Corporate Engineering Standard

Engineering Standard: E10K

Electrical Technology Network

E10K
Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection
of Safety Showers
Table of Contents
1. User guidance ....................................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Scope .........................................................................................................................................................2
1.2 Applicability ................................................................................................................................................2
1.3 Benefits ......................................................................................................................................................2
1.4 Definitions...................................................................................................................................................2
1.5 References .................................................................................................................................................2
2. General ................................................................................................................................................................3
3. Design .................................................................................................................................................................3
3.1 Pre-fabricated.............................................................................................................................................3
3.2 Field-Built....................................................................................................................................................3
4. Temperature control ..........................................................................................................................................4
4.1 Pre-Fabricated............................................................................................................................................4
4.2 Field Built....................................................................................................................................................4
4.3 Excessive Water Temperature Protection..................................................................................................4
5. Monitoring & Alarms Considerations ..............................................................................................................5
5.1 Pre-fabricated and Field-built units ............................................................................................................5
6. Installation of field built safety shower units. .................................................................................................6
List of Figures
Figure 1. Typical heating pre-fabricated safety shower.............................................................................................7
List of Tables
Table 1. Typical heat loss & heating cable for safety showers ...............................................................................4

Red text indicates revisions made in the February 2008 issue.

Vendors and merchandise designations are given to describe materials and may not include all acceptable products.
Substitutions by suppliers are to be made only on approval of the local authority initiating the use of this standard.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Contact Valerie.S.Lamison@usa.dupont.com by e-mail for more information.
This document may be used and reproduced for DuPont business only.
Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. (Unpublished)(Engineering)

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E10K

1.

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

User guidance
1.1 Scope
This standard provides details and information for the selection of electrical traced, pre-fabricated
safety shower units, and for the installation of electrical heat tracing on field-fabricated safety
showers as described in DuPont Corporate Safety Standard S1E which are subject to freezing in
outdoor or unheated indoor areas.
This standard generally does not apply to Tempered Water Systems as described in S1E. Due to
the potential for scalding and high cost, Tempered Water Systems require the combined support
of SHE, process/power function and electrical heating specialists to manage the need, regulatory
requirements, safety issues that may include bacteria growth, thermal burn, solar gain, and
temperature uniformity. System design, hazard analysis, equipment selection, safety
devices/controls, temperature control, system monitoring and alarms are inclusive considerations
for these systems.

1.2 Applicability
The DuPont sites worldwide that follow the requirements of the U.S. National Electrical Code
should follow this standard.

1.3 Benefits
Using this standard will:

Provide a basis for freeze protecting emergency safety shower eyewash units in alignment
with the NEC (NFPA 70) and DuPont Standard S1E.

Establish a minimum essential design threshold.

Facilitate selection of pre-fabricated safety showers.

1.4 Definitions
Runaway Pipe Temperature: The highest equilibrium pipe temperature that occurs when the
heating cable is continuously energized at the maximum ambient temperature.

1.5 References Links to the following standards can be accessed from this section.
DE1H

Design & Application of Electrical Resistance Heat Tracing for Pipelines

E7K

Electrical Pipeline Heat Tracing -Installation Details

E16L

Safety Shower Indicating Light

S1E

Safety Shower & Eyewash Facilities

SE32.3B

Electric heat Tracing, Cables and Panels

SE40.4B

Thermostats for Pipeline and Vessel Heating Circuits

NFPA 70 (National
Electrical Code, NEC)

National Fire Protection AssociationSpecific articles of the

NEC are referenced throughout the text.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

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E10K

2.

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

General
The basic requirements for Safety Shower and Eyewash installations are covered in S1E. Based
on cost of installation and operation, electric heat tracing has become the first choice for
protecting safety shower units from freezing, replacing past popular use of low-pressure steam for
this purpose.
Safety shower units can be field-built or purchased as pre-fabricated units. Pre-fabricated units
are widely used and available from both emergency equipment suppliers and electric heating
manufacturers that are listed by the manufacturer for both non-classified and hazardous areas.
Pre-Fabricated units often include a wide selection of optional features such as location light,
power monitoring lights, flow alarms, mechanical anti-scald & freeze prevention valves, and more.
Field built units commonly have minimum essential features and require the user to incorporate
devices that are listed for the intended use in a manner that meets installation codes and
standards.

3.

