The Serge Baril CCA family of self-regulating heaters comes in
3, 6, and 8 watts/ft (10, 20, and 26 w4tts/m) (at 50oF
- 10oC) and is designed to cover most heat tracing
applications a contractor will meet, while requiring the lowest
level of inventory for the distributor. The heater is supplied
in two versions as follows:
The Serge Basil CCA self regulating heater cable is a parallel
circuit electric heater strip. An irradiation cross-linked conductive
polymer core material is extruded over the multi-stranded, tin-plated
18 gauge copper bus wires. The conductive core material increases
or decreases its heat output in response to temperature changes.
Two jackets provide extra dielectric strength, moisture resistance
and protection from impact and abrasion damage. The inner thermoplastic
jacket is extruded over and bonded to the core material. A thermoplastic
elastomer outer jacket is then extruded over the inner jacket.
An optional tinned copper braid with modified polyolefin overjacket
is available where a ground path, mechanical protection. or installation
in a wet environment is required
The parallel bus wires apply voltage along the entire length of
the heater cable. The conductive core provides an infinite number
of parallel conductive paths permitting the cable to be cut to
any length in the field with no dead or cold zones developing.
The heater cable derives its self-regulating characteristic from
the inherent properties of the conductive core material. As the
core material temperature increases, the number of conductive
paths in the core material decreases, automatically decreasing
the heat output. As the temperature decreases, the number of
conductive paths increases, causing the heat output to increase.
This occurs at every point along the length of the cable, adjusting
the power output to the varying conditions along the pipe. The
self-regulating effect allows the cable to be overlapped without
creating hot spots or burnout. As the cable self-regulates its
heat output, it provides for the efficient use of electric power,
producing heat only when and where it is needed, and also limiting
the maximum sheath temperature.