Title of Invention	A METHOD OF HEATING A FLUID TRANSFER SYSTEM , A CONTROLLER AND A REGULATOR FOR CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE SAME
Abstract	A thermally insulated substrate, e.g. a system ot pIpes (11, 12, 1 j) surrounded by insulation (15), is maintained above a selected minimum temperature by means of one or more electrical heaters, preferably elongate self-regulating heaters (1,2). Each heater (1,2) is successively switched on for a heat-up period and then off for a cool-down period. The durations of these periods are successively determined by reference to the ambient air temperature adjacent the substrate at an earlier time, e.g. at the end of the previous cool-down period. The method is particularly useful for temperature-maintenance systems in which a number of heaters (1,2) are used to. heat a complex system of pipes (11, 12, 13). The durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods for each heater (or for a group of two or more heaters) are separately determined by means of a single microprocessor (52). The microprocessor (22) (a) is linked to an ambient air temperature sensor (51); (b) contains in its memory the relevant information about each heater, the pipes which it heats, and the thermal insulation (15) surrounding the pipes; (c) is programmed to calculate the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods; and (d) is linked to a number of switching means (3,4), one for each heater or group of heaters.

Title of Invention

A METHOD OF HEATING A FLUID TRANSFER SYSTEM , A CONTROLLER AND A REGULATOR FOR CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE SAME

Abstract

A thermally insulated substrate, e.g. a system ot pIpes (11, 12, 1 j) surrounded by insulation (15), is maintained above a selected minimum temperature by means of one or more electrical heaters, preferably elongate self-regulating heaters (1,2). Each heater (1,2) is successively switched on for a heat-up period and then off for a cool-down period. The durations of these periods are successively determined by reference to the ambient air temperature adjacent the substrate at an earlier time, e.g. at the end of the previous cool-down period. The method is particularly useful for temperature-maintenance systems in which a number of heaters (1,2) are used to. heat a complex system of pipes (11, 12, 13). The durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods for each heater (or for a group of two or more heaters) are separately determined by means of a single microprocessor (52). The microprocessor (22) (a) is linked to an ambient air temperature sensor (51); (b) contains in its memory the relevant information about each heater, the pipes which it heats, and the thermal insulation (15) surrounding the pipes; (c) is programmed to calculate the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods; and (d) is linked to a number of switching means (3,4), one for each heater or group of heaters.

