Flow assurance embraces a wide range of conditions and solutions being fluid temperature one of the key parameters to keep under control.

The fluid temperature shall not drop while being transferred between two stations and it needs to be risen, in case it cooled down in consequence of a stoppage occurrence, in order to reinstate the flow conditions.

In both cases heat needs to be provided to the fluid and this is the purpose of the heat tracing. At the same time, to maximize the heat going to the fluid and minimize the heat going in the surrounding, it is needed a thermal insulation coating.

The coating composition is designed in accordance to the operating temperature envelope which in the case of molten Sulphur transfer lines is from 20°C to 190°C with a certain criticality to ensure the absence of cold spots that might compromise the efficiency.

The temperature envelope is important not only for the resistance of the insulation material selection and configuration, but also for the mechanical stresses that the thermal elongation/contraction of the steel carrier pipe will apply to the coating system.

Often the design of the heating system, the pipeline route and the coating system are conducted separately and in different time frame, resulting with the selection of a field applied insulation.

This presentation talks about the experience in merging the three design phases and enabling shop applied coating system for all the transfer system components. This results in a better solution in terms of installation optimization and performance reliability.