Design
Safety shower freeze protection is somewhat different that freeze protection of water pipes.
Section C in S1E limits water temperature to a maximum of 38C (100F), S1E recommends the
maximum water temperature of 25C (77F) to reduce the potential for bacterial growth and a
minimum water temperature of 16C (60F).
In order to balance the prevention of freezing from the possibility of excessive water temperatures,
the design basis for safety showers commonly selects a safety factor of 10% for heat-loss
calculations as opposed to higher safety factors applied to process or other freeze protection
applications. Typical calculated heat loss values for 1 & 1.5 thick polyisocyanurate insulation are
indicated in Table 1.
Ground-fault protection is required by the NEC and IEC for electric heat tracing circuits. The
required protection can be provided by a dedicated ground-fault circuit breaker (typically a 30ma
trip equipment protection device) or an electronic heating controller with integral (fixed or
adjustable) ground-fault protection.

3.1 Pre-fabricated
Verify the manufacturers design basis for operation at the site by considering the minimum
ambient temperature along with calculated runaway pipe temperature based on site conditions.
Note: The application of optional mechanical anti-freeze valves that cause water to flow in freezing
temperatures may eliminate the need for electric tracing in geographical areas that only
experience freezing temperatures of short duration in a 5 to 10 year climatic event.

3.2 Field-Built
Low-temperature self-regulating heat tracing cable shall be selected per SE32.3B - Section 5.1.
These cables provide the minimum heat to keep the water temperature in the shower to 16C
(60F) at the designated site minimum ambient temperature, with a 32 kilometer per hour (20 mph
wind), and a 10% safety factor in heat-loss calculations.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

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E10K

Table 1.

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

Typical heat loss & heating cable for safety showers

Minimum Ambient design Temp. C (F)

-12C (10F)

-17.7C (0F)

-23C (-10F)

-28C (-20F)

Differential Temperature to maintain

15.5C (60F)

27.5oC (50oF)

33oC (60oF)

38.5oC (70oF)

43.5oC (80oF)

Watts/linear meter (foot) 1

polyisocyanurate Insulation

7.2 (2.2)

8.5 (2.6)

10 (3.1)

11.5 (3.5)

Watts/linear meter (foot) 1.5

polyisocyanurate Insulation

5.6 (1.7)

6.5 (2.0)

7.9 (2.4)

8.8 (2.7)

Note: Based on 1-1/2 galvanized steel pipe, Rigid Polyisocyanurate Thermal Insulation, 10% Safety Factor. Output of typical
heating self-regulating heating cables (Thermon BSX or Tyco Thermal BTV family) at 60F is 8.5 W/m (2.6 W/ft) for a 10
W/m (3 W/ft) cable and 14.8 W/m (4.5 W/ft) for a 16 W/m (5 W/ft) cable.

4.

Temperature control
Temperature control considerations for safety showers include fixed temperature immersion, pipe
sensing and ambient sensing depending on fabrication method and risk of excessive water
temperature.

4.1 Pre-Fabricated
Pre-fabricated safety shower/eyewash units as supplied by emergency equipment manufacturers
are normally supplied with fixed-temperature, immersion type thermostats that sense water
temperature. Pre-fabricated safety shower/eyewash units supplied by electric heating equipment
manufacturers commonly use fixed-temperature pipe sensing thermostats. Either of these
methods meets the needs of basic temperature control but the immersion thermostats are difficult
to test for operation. A second layer of temperature protection may be required to prevent
excessive water temperature as described in section 4.3.
Pre-fabricated units are commonly available with optional mechanical-type scald and/or freeze
valves that activate in freezing temperatures and allow sufficient water to flow to prevent freezing.
The optional freeze valves may be justified where power may be lost in freezing weather, or as a
measure of protection to prevent excessive water temperature, see section 4.3.

4.2 Field Built

Field built units should use either a pipe-sensing electro-mechanical thermostat or electronic
controller set at 16C (60F). The sensing bulb should be taped to the pipe in an area that will
remain full of water and self-adhesive aluminum heat-transfer tape should be used to secure the
sensing bulb (or RTD) to the pipe. A second layer of temperature protection may be required to
prevent excessive water temperature as described in section 4.3.