Full Text	This invention relates to electrical heating systems. Elongate electrical heaters are often used to heat systems of pipes and/or storage vessels which contain liquids and which are thermally insulated. Most such systems fall into two different categories. In the first category, the liquid is water, and the objective is to ensure that the water does not freeze. In typical freeze-protection systems in this category, one or more heaters are controlled by a single thermostat which senses the ambient air temperature and switches the heater(s) on if the ambient air temperature falls below a lower limit temperature, e.g. 4.5°C (40°F), and switches the heater(s) off if the ambient temperature increases to a higher limit temperature, e.g. 6°C (43°F). One disadvantage of such systems is that the heater is switched on continuously even though this is not required (except when the ambient temperature is at the lowest value at which the heater can prevent the water from freezing). Another disadvantage is the loss of control if the thermostat fails, which may not be immediately apparent. Another disadvantage is the cost of the thermostat, especially when the current drawn by the heater(s) is large, either in the steady state or when the heater is first switched on. In the second category of systems, the liquid is not water (e.g. it is an organic liquid or a solution, slurry, suspension, or dispersion in water or an organic liquid) and the objective is to maintain the liquid at a relatively high temperature, e.g. 7°C (45°F) or more, as it is moved through the system from one storage vessel or treatment station to another. Such systems are used, for example, in hydrocarbon refineries and food processing plants. In typical temperature-maintenance systems of this type, there are a number of different sectors, and each sector is heated by a different heater. Each heater is controlled by a line-sensing thermostat which senses the temperature at a selected point on one of the pipes heated by that heater. Once the sector has been heated to the maintenance temperature, the heater is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and the duration of those periods is controlled by the line-sensing thermostat. The line-sensing thermostat turns the heater on when the sensed temperature falls to a lower limit, and turns the heater off when the sensed temperature reaches an upper limit. Temperature-maintenance systems require very careful design, in particular when the flow pattern may be deliberately changed, thus producing different thermal demands. The system must be divided into sectors which can appropriately be heated by a single heater, and within each sector, the line-sensing thermostat must be placed at the most vulnerable part (i.e. the part most likely to drop below the maintenance temperature in any possible flow pattern within the sector). The most vulnerable part is usually the smallest pipe in the system and/or a pipe in which there may be no liquid flow. In many temperature-maintenance systems, there are more than 5 sectors, each with its own heater, and systems containing more than 20 sectors are by no means unusual. In at least some of the sectors, the heater may be quite short, e.g. less than 6 meters (20 feet) long, and the average circuit length (total length of all the heaters divided by the number of sectors) may be 7.5-12 meters (25-40 feet). These systems suffer from a number of disadvantages, for example the cost of the thermostats, of placing the thermostats at the most vulnerable parts of the respective sectors, and of running appropriate wiring to the thermostats; the loss of control if a thermostat fails (which may not be immediately apparent); the difficulty of replacing a failed thermostat, especially if the most vulnerable part of the sector is not readily accessible; and the need to reposition at least some of the thermostats if the system is changed or a new flow pattern is adopted. We have discovered, in accordance with the present invention, an improved method of controlling the way in which an electrical heater is used to maintain a thermally insulated substrate at or above a desired maintenance temperature. In this improved method, the ambient air temperature is sensed at discrete times and used to determine the duration of subsequent periods in which the heater is switched on (heat-up periods) or switched off (cool-down periods), so that all parts of the system heated by that heater are maintained at or above the desired maintenance temperature. Preferably, ambient air temperature is the sole variable which is used to determine the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods. The invention makes use of the fact that, knowing the ambient temperature and the characteristics of a heater, a substrate, and thermal insulation surrounding the heater and the substrate, and assuming that the ambient temperature does not change, it is possible to predict the effect of delivering a known amount of heat to the substrate over a known cycle time. For example, if the substrate is at a lower-limit temperature TL and is to be maintained between TL and an upper-limit temperature Tu, it is possible to determine how long the heater should be switched on to heat the substrate to Tu, and how long the heater can be switched off before the substrate has cooled back to Tu. Similarly, if the substrate is at TL, it is possible to determine how to divide a fixed period (e.g. of 10 minutes) between heating and cooling in order for the substrate to be heated sufficiently to return to TL at the end of the fixed period. We have realized, in accordance with the present invention, that since ambient air temperatures change relatively slowly (and the thermal insulation further slows the effect of such changes) and the temperature of the heated substrate can vary (provided that the temperature does not drop below a specified minimum), the disadvantages described above can be mitigated or overcome by (A) determining the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the system (i.e. the part most likely to drop below a selected minimum temperature); (B) determining, for the ambient temperature at a particular time (and assuming that the ambient temperature does not change), the durations of heat-up and cool-down periods which will maintain the most vulnerable part above a desired lower limit temperature; and (C) switching the heater on for the heat-up period and off for the cool-down period. This cycle is repeated, using the ambient temperature at successive discrete times as the basis for determining the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods. The durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods are preferably determined on the basis of (1) a lower limit temperature which is somewhat higher than the desired maintenance temperature (to allow for the possibility that the ambient temperature drops during the heat-up and/or cool-down period) and (2) (a) an upper limit temperature, which is the desired maximum temperature which the most vulnerable part should reach (assuming that the ambient temperature remains constant) and/or (b) a desired cycle time (i.e. the sum of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods). The parts of the system other than the most vulnerable part will at all times be at temperatures higher than the most vulnerable part. The determination of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods is preferably carried out by a microprocessor which (a) is linked to an ambient air temperature sensor, (b) is programmed to determine the durations on the basis of the input from the sensor and stored information about the most vulnerable part of the system, and (c) sends signals to a contacter or other switching device which controls delivery of electrical power to the heater. The method described above can be modified in a number of different ways, including the following. (a) The system can be divided into a number of zones which have different heating requirements and each of which is heated by one or more different heaters, and the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods for each zone are then determined separately. The determination for each zone can be made on the basis of the ambient air temperature sensed at a single location; or the determinations for different zones can be made on the basis of the ambient air temperature sensed at different locations; or the determinations can be made on the basis of the lowest ambient air temperature sensed at two or more different locations. (b) The determination of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods must be related to the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the system. These characteristics can be determined empirically or theoretically for a precisely identified most vulnerable part. However, in some cases, it may be easier to determine the durations on the basis of a reference substrate, heater and insulation which are related to, but not necessarily the same as, the most vulnerable part, or indeed any part, of the actual substrate, heater, and insulation. (c) In the simplest case, the ambient air temperature is sensed at a single time during each cycle of heat-up and cool-down (e.g. at the end of each cool-down period) and is used as the sole variable to determine the durations of the immediately following heat-up and cool-down periods. However, more complicated methods can be used to determine the heat-up and cool-down durations. For example, the durations can be a function of two or more ambient temperatures (for example to take account of relatively rapid rates of change of ambient temperature), and/or can be a function of one or more ambient temperatures which are sensed at intervals determined by the ambient temperatures themselves. Other methods for determining the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods can be used, provided that one or more ambient temperatures are used to determine the amount of heat delivered to the substrate over a defined period in the future. The invention provides many advantages over existing systems, in particular the elimination of all or most of the thermostats now employed. The invention is particularly useful for controlling the heaters in temperature-maintenance systems, especially those containing two or more zones which together make up a complex arrangement of pipes, each zone being heated by one or more heaters, and the heater(s) in each zone being separately controlled by a single microprocessor which determines, for each zone separately, the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods of the heater(s) therein. Elimination of (or at least a reduction in the number of) the conventional line-sensing thermostats and the associated wiring results in cost savings which far outweigh the additional expense of an ambient air temperature sensor, a microprocessor, and a number of contacters, each linked to the output of the microprocessor for a single heater or for a single group of heaters whose heat-up and cool-down requirements are the same. The reduced number of components also improves the operating reliability of the system. Another advantage is that the way in which the heaters supply heat can easily be changed, merely by reprogramming the microprocessor, in order to take account of modifications of the system and/or the way in which the liquid flows through it. A typical temperature-maintenance system to which this invention can most advantageously be applied contains at least 5 heaters, preferably at least 10 heaters, each at least 4.5 meters (15 feet), preferably at least 7.6 meters (25 feet) long, with preferably at least some of those heaters being 15.25 to 45.7 meters (50 to 150 feet) long. The invention can also be used to control a single heater for a freeze protection system. However, the added expense of an ambient air temperature sensor, a microprocessor, and a contacter (or other