A custom vacuum pump manufacturer that serves many industries contacted Tempco regarding a special project. The project required that the water within a reservoir tank be maintained at a minimum temperature of 40°F. The required wattage for the insulated tank was calculated based on a minimum ambient temperature of 20°F. The customer required several unique design features:

• The heater must be able to be removed during service without draining the tank.
• Due to space constraints, the heater must fit into an existing 1.25” NPT fitting hole.
• A moisture-resistant housing for the heater is necessary.

Several discussions took place between the engineering departments of both companies. Together they determined that the best option was to utilize an indirect heat source in the form of a Pipe Heater. A pipe heater assembly typically consists of:

• a welded pipe at the bottom of a tank or reservoir
• a low temperature heat source from either an open coil heating element or a tubular heating element to heat the inside the pipe
• the ability to remove the heater from the pipe without draining the tank

Pipe Heaters are proven to be a reliable method of heating fluid in tanks. Tempco custom-designed the assembly for this customer. Due to the space constraints of the application, a cartridge heater and custom thermowell with the required NPT fitting were used as the heat source and pipe. The assembly included a moisture resistant terminal box over the electrical termination of the heater. The heater assembly met all design requirements and was added to production product line.