4.3 Excessive Water Temperature Protection

A potential high water temperature hazard exists if the temperature control device fails in a
manner where power is continuously supplied to the heat tracing. As the ambient temperature
rises above 16C (60F) the water temperature can reach a temperature in excessive of the stated
limit of 37.7C (100F). Both 10 W/m (3 W/ft) and 16 W/m (5 w/ft) heating cables will result in the
same condition but the ambient crossover temperature will vary. In most cases a failure of the
temperature control device in safety shower applications can go undetected for long periods
of time.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

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E10K

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

S1E, section 5.5.1 defines testing frequency for safety showers that vary from daily to weekly
depending on shower location and hazard exposure. Safety showers that are tested daily or
tested each time before work is performed with a minimum 30 second flush time should provide
for protection from excessive water temperature without the need for extra layers of protection.
If safety showers are not tested daily or before each activity as described above a second layer
of protection shall be provided. The second layer of protection can include (but is not limited to)
the following:

5.

A single heating-controller that includes a high-temperature alarm that is wired to a manned

location (process control system) and must be acknowledged before reset.

A second pipe for sensing water temperature which functions as a high-limit temperature
control device. If this option is used consider an electronic controller with a digital temperature
display, local alarm or other method to provide an alert that the primary temperature control
has failed.

Use an ambient sensing electronic controller to control a group of safety shower with a hightemperature limit in each unit. Pre-fabricated safety showers can often be ordered with a highlimit in place of the standard temperature at no extra cost for units with fixed-temperature
immersion thermostats. Other pre-fabricated units using a pipe sensing thermostat can change
the temperature set-point to act as a high-limit.

Purchase pre-fabricated units with a mechanical temperature-actuated (scald) valve. Note:

Discuss performance of valves with manufacturer with respect to leaking in-service.

Monitoring & Alarms Considerations

Monitoring requirements for safety shower and eyewash units range from simple monitoring for
presence of voltage to the heating circuit, to a signal that emergency flushing is in progress.

5.1 Pre-fabricated and Field-built units

The minimum essential method within DuPont for monitoring the heat tracing power is to power
the Green Safety Shower Indicating Light that is commonly provided at each shower (E16L) to the
same circuit as the heat tracing. In this case if the green light is not operating it is expected that
personnel will investigate the trouble to determine if the problem is the light bulb failure or loss of
circuit power.
Another monitoring method, that may be especially useful at remote locations, is to connect a
heating manufacturers standard end-of-line monitoring light into the heat-trace circuit. In this
case it is expected that operating personnel would check the light as part of testing the unit for
operation before engaging in work and/or cold-weather patrols would check the light. Unless there
are administrative controls establishing procedures for monitoring the light it is often an
unnecessary cost.
Alarms that signal that emergency flushing is in progress shall be provided on safety shower and
eyewash units located in rigid enclosures and are particularly important in remote, high-hazard
areas or operating units with low occupancy rates. Alarms of this type are used to initiate
emergency response measures. Safety shower in-use alarms are commonly initiated by noncontact (proximity-type) valve-position switches. Paddle-type flow-switches may also be used as
long as they activate on the low flow associated with eyewash units.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

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E10K

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

When safety shower availability is required for process operation, as in some highly-hazardous
processes, a heating circuit loss-of-voltage condition should be signaled to the process
control system.

6.

Installation of field built safety shower units.

Select the heating cable based on site conditions per section 3. Install the heating cable on the pipe
using the recommended heat tracing installation details (E7K) using installers trained by the
manufacturer. Provide required extra heating cable at fittings, pipe supports or other heat-sinks.
Note: self-regulating heating cable may be overlapped as required. Fasten cable to pipe and fittings
using glass cloth tape from the heating manufacturer. Install thermal insulation to cover the entire
heated section of the assembly. Use self-adhesive aluminum heat transfer tape for heating supplier
to secure temperature sensors to pipe.
Where the water is supplied from underground pipelines the tracing should extend 0.6 m (2 ft) below
the ground-level inside the thermal insulation.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

Page 6 of 7

E10K

Figure 1.

Electrical Trace Heating for Freeze Protection of Safety Showers

Typical heating pre-fabricated safety shower

Front elevation

Side elevation

Note: Tyco Thermal Controls, one of the DuPont Companys heat-tracing Strategic Alliance Agreement Suppliers,
offers a pre-traced safety shower (shower guard) with multiple equipment options.

Document revised February 2008 / Entire document reaffirmed February 2008

Copyright 2001, 2005, 2008 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. Used under Copyright License.

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