switching mechanism) may not outweigh the lower operating costs of the new system, except where high currents make it necessary for conventional systems to use large and expensive thermostats. In a first preferred aspect, this invention provides a method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of different electrical heaters, the substrate being surrounded by thermal insulation and the heaters lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the substrate comprising at least two different zones and each zone being heated by one or more heaters which heat only that zone, wherein each of the heaters is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods whose durations (a) ensure that all parts of the substrate are maintained at or above a selected minimum temperature, and (b) are successively determined at successive discrete times, the determinations being carried out by a single microprocessor, independently for each zone, as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at the time of the determination or at one or more discrete earlier times. In a second preferred aspect, the invention provides a method of heating a fluid transfer system comprising a plurality of pipes which are surrounded by thermal insulation, the system comprising a plurality of zones having different heating requirements and each of the zones including at least one elongate electrical heater which (i) lies between the pipes in that zone and the thermal insulation surrounding them, and (ii) is switched on and off during successive heat-up and cool-down periods, thereby maintaining all the pipes in that zone above a minimum temperature, the method comprising, for each of the zones separately, (1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period; (2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period; (3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and (4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool- down durations determined in step (3). In a third preferred aspect, the invention provides a method of maintaining a substrate above a minimum temperature by means of an electric heater, the heater being switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, the substrate being thermally insulated by thermal insulation, and the heater lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the method comprising (1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period; (2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period; (3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and (4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3); the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration being 2 to 60 minutes. In a fourth preferred aspect, the invention provides a controller which can be used to control an electrical heater which is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and which comprises (a) a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature; (b) switching means for causing an electric heater to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and (c) a regulator which (i) is operatively connected to the sensor and the switching means, (ii) can operate the switching means so that the heater is connected to the power source during the heat-up periods and is disconnected from the power source during the cool-down periods, and (iii) comprises determining means which can determine heat-up and cool-down durations for the heat-up and cool-down periods as a function of the ambient air temperature sensed by the sensor at one or more discrete earlier times, said earlier times being separated by a time of at least 1 minute. In a fifth preferred aspect, the invention provides a regulator which can be used to control a plurality of electrical heaters which heat separate zones of a thermally insulated substrate, the regulator comprising (1) at least one input port for receiving information from a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature; (2) a plurality of output ports, each of the output ports being capable of sending signals to respective switching means for causing each electrical heater in respective zones to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and (3) a microprocessor which (a) will receive information about ambient air temperatures from the input port, (b) comprises a memory in which there is recorded, for each zone, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) that part of the zone which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the electrical heater heating said part, (c) is programmed to calculate, separately for each of the zones and at successive discrete times, durations of successive alternating heat-up and cool-down periods which are the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature received from the input port, to heat said part of the zone from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period, and (d) will send signals to an output port associated with the appropriate zone to switch said heater on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods. The invention can be used with any substrate, and any heater. However, it is of particular value when the substrate has non-uniform thermal characteristics, i.e. the thermal losses from the substrate and/or the heat supplied to the substrate vary from place to place. Particularly important substrates of this type are piping systems containing pipes of two or more different diameters. For such non-uniform substrates, it is necessary to make an actual or theoretical identification of the most vulnerable part of the substrate, i.e. the part which cools most rapidly, and to determine heat-up and cool-down durations which ensure that the temperature of the most vulnerable part does not drop below a specified minimum. In a system containing pipes of different diameters, the most vulnerable part will often be one of the smallest diameter pipes in which there is little or no flow of liquid. If the substrate can be used in different ways, e.g. for different flow patterns in a piping system, then the most vulnerable part of the substrate will often depend upon the way in which the substrate is being used. In this case, the heat-up and cool-down durations must be determined by reference to the most vulnerable part of the substrate in any possible use, or the control system must identify the particular use and then determine the heat-up1 and cool-down durations for the most vulnerable part of the substrate in that particular use. The determination of the heat-up and cool-down durations can conveniently be done by determining the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the substrate and of the heater and insulation associated therewith, and calculating the heat-up and cool-down durations which, for the sensed ambient temperature, will maintain that part of the substrate at a temperature which is between a lower-limit temperature TL and upper-limit temperature Tu. (For reasons explained below, TL will be somewhat higher, e.g. 1.5 to 8.3°C (3 to 15°F) higher, than the permitted minimum for the substrate.) Thus, assuming that the ambient temperature does not change, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will heat from TL to Tu during the heat-up period and cool from Tu to TL during the cool-down period. The same result can be achieved by defining a reference system composed of a reference substrate, heater and insulation, each having a known relationship to the most vulnerable part of the substrate and the heater and insulation associated therewith, and determining heat-up and cool-down durations for the reference system using different values for Tu and TL corresponding to that relationship. For example, in a piping system containing pipes of different sizes, the same heat-up and cool-down durations might be determined as the durations needed to maintain the pipes of 1.25 cm (0.5 inch) diameter between 64 and 66.7°C (148 and 152°F), or as the durations needed to maintain pipes of a larger diameter between 70.5 and 71.5°C (159 and 161°F). In a preferred embodiment, the duration of each heat-up period and the duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and each heat-up duration, expressed in hours is a function of the expression Tu is the upper-limit temperature, expressed in ° TL is the lower-limit temperature, expressed in °F, TA is the ambient temperature, expressed in °F at the discrete time, and is less than Tu, Q is the power of the reference heater, expressed in BTU/hour. and is such that RQ is greater than TL - TA. Preferably the heat-up duration is equal to the expression (I) and the cool-down duration is equal to the express (II) when the sum of the expressions is less than a fixed period which is from 0.5 to 1.3 hours; and the heat-up duration isp times the expression (I) and the cool-down duration isp times the expression (II) when the sum of the expressions is equal to or greater than said fixed period, where/? is a number less than 1 such that the sum of the heat-up duration and the cool-down duration is equal to the fixed period. band", or the amount by which the temperature of the reference substrate preferably varies above or below TMAINT, and TMIN.AMB is the lowest ambient temperature, expressed in °F, at which the heater, operating continuously, can maintain the reference substrate at TMAINT- By way of illustration, Table 1 below shows, for various ambient air temperatures, the heat-up and cool-down durations in minutes and the cycle time (the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) calculated according to the above expressions for a pipe which has an outer diameter of 1.25 cm (0.5 inch), which is surrounded by mineral fiber insulation 6.4 cm (2.5 inch) thick, and which is heated by a heater having a heating power of 6.7 watts (22.76 BTU/hour), when TL is 64.4°C (148°F) and TU is 66.6°C (152°F). It may be noted that the cycle time depends upon the ambient temperature, being long at low ambient temperatures, decreasing to a minimum as the ambient temperature increases, and then again increasing. In a first embodiment, the heater is switched on and off for the heat-up and cool-down durations which have been determined to maintain the most vulnerable part of the system between TL and Tu. In a second embodiment, the heater is switched on for a specified fraction or multiple of the heat-up duration determined in this way, and then switched off for the same fraction or multiple of the cool-down duration determined in this way. For example, the ambient temperature might be sensed at fixed times separated by a fixed period, and the ratio of the heat-up duration to the cool-down duration (as determined to maintain the substrate between TL and Tu) used to determine how the fixed period is to be divided between heating and cooling. The fixed period is preferably less than the minimum cycle time when the most vulnerable part of the substrate is to be maintained between TL and Tu, e.g. 2 to 9 minutes. In a third, and preferred, embodiment, the heat-up and cool-down durations are determined in accordance with the first embodiment if the cycle time so-calculated (i.e. the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) is less than a predetermined period, e.g. in the range 0.5 to 1.25 hours, for example 1 hour, and are determined in accordance with the second embodiment if the cycle time so-calculated is equal to or greater than the predetermined period. The heat-up and cool-down durations do not take account of the actual temperature of the substrate or of changes in ambient temperature after the discrete time (or the last of the discrete times), the ambient temperature at which is used to determine those durations. The precise effect of the heating and cooling on the substrate, during particular successive heat-up and cool-down periods, will, therefore, depend on the temperature of the substrate at the beginning of the heat-up period and any changes which take place in the