Chromalox PN403-1 - Manual (Page 2)

2
LTFX
Electric Tank Immersion Heater Installation Instructions
General
The Chromalox Electric Tank Immersion Heater, Model
LTFX, is an engineered, pretested package designed to
give years of virtually maintenance free service and it is
shipped ready for installation into a storage tank. LTFX
provides low watt-density heating over a large heat-
ing surface with precise temperature control for such
materials as asphalt, fuel oil, pitch and tar, liquid sugar,
lube oils, linseed oil, biodiesel, glycerin, ethanol and
many other heat sensitive compounds.
The open coil heating elements (OCE) are housed in
either 2” or 3” Schedule 40 carbon or stainless steel
pipes, which are welded into the 150# ANSI flange.
Once the Unitary Immersion Heater is mated to your
tank, the heating elements may be removed and re-
placed without draining the tank. Since excessive temperatures may permanently dam-
age the heater and cause premature failure, the use of
temperature controls, limiting controls, and liquid level
sensors are required.
The system designer is responsible for the
safety of this equipment and should install ad-
equate back-up controls and safety devices
with their electric heating equipment. Where
the consequences of failure could result in per-
sonal injury or property damage, back-up con-
trols are essential.
Installation
FIRE OR EXPLOSION HAZARD: The tank must
be purged of all flammable vapors prior to cut-
ting or welding.
High heating efficiency, low element temperatures, and
longer heater life are achieved when the unit is properly
installed.
1. To avoid chipping or cracking, precaution should be
taken while unpacking, handling, and installing the
ceramic insulators. Heaters with damaged insula-
tors should be returned to the factory for repair or
replacement. Contact your local sales office for re-
turn authorization.
2. The LTFX unit must not be mounted in the vertical
position as the resistance wire on the OCE element
can sag, thus causing uneven heating or short cir-
cuit. Unit should be installed in a horizontal position
with the thermowell on top only.
FIRE OR EXPLOSION HAZARD: Mount the heat-
er in a level, horizontal orientation only. All
other orientations may result in property dam-
age or personal injury.
3. IMPORTANT: Mount heater in the tank so the liquid
level will always be above the effective heated portion
of the heater. Provide expansion tank if necessary.
4. Select a location for this installation according to
the following guidelines: (refer to Figure 1)
A. Heating elements are removable through the ter-
minal enclosure however adequate room must
be provided for this purpose. The removal length
of the OCE heating element is 3 feet since the
center section may be bent on a 12” radius. OCE
elements should only be bent in a vertical plane
with ground strap on the bottom.
B. The neck on the tank’s mating flange should be
of adequate length to accommodate tank insula-
tion and flange bolting.
5. Tube supports (internal to the tank) should be
placed approximately three feet from the ‘wet-side’
of the LTFX flange to ensure gasket sealing integrity.
Additional tube supports can then be spaced on 10
foot centers. Do not anchor the heater tubes to the
supports, as the tubes must be allowed to expand.
6. To ensure proper sealing, a material appropriate
gasket needs to be installed between the mating
flanges. The mating flanges should then be secured
by tightening the bolting according to TEMA Stan-
dards.
7. A tank suction pipe should be mounted at least 2”
above the level of the heaters. A separate line can
be provided to drain tank after heaters have been
de-energized.