter months.
Expertise in equipment protection, infrastructure maintenance, fluid management, and emergency preparedness are crucial for minimizing disruptions and maintaining operational continuity in cold weather conditions.
Coordinating with your schedule and those responsible for determining areas due for winterization planning efforts, we take proactive measures to protect equipment, systems, and infrastructure from the challenges posed by cold temperatures, freezing conditions, and other winter-related factors, ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of your plant.
We work with unit engineers and planners to understand which method of tracing is preferred, the amount of heat needed, and help determine a stocking strategy for pre-insulated tubing (PIT) and bare tubing to get ahead of material requirements.
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Services Include:
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Solutions Include:
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Steam Lances and Mounting Brackets
Built locally, our Swagelok solution for steam lances, when measured against facility material and labor rates, is an economically advantageous solution for de-icing or creating temporary heating conditions for walkways, pumps, and instrument trays.
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Utilizing a standardized design eliminates the need for field assembly or improvised solutions. Easy-to-use and reliable on/off 60 Series ball valves are simple to operate while insulated components keep operators safe. |
Brackets can be mounted to the wall of Field Operating Shelters providing a cost-effective way to keep equipment organized. |
Steam Supply & Condensate Return Manifolds
The Swagelok low pressure header (LPH) can handle the pressure and temperature ratings of our standard 60 series ball valves. Because this manifold is mostly modular, any performance issues of the components can be easily swapped out with tube fittings instead of welding.
The existing inlet gate valve on the traditional manifold remains (2’’ x 150#) which creates a demarcation line allowing for a tubing solution. |
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Sulfur Recovery Units
For refineries using sulfuric acid in their alkylation process, Swagelok S-series 1/2 and 3/4 hoses with JIC ends are a reliable solution for use in the sulfur unloading arm. While metal flex lines only last about a month in this application, our S-series with spiral guard has been implemented for years.
Download Our Hose and Flexible Tubing Catalog
Copper vs Stainless Steel
Traditional steam tracing methods use brass fittings and copper tubing due to its flexibility and heat transfer, but copper fails at a high rate.
Upgrading to stainless steel helps prevent scale and contaminants from running downstream, coating traps or damaging instruments and creating a higher cost maintenance issue.
Hose Wraps vs Baskets |
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Making baskets requires bending tubing into a shape that surrounds a component for heating. This is a time-consuming process resulting in the creation of excess scrap.
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Properly Sealing-off Insulated Tubing
Improperly capped insulated and jacketed tubing allows rainwater and internal steam leaks to wick into the spool, saturating the fiberglass insulation with condensate which leaches chlorides from the PVC jacket.
These chlorides will propagate the entire length of the insulated tubing and will pool at a low point, constantly boiling off and leaving chloride deposits on the OD, creating ideal conditions for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) to occur.
Heat-shrink entry- and end-seal boots prevent rainwater and internal steam leaks from wicking into the spool, mitigating conditions that can lead to SCC.
Made of thermally stabilized, modified polyolefin, these boots provide a weatherproof seal for all exposed ends to protect against moisture ingress where tubing enters an enclosure.
Product Lines
Gaugeable Tube and Adapter Fittings
- Available in tube sizes from 1/16 to 2 in. and 2 to 50 mm
- Consistent gaugeability upon initial installation
- Easy to disconnect and re-tighten
- Wide variety of materials and configurations
- Demonstrated reliability and performance
Find Tube Fittings and Adapters
Seamless Stainless-Steel Tubing
- 316 / 316L and 304 / 304L stainless steel
- Standard instrumentation tubing
- 1/8 to 2 in. and 3 to 25 mm sizes
- Marked to indicate size, material, specifications, and heat code
Multi-jacketed, Single-jacketed, and Insulated Tubing
- 1/4 to 1/2 in. and 6 to 12 mm tubing sizes available in 316/316L stainless steel and copper
- Seamless and welded tubing available in stainless steel
- Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and PVC jackets help protect tubing from external corrosion and abrasion
- Fibrous glass insulation reduces heat loss and helps protect personnel
Steam Trap Test Station with Universal Mount (TVA Series)
- Offers fast visual monitoring of steam trap performance
- Includes universal mount for steam trap
- Service rating: 250 psig (17.2 bar) at 417°F (213°C)
- 316 and 316L stainless steel materials
- Universal mount without test valves available separately
60 Series Ball Valves
- 1/8 to 2 in. and 6 to 25 mm sizes
- Stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, and special alloy materials
- On-off (2-way) and switching (3-way) valves
- Compensating seat design
- Live-loaded, two-piece stem packing
Pre-Insulated Tubing Bundles: Electric Traced and Steam Traced
- Simplified field installation
- 1/8 to 3/4 in. and 6 to 12 mm seamless or welded tubing sizes
- 316 / 316L stainless steel, copper, and PFA tube materials
Additional Resources
Steam System Audit Case Study
See how Swagelok field engineers' evaluation of a plant's steam tracing system and winterization efforts helped to drastically reduce steam loss, maintenance and component spend.
Swagelok® Hose Advisory Services
From reducing maintenance costs and extending hose life to increasing safety, we're here to take the pressure off of you. View our Hose Advisory Services PDF to learn how we can become your Hose Advisors.
Make managing your winterization program a worry-free experience with Swagelok. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.