ambient temperature during the heat-up and cool-down periods. Since the substrate loses less heat at lower substrate temperatures than at higher substrate temperatures, the temperature of the substrate will adjust towards the lower limit TL at the end of the cool-down period. In a conventional heated piping system, the smaller the pipe, the more rapidly its temperature will adjust towards TL. However, even for a small pipe, the time needed for a cold pipe to reach its maintenance temperature is substantially longer than the time which is needed if the heater is left on continuously. Therefore, although this invention can be used to heat a cold substrate to a desired maintenance temperature, it is preferred to operate the heater continuously when it is first switched on, e.g. for a fixed time, so that the substrate reaches an elevated temperature, preferably the desired maintenance temperature, before this invention is employed. If the ambient temperature drops during a heat-up and/or cool-down period, the reference substrate will lose more heat than was assumed in the determination of the duration of that period, and the temperature of the substrate at the end of the cool-down period may, therefore, be less than TL. Therefore, when the durations are determined by reference to the most vulnerable part of the substrate, TL should be somewhat higher than the minimum temperature permitted for the substrate by a safety margin which will depend upon the system, but may be for example 1.5 to 8.3°C (3° to 15°F). Correspondingly, when the heat-up and cool-down durations are determined by means of a reference system which has a known relationship to the most vulnerable part of the system, TL should be set somewhat higher than the temperature which corresponds to the minimum permitted temperature of the most vulnerable part of the substrate. When the heat-up duration is the time needed to heat the reference substrate from TL to Tu, and the cool-down duration is the time needed for the reference substrate to cool from Tu to TL, the larger the difference between Tu and TL, the longer the cycle time (i.e. the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) at any particular ambient temperature, and the less frequently the heater is switched on and off. For example, a typical reference substrate might have, at an ambient of 4.4°C (40°F), a cycle time of 8 minutes when TL is 36.1°C (97°F) and Tu is 39.4°C (103°F), and a cycle time of 17 minutes when TL is 32.2°C (90°F) and Tv is 43.3°C (110°F). When the most vulnerable part of the substrate is the reference substrate, TU-TL is typically 0.6 to 11.1°C (1 to 20°F), preferably 0.5 to 5.6°C (1 to 10°F), particularly 1.1 to 3.3°C (2 to 6°F). The corresponding cycle time will depend upon the substrate and the ambient temperature, but is typically 1 to 60 minutes for ambient temperatures of -23 °C to 37.8°C (-10 to 100°F) and 5 to 30 minutes for ambient temperatures of-17.8 to 32.2°C (0 to 90°F). When the reference substrate is part of an alternative reference system, the difference between Tu and TL preferably corresponds to differences of 0.6 to 11.1 °C (1 to 20°F), preferably 0.6 to 5.5°C (1 to 10°F), particularly 1.1 to 3.3°C (2 to 6°F), in the most vulnerable part of the substrate. If there is a fixed cycle time (divided between heat-up and cool-down periods), the longer the cycle time, the greater the difference between TL and the highest temperature reached by the reference substrate. When there is a fixed cycle time, it is typically 1 to 20 minutes, preferably 2 to 15 minutes, particularly 5 to 9 minutes. If the fixed cycle time is less than the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations calculated (at a particular ambient temperature) for the most vulnerable part of the substrate to cycle between TL and Tu at the sensed ambient temperature, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will be heated to a temperature proportionately less than Tu. Conversely, if the fixed cycle time is more than the sum of those heat-up and cool-down durations, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will be heated to a temperature proportionately greater than Tu. Since the sum of those heat-up and cool-down durations depends on the ambient temperature (see Table 1 above), the highest temperature to which the substrate is heated in a fixed cycle varies with the ambient temperature. When the method of the invention makes use of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time during the cycle of heating and cooling, (e.g. at the end of each heat-up period or at the end of each cool-down period) the interval between the discrete times at which the ambient temperature must be sensed is the same as the cycle time. When the ambient temperatures sensed at two or more discrete times are used to determined a heat-up duration, or a cool-down duration, or both, the discrete times are separated by a time which is typically at least 1 minute, preferably at least 2 minutes, particularly 5 to 15 minutes. As the ambient temperature approaches the design minimum (i.e. the lowest ambient temperature at which the heater, when operated continuously and at full power, can maintain the substrate above a specified minimum temperature), the ratio of the heat-up period to the cool-down period increases. Preferably, the control system is set to switch the heater on As the ambient temperature approaches Tu, the ratio of the Heat-up duration to the cool-down duration decreases and becomes zero when the ambient temperature reaches Tu. Furthermore, if the ambient temperature is above TL, and the most vulnerable part is above TL, no heating is in fact required (though no damage is done if the substrate is heated to Tu). It is preferred, therefore, that the control system be set to switch the heater off continuously when the ambient temperature reaches (TL-X1) °C, where x1 is 0 to 2.8°C, [(TL - x)°F where x is 0 to 5°F], and is less than the safety margin between TL and the minimum permitted temperature for the substrate. The invention can be used with any electrical heater, but is particularly useful for elongate heaters, including series and parallel constant wattage heaters (including in particular mineral insulated cable heaters and zone heaters) and self-regulating heaters, including in particular self-regulating heaters comprising PTC (positive temperature coefficient) elements. The PTC elements are preferably resistive heating elements but may be control elements connected between parallel bus wires and constant wattage resistive heating elements. Suitable PTC materials include PTC conductive polymers, which are generally preferred, and PTC ceramics. Particularly good results are obtained when the heater is a self-regulating heater, because the power output of such heaters decreases as the substrate temperature approaches the desired maintenance temperature. Elongate self-regulating heaters based on PTC conductive polymers, and suitable for heating pipes, are well-known and are available commercially, for example from Raychem Corporation under the trade names QTV and K TV. Although the power output of a self-regulating heater changes with temperature, it does not change very rapidly in the relatively narrow temperature band between TL and Tu. Therefore, the heat-up and cool-down periods can usually be determined with sufficient accuracy by the methods described above, which assume a constant power output. However, the invention includes the possibility of including the change in power output as one of the factors for calculating the heat-up and cool-down durations. The determination of the heat-up and cool-down periods is preferably made with the aid of a microprocessor. The microprocessor can be one whose memory contains look-up tables of separately calculated heat-up and cool-down periods for each ambient temperature and for each heater or zone, or it can be one which computes, each time, the heat-up or cool-down period. Suitable microprocessors are well know, for example a Zilog Z 80180 or a Motorola 68HC 7C 05 C8. The program instructions can for example be stored in a 64K EPROM and 8K of non-volatile RAM used for data storage. A CMOS programmable peripheral digital I/O can be used to interface with a keypad. An A to D converter can be used to interface with the temperature sensor. The ambient temperature can be sensed by any suitable temperature sensor. Suitable sensors are well known, for example the Resistance Temperature Device available from Raychem Corporation under the trade name RTD 300. The microprocessor is preferably programmed so that, if it receives no input from the ambient temperature sensor, it sets off an alarm and preferably initiates a back-up program which ensures that the system comes to no harm, e.g. switches on all the heaters controlled by it. Similarly, the system preferably includes an alarm which is set off if the power supply fails. Referring now to Figure 1, which is a diagrammatic illustration of a system of the invention, pipes 11,12 and 13 have different diameters and are surrounded by thermal insulation, 15, and pipes 21 and 22 also have different diameters and are surrounded by thermal insulation 25. Between each of pipes 11,12 and 13 and the insulation 15 lies an elongate self-regulating heater 1; the same heater is wrapped around each of the pipes, but the larger the diameter of the pipe, the greater the wrapping frequency. Similarly a heater 2 is wrapped around the pipes 21 and 22 under the insulation 25. The heater 1 is connected, by connections not shown, to an AC power source 2, and can be switched on and off by contacter 3. Similarly, the heater 2 is connected, by connections not shown, to the AC power source 2 and can be switched on and off by contacter 4. An ambient air temperature sensor 51 is placed in the vicinity of the thermally insulated pipes in a position where it will sense an ambient air temperature which is representative of the pipe system generally. The sensor 51 is connected to a microprocessor 52. The microprocessor 52 has been programmed to compute, for a given ambient temperature supplied to it by the sensor 51 and for the heater 1, a heat-up duration which will cause the smallest insulated pipe, 11, to increase in temperature from a lower limit TLI to an upper limit Tu1, and a cool-down duration which will cause the pipe 11 to cool from Tui to TLI. The microprocessor makes this computation at the end of each cool-down period, and uses it to control a relay 53 which operates the contacter 3. Similarly, the microprocessor 52 has been programmed to compute, for a given ambient temperature supplied to it by the sensor 51 and for the heater 2, a heat-up duration which will cause the smaller pipe 21 to increase in temperature from a lower limit Tu to an upper limit Tu2, and a cool-down duration which will cause the pipe 2 to cool from Tu2 to TI2. The microprocessor makes this computation at the end of each cool-down period and uses it to control the relay 54 which operates the contacter 4. In a modification of the method of the invention in which the sum of the heat-up and cool-down variations is a fixed period, the heater is operated at less than its full power, continuously throughout the fixed period (or over one or more periods whose duration is greater than a heat-up duration determined for a heat-up period when the heater is operated at full power), the proportion of the full power employed being such that the heater provides to the substrate, during the fixed period, an amount of heat which will cause the substrate to be at TL at the end of the fixed period (assuming that the substrate is in fact at TL at the beginning of the fixed period and the ambient temperature does not change during the fixed period.) CLAIMS 1. A method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of different electrical heaters, the substrate being surrounded by thermal insulation and the heaters lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the substrate comprising at least two different zones and each zone being heated by one or more heaters which heat only that zone, wherein each of the heaters is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods whose durations (a) ensure that all parts of the substrate are maintained at or above a selected minimum temperature, and (b) are successively determined at successive discrete times, the determinations being carried out by a single microprocessor, independently for each zone, as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at the time of the determination or at one or more discrete earlier times. 