Every year it happens the same way. The first hard freeze rolls in, and somewhere in the plant an analyzer starts reporting bad data, an impulse line plugs, or a sample system goes offline. By the time the cause is traced back to a cold spot in a heat-traced bundle, the downtime has already been logged, and the overtime has already been paid.
With freeze season approaching, now is the time to make sure your analyzer lines, sample transport systems, and process piping are protected against cold weather failures, and to make sure the tubing bundles protecting them are built to last.
The Trouble with Traditional Cabled Heat Trace
If you’ve ever installed traditional cabled heat trace on analyzer or impulse lines, you know the list: cold spots, uncabling, corroded stainless, and missed deadlines.
Conventional bundles wrap the tracer and process tube around each other. That cabled construction means installers have to unwind, or “uncable,” the bundle at every fitting and termination, which adds labor and opens the door to installation errors. Tight bends can oval the tube or pull it away from the tracer, creating exactly the cold spots the system was supposed to prevent. Site-built bundles also depend heavily on field labor and conditions, which makes schedules hard to hold when the weather is already turning.
And then there’s corrosion. Jacket materials that contain chlorides can, over time, contribute to stress corrosion cracking in stainless steel tubing, a slow-moving failure that often isn’t discovered until a line must be replaced.
A Better Approach: O’Brien TRACEPAK
RELCON is proud to be an authorized distributor for O’Brien Corporation’s TRACEPAK, a patented, pre-insulated, pre-traced tubing bundle built to take the headaches out of freeze protection and process temperature maintenance.
Instead of being assembled in the field, TRACEPAK arrives factory-assembled and field-ready, with the process tube and tracer paired side by side inside a durable, chloride-free urethane jacket. The result is a bundle that installs faster, lasts longer, and costs less to maintain than site-built alternatives.
Five Reasons TRACEPAK Wins the Winterization Battle
1. Parallel construction means no uncabling
TRACEPAK’s patented parallel construction places the tracer alongside the process tube rather than wrapped around it. There’s nothing to unwind at terminations, and the bundle bends to an 8″ radius without tube ovality or cold spots, so heat stays where it belongs, even though tight routing.
2. Factory-assembled and field-ready
Because each bundle is built and insulated at the factory, crews spend their time installing rather than assembling. That cuts install time versus site-built bundles, a real advantage when you’re racing the first freeze.
3. A chloride-free jacket that protects your stainless
TRACEPAK’s chloride-free urethane jacket eliminates a key contributor to stainless steel stress corrosion cracking, helping protect your tubing investment for the long haul.
4. Electric or steam traced, to match any spec
Whether your site runs on electric or steam tracing, TRACEPAK has an option to fit, including Chemelex, BTV, XTV, CPD, and MI electric tracers suitable for a range of hazardous area classifications.
5. Quick Ship when the clock is running
O’Brien’s Quick Ship Program keeps finished TPS bundles in stock, shipping in as little as 2 days. When a cold snap exposes a weak spot, that speed can be the difference between a quick fix and a long outage.
Choosing the Right Tracing for Your Site
TRACEPAK is available in several configurations so you can match the bundle to your utilities, routing, and process requirements:
- Electric Traced: Chemelex, BTV, XTV, CPD, and MI electric tracer options, factory-paired side by side with the process tube.
- Steam Traced: Steam tracer tubing bundled in parallel construction with the process tube, wrapped in a durable urethane jacket.
- Heated Hose: Flexible heated hose options for portable, temporary, or hard-to-route applications.
- Quick Ship Program: Finished TPS bundles held in stock for urgent project needs.
Where TRACEPAK Works
TRACEPAK is trusted across refineries, chemical plants, power generation, pulp & paper, pharmaceutical, and steel facilities, on everything from gas chromatograph sample lines to stack gas monitoring.
| Industry | Typical TRACEPAK Applications |
| Refineries & Chemical Processing | Analyzer lines, sample transport, impulse lines, gas chromatographs, condensate return, sample systems |
| Power Generation & Industrial Utilities | Dissolved oxygen analyzers, steam distribution, boiler area piping |
| Pulp & Paper, Pharmaceutical, and Steel | Digester lines, heater condensate, pilot plant and sample lines, pressure transmitters, stack gas monitoring |
| Mechanical & Electrical Contractors | Instrument winterization, pipe heat tracing installation |
Your Winter Readiness Checklist
Before the temperature drops, take a few minutes to walk through these questions. They’re the same ones our team uses to scope a TRACEPAK solution:
- What are you protecting: analyzer lines, sample transport, impulse lines, or general process piping?
- What maintain temperature do you need, and what is the minimum ambient design temperature at your site?
- Is electric or steam tracing available or preferred? If electric, what voltage and circuit configuration is available?
- Does the installation fall under a hazardous location classification (Class I, Division 1 or 2)?
- Are there chloride stress corrosion concerns on existing stainless tubing?
- What are your routing constraints: bend radius, tray vs. conduit, or enclosure needs?
- Is this a new installation, or a retrofit replacing an aging cabled bundle?
- When do you need it, and would Quick Ship help you beat the freeze?
If several of these questions don’t have clear answers yet, that’s a good sign it’s time for a winter readiness assessment.
One Source, One Point of Accountability
Freeze protection projects get complicated when tubing comes from one supplier, tracing from another, and enclosures from a third. With RELCON as your authorized O’Brien distributor, tubing, tracing, and enclosures all come from one source, with one point of accountability from quote through delivery.
Get Protected Before the Freeze Hits
With cold weather on the way, lead times matter. Whether you’re planning a new installation or replacing an aging cabled bundle, RELCON can help you scope your tubing and tracing requirements and determine whether Quick Ship or a standard-lead solution fits your schedule.
Contact RELCON today to schedule your winter readiness assessment.