2. A method according to Claim 1 wherein (A) the microprocessor has a memory in which there is recorded, for each sector or for each group of sectors having similar heating requirements, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) a most vulnerable part, which is the part of the sector or group of sectors which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the heater adjacent said part; and (B) the durations of each heat-up period and the immediately succeeding cool-down period are determined at the same time and are functions of the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature at that time, to heat said most vulnerable part from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period. 3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of interconnected pipes, each of the heaters is an elongate heater, and the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods are functions of the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature, to heat said most vulnerable part from the lower limit temperature TL to an upper limit temperature Tu, where TU-TL is 0.5 to 8,3°C (1 to 15°F), and then to cool back to TL. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the substrate comprises at least 5 zones, each zone being heated by at least one self-regulating heater which is at least 15 feet long. 5- A method of heating a fluid transfer system comprising a plurality of pipes which are surrounded by thermal insulation, the system comprising a plurality of zones having different heating requirements and each of the zones including at least one elongate electrical heater which (i) lies between the pipes in that zone and the thermal insulation surrounding them, and (ii) is switched on and off during successive heat-up and cool-down periods, thereby maintaining all the pipes in that zone above a minimum temperature, the method comprising, for each of the zones separately, (1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period; (2) determining a cool-down duration fore each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period; (3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and (4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3). 6. A method according to Claim 5 wherein a single microprocessor is used to determine the heat-up and cool-down durations for each of the heaters. 7. A method according to Claim 5 or 6 wherein ambient temperature is sensed at a single location, and the heat-up and cool-down durations for all the heaters are determined as a function of the ambient temperature sensed at that location. 8. A method according to any one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the heat-up and cool-down durations for each heater are determined at successive discrete times which are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes. 9. A method according to any one of Claims 5 to 8 wherein the heat-up duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for a reference heater to heat a reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature TL to an upper-limit temperature Tu, where TU-TL is 0.5 to 8.3°C (1 to 15°F), and the cool-down duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for the reference substrate to cool from Ty to TL, the reference substrate being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference substrate and the reference insulation. IU. J\ metnoa accoraing to (Jlaim y wherein the reference substrate is the part of the zone which cools most rapidly, the reference heater is the heater which heats said part, and the reference insulation is the insulation surrounding said part. 11. A method according to Claim 9 or 10 wherein the duration of each heat-up period and the duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and the heat-up duration, expressed in hours, is a function of the expression 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the heat-up duration is equal to the expression (I) and the cool-down duration is equal to the expression (II) when the sum of the expressions is less than a fixed period which is from 0.5 to 1.3 hours; and the heat-up duration isp times the expression (I) and the cool-down duration isp times the expression (II) when the sum of the expressions is equal to or greater than said fixed period, where p is a number less than 1 such that the sum of the heat-up duration and the cool-down duration is equal to the fixed period. 13. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 12 wherein the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration is 5 to 30 minutes when the ambient temperature is from -17.8 to 32.2°C (0° to 90°F). 14. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 13 wherein the heater is a self-regulating heater. 15. A method of maintaining a substrate above a minimum temperature by means of an electric heater, the heater being switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, the substrate being thermally insulated by thermal insulation, and the heater lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the method comprising (1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period; (2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period; (3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and (4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3); the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration being 2 to 60 minutes. 16. A method according to Claim 15 wherein the heat-up duration of each heat-up period and the cool-down duration of the immediately following or immediately preceding cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature at a discrete time during the immediately preceding heat-up period or cool-down period, and the successive discrete times are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes. 17. A method according to Claim 15 or 16 wherein the heat-up duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for a reference heater to heat a reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature TL to an upper-limit temperature Tu, where Tu-TL is 0.5 to 8.3°C (1 to 10°F), and the cool-down duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for the reference substrate to cool from Tu to TL, the reference substrate being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference substrate and the reference insulation. 18. A method according to Claim 16 wherein the duration of each heat-up period and the duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and the heat-up duration, expressed in hours, is a function of the expression 19. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 18 wherein the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration is 5 to 30 minutes when TA is from 0° to 90°F. 20. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 19 wherein the heater is a self-regulating heater. 21. A controller which can be used to control an electrical heater which is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and which comprises (a) a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature; (b) switching means for causing an electric heater to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and (c) a regulator which (i) is operatively connected to the sensor and the switching means, (ii) can operate the switching means so that the heater is connected to the power source during the heat-up periods and is disconnected from the power source during the cool-down periods, and (iii) comprises determining means which can determine heat-up and cool-down durations for the heat-up and cool-down periods as a function of the ambient air temperature sensed by the sensor at one or more discrete earlier times, said earlier times being separated by a time of at least 1 minute. 22. A controller according to Claim 21 wherein the regulator determines, as a function of the ambient temperature sensed at one or more of the discrete times, (i) a heat-up duration which is a function of the time needed for a reference heater to heat a thermally insulated reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature to an upper-limit temperature, and (ii) a cool-down duration which is a function of the time needed for the reference substrate to cool from the upper-limit temperature to the lower-limit temperature; the reference body being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference body and the reference insulation. 23. A controller according to Claim 21 or 22 wherein the determining means is a microprocessor which can determine the duration of each heat-up period as a function of the expression where R is the effective thermal resistance, expressed in hour. °F/BTU, of the reference thermal insulation surrounding the reference substrate, C is the thermal capacity of the reference substrate, expressed in BTU/°F, Tu is the upper-limit temperature, expressed in °F, TL is the lower-limit temperature, expressed in °F, TA is the ambient temperature, expressed in °F at the discrete time, and is less than Tu, and Q is the power of the reference heater, expressed in BTU/hour, and is such that RQ is greater than TL - TA. 24. A controller according to any one of Claims 21 to 23 which includes timing means for operating the determining means at discrete times which are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes. 25. A regulator which can be used to control a plurality of electrical heaters which heat separate zones of a thermally insulated substrate, the regulator comprising (1) at least one input port for receiving information from a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature; (2) a plurality of output ports, each of the output ports being capable of sending signals to respective switching means for causing each electrical heater in respective zones to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and (3) a microprocessor which (a) will receive information about ambient air temperatures from the input port, (b) comprises a memory in which there is recorded, for each zone, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) a most vulnerable part, which is the part of the zone which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the electrical heater heating said part, (c) is programmed to calculate, separately for each of the zones and at successive discrete times, durations of successive alternating heat-up and cool-down periods which are the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature received from the input port, to heat said part of the zone from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period, and (d) will send signals to an output port associated with the appropriate zone to switch said heater on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods. 26. A regulator according to Claim 25 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to calculate heat-up and cool-down periods which are functions of the time periods needed to heat said most vulnerable part of the zone from the lower limit temperature TL to an upper limit temperature Tu and then to cool back to TL- 27. A method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of different electrical heaters, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 28. A controller which can be used to control an electrical heater substantially as herein described with Reference to the accompanying drawings.

Full Text

This invention relates to electrical heating systems.
Elongate electrical heaters are often used to heat systems of pipes and/or storage vessels which contain liquids and which are thermally insulated. Most such systems fall into two different categories. In the first category, the liquid is water, and the objective is to ensure that the water does not freeze. In typical freeze-protection systems in this category, one or more heaters are controlled by a single thermostat which senses the ambient air temperature and switches the heater(s) on if the ambient air temperature falls below a lower limit temperature, e.g. 4.5°C (40°F), and switches the heater(s) off if the ambient temperature increases to a higher limit temperature, e.g. 6°C (43°F). One disadvantage of such systems is that the heater is switched on continuously even though this is not required (except when the ambient temperature is at the lowest value at which the heater can prevent the water from freezing). Another disadvantage is the loss of control if the thermostat fails, which may not be immediately apparent. Another disadvantage is the cost of the thermostat, especially when the current drawn by the heater(s) is large, either in the steady state or when the heater is first switched on.
In the second category of systems, the liquid is not water (e.g. it is an organic liquid or a solution, slurry, suspension, or dispersion in water or an organic liquid) and the objective is to maintain the liquid at a relatively high temperature, e.g. 7°C (45°F) or more, as it is moved through the system from one storage vessel or treatment station to another. Such systems are used, for example, in hydrocarbon refineries and food processing plants. In typical temperature-maintenance systems of this type, there are a number of different sectors, and each sector is heated by a different heater. Each heater is controlled by a line-sensing thermostat which senses the temperature at a selected point on one of the pipes heated by that heater. Once the sector has been heated to the maintenance temperature, the heater is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and the duration of those periods is controlled by the line-sensing thermostat. The line-sensing thermostat turns the heater on when the sensed temperature falls to a lower limit, and turns the heater off when the sensed temperature reaches an upper limit. Temperature-maintenance systems require very careful design, in particular when the flow pattern may be deliberately changed, thus producing different thermal demands. The system must be divided into sectors which can appropriately be heated by a single heater, and within each sector, the line-sensing thermostat must be placed at the most vulnerable part (i.e. the part most likely to drop below the maintenance temperature in any possible flow pattern within the sector). The most vulnerable part is usually the smallest pipe in the system and/or a pipe in which there may be no liquid flow. In many temperature-maintenance systems, there are more than 5 sectors, each with its own heater, and systems containing more than 20 sectors are by no means

unusual. In at least some of the sectors, the heater may be quite short, e.g. less than 6 meters (20 feet) long, and the average circuit length (total length of all the heaters divided by the number of sectors) may be 7.5-12 meters (25-40 feet). These systems suffer from a number of disadvantages, for example the cost of the thermostats, of placing the thermostats at the most vulnerable parts of the respective sectors, and of running appropriate wiring to the thermostats; the loss of control if a thermostat fails (which may not be immediately apparent); the difficulty of replacing a failed thermostat, especially if the most vulnerable part of the sector is not readily accessible; and the need to reposition at least some of the thermostats if the system is changed or a new flow pattern is adopted.
We have discovered, in accordance with the present invention, an improved method of controlling the way in which an electrical heater is used to maintain a thermally insulated substrate at or above a desired maintenance temperature. In this improved method, the ambient air temperature is sensed at discrete times and used to determine the duration of subsequent periods in which the heater is switched on (heat-up periods) or switched off (cool-down periods), so that all parts of the system heated by that heater are maintained at or above the desired maintenance temperature. Preferably, ambient air temperature is the sole variable which is used to determine the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods.
The invention makes use of the fact that, knowing the ambient temperature and the characteristics of a heater, a substrate, and thermal insulation surrounding the heater and the substrate, and assuming that the ambient temperature does not change, it is possible to predict the effect of delivering a known amount of heat to the substrate over a known cycle time. For example, if the substrate is at a lower-limit temperature TL and is to be maintained between TL and an upper-limit temperature Tu, it is possible to determine how long the heater should be switched on to heat the substrate to Tu, and how long the heater can be switched off before the substrate has cooled back to Tu. Similarly, if the substrate is at TL, it is possible to determine how to divide a fixed period (e.g. of 10 minutes) between heating and cooling in order for the substrate to be heated sufficiently to return to TL at the end of the fixed period.
We have realized, in accordance with the present invention, that since ambient air temperatures change relatively slowly (and the thermal insulation further slows the effect of such changes) and the temperature of the heated substrate can vary (provided that the temperature does not drop below a specified minimum), the disadvantages described above can be mitigated or overcome by (A) determining the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the system (i.e. the part most likely to drop below a selected minimum temperature); (B) determining, for the ambient temperature at a particular time (and assuming that the ambient temperature does not change), the durations of heat-up and cool-down periods which will maintain the most vulnerable part above a desired lower limit

temperature; and (C) switching the heater on for the heat-up period and off for the cool-down period. This cycle is repeated, using the ambient temperature at successive discrete times as the basis for determining the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods. The durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods are preferably determined on the basis of (1) a lower limit temperature which is somewhat higher than the desired maintenance temperature (to allow for the possibility that the ambient temperature drops during the heat-up and/or cool-down period) and (2) (a) an upper limit temperature, which is the desired maximum temperature which the most vulnerable part should reach (assuming that the ambient temperature remains constant) and/or (b) a desired cycle time (i.e. the sum of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods). The parts of the system other than the most vulnerable part will at all times be at temperatures higher than the most vulnerable part. The determination of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods is preferably carried out by a microprocessor which (a) is linked to an ambient air temperature sensor, (b) is programmed to determine the durations on the basis of the input from the sensor and stored information about the most vulnerable part of the system, and (c) sends signals to a contacter or other switching device which controls delivery of electrical power to the heater.
The method described above can be modified in a number of different ways, including the following.
(a) The system can be divided into a number of zones which have different heating requirements and each of which is heated by one or more different heaters, and the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods for each zone are then determined separately. The determination for each zone can be made on the basis of the ambient air temperature sensed at a single location; or the determinations for different zones can be made on the basis of the ambient air temperature sensed at different locations; or the determinations can be made on the basis of the lowest ambient air temperature sensed at two or more different locations.
(b) The determination of the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods must be related to the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the system. These characteristics can be determined empirically or theoretically for a precisely identified most vulnerable part. However, in some cases, it may be easier to determine the durations on the basis of a reference substrate, heater and insulation which are related to, but not necessarily the same as, the most vulnerable part, or indeed any part, of the actual substrate, heater, and insulation.
(c) In the simplest case, the ambient air temperature is sensed at a single time during each cycle of heat-up and cool-down (e.g. at the end of each cool-down period) and is used as the sole variable to determine the durations of the immediately following heat-up and cool-down

periods. However, more complicated methods can be used to determine the heat-up and cool-down durations. For example, the durations can be a function of two or more ambient temperatures (for example to take account of relatively rapid rates of change of ambient temperature), and/or can be a function of one or more ambient temperatures which are sensed at intervals determined by the ambient temperatures themselves. Other methods for determining the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods can be used, provided that one or more ambient temperatures are used to determine the amount of heat delivered to the substrate over a defined period in the future.
The invention provides many advantages over existing systems, in particular the elimination of all or most of the thermostats now employed. The invention is particularly useful for controlling the heaters in temperature-maintenance systems, especially those containing two or more zones which together make up a complex arrangement of pipes, each zone being heated by one or more heaters, and the heater(s) in each zone being separately controlled by a single microprocessor which determines, for each zone separately, the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods of the heater(s) therein. Elimination of (or at least a reduction in the number of) the conventional line-sensing thermostats and the associated wiring results in cost savings which far outweigh the additional expense of an ambient air temperature sensor, a microprocessor, and a number of contacters, each linked to the output of the microprocessor for a single heater or for a single group of heaters whose heat-up and cool-down requirements are the same. The reduced number of components also improves the operating reliability of the system. Another advantage is that the way in which the heaters supply heat can easily be changed, merely by reprogramming the microprocessor, in order to take account of modifications of the system and/or the way in which the liquid flows through it. A typical temperature-maintenance system to which this invention can most advantageously be applied contains at least 5 heaters, preferably at least 10 heaters, each at least 4.5 meters (15 feet), preferably at least 7.6 meters (25 feet) long, with preferably at least some of those heaters being 15.25 to 45.7 meters (50 to 150 feet) long.
The invention can also be used to control a single heater for a freeze protection system. However, the added expense of an ambient air temperature sensor, a microprocessor, and a contacter (or other switching mechanism) may not outweigh the lower operating costs of the new system, except where high currents make it necessary for conventional systems to use large and expensive thermostats.
In a first preferred aspect, this invention provides a method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of different electrical heaters, the substrate being surrounded by thermal insulation and the heaters lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the substrate comprising at least two different zones and each zone being heated by one or more heaters

which heat only that zone, wherein each of the heaters is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods whose durations (a) ensure that all parts of the substrate are maintained at or above a selected minimum temperature, and (b) are successively determined at successive discrete times, the determinations being carried out by a single microprocessor, independently for each zone, as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at the time of the determination or at one or more discrete earlier times.
In a second preferred aspect, the invention provides a method of heating a fluid transfer system comprising a plurality of pipes which are surrounded by thermal insulation, the system comprising a plurality of zones having different heating requirements and each of the zones including at least one elongate electrical heater which (i) lies between the pipes in that zone and the thermal insulation surrounding them, and (ii) is switched on and off during successive heat-up and cool-down periods, thereby maintaining all the pipes in that zone above a minimum temperature, the method comprising, for each of the zones separately,
(1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period;
(2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period;
(3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and
(4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-
down durations determined in step (3).
In a third preferred aspect, the invention provides a method of maintaining a substrate above a minimum temperature by means of an electric heater, the heater being switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, the substrate being thermally insulated by thermal insulation, and the heater lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the method comprising
(1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period;

(2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period;
(3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and
(4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3);
the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration being 2 to 60 minutes.
In a fourth preferred aspect, the invention provides a controller which can be used to control an electrical heater which is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and which comprises
(a) a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature;
(b) switching means for causing an electric heater to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and
(c) a regulator which
(i) is operatively connected to the sensor and the switching means,
(ii) can operate the switching means so that the heater is connected to the power source during the heat-up periods and is disconnected from the power source during the cool-down periods, and
(iii) comprises determining means which can determine heat-up and cool-down durations for the heat-up and cool-down periods as a function of the ambient air temperature sensed by the sensor at one or more discrete earlier times, said earlier times being separated by a time of at least 1 minute.
In a fifth preferred aspect, the invention provides a regulator which can be used to control a plurality of electrical heaters which heat separate zones of a thermally insulated substrate, the regulator comprising

(1) at least one input port for receiving information from a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature;
(2) a plurality of output ports, each of the output ports being capable of sending signals to respective switching means for causing each electrical heater in respective zones to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and
(3) a microprocessor which (a) will receive information about ambient air temperatures from the input port, (b) comprises a memory in which there is recorded, for each zone, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) that part of the zone which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the electrical heater heating said part, (c) is programmed to calculate, separately for each of the zones and at successive discrete times, durations of successive alternating heat-up and cool-down periods which are the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature received from the input port, to heat said part of the zone from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period, and (d) will send signals to an output port associated with the appropriate zone to switch said heater on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods.
The invention can be used with any substrate, and any heater. However, it is of particular value when the substrate has non-uniform thermal characteristics, i.e. the thermal losses from the substrate and/or the heat supplied to the substrate vary from place to place. Particularly important substrates of this type are piping systems containing pipes of two or more different diameters. For such non-uniform substrates, it is necessary to make an actual or theoretical identification of the most vulnerable part of the substrate, i.e. the part which cools most rapidly, and to determine heat-up and cool-down durations which ensure that the temperature of the most vulnerable part does not drop below a specified minimum. In a system containing pipes of different diameters, the most vulnerable part will often be one of the smallest diameter pipes in which there is little or no flow of liquid. If the substrate can be used in different ways, e.g. for different flow patterns in a piping system, then the most vulnerable part of the substrate will often depend upon the way in which the substrate is being used. In this case, the heat-up and cool-down durations must be determined by reference to the most vulnerable part of the substrate in any possible use, or the control

system must identify the particular use and then determine the heat-up1 and cool-down durations for the most vulnerable part of the substrate in that particular use.
The determination of the heat-up and cool-down durations can conveniently be done by determining the thermal characteristics of the most vulnerable part of the substrate and of the heater and insulation associated therewith, and calculating the heat-up and cool-down durations which, for the sensed ambient temperature, will maintain that part of the substrate at a temperature which is between a lower-limit temperature TL and upper-limit temperature Tu. (For reasons explained below, TL will be somewhat higher, e.g. 1.5 to 8.3°C (3 to 15°F) higher, than the permitted minimum for the substrate.) Thus, assuming that the ambient temperature does not change, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will heat from TL to Tu during the heat-up period and cool from Tu to TL during the cool-down period. The same result can be achieved by defining a reference system composed of a reference substrate, heater and insulation, each having a known relationship to the most vulnerable part of the substrate and the heater and insulation associated therewith, and determining heat-up and cool-down durations for the reference system using different values for Tu and TL corresponding to that relationship. For example, in a piping system containing pipes of different sizes, the same heat-up and cool-down durations might be determined as the durations needed to maintain the pipes of 1.25 cm (0.5 inch) diameter between 64 and 66.7°C (148 and 152°F), or as the durations needed to maintain pipes of a larger diameter between 70.5 and 71.5°C (159 and 161°F).
In a preferred embodiment, the duration of each heat-up period and the duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and each heat-up duration, expressed in hours is a function of the expression

Tu is the upper-limit temperature, expressed in °
TL is the lower-limit temperature, expressed in °F,
TA is the ambient temperature, expressed in °F at the discrete time, and is
less than Tu, Q is the power of the reference heater, expressed in BTU/hour. and is
such that RQ is greater than TL - TA.
Preferably the heat-up duration is equal to the expression (I) and the cool-down duration is equal to the express (II) when the sum of the expressions is less than a fixed period which is from 0.5 to 1.3 hours; and the heat-up duration isp times the expression (I) and the cool-down duration isp times the expression (II) when the sum of the expressions is equal to or greater than said fixed period, where/? is a number less than 1 such that the sum of the heat-up duration and the cool-down duration is equal to the fixed period.

band", or the amount by which the temperature of the reference substrate preferably varies above or below TMAINT, and
TMIN.AMB is the lowest ambient temperature, expressed in °F, at which the heater, operating continuously, can maintain the reference substrate at TMAINT-

By way of illustration, Table 1 below shows, for various ambient air temperatures, the heat-up and cool-down durations in minutes and the cycle time (the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) calculated according to the above expressions for a pipe which has an outer diameter of 1.25 cm (0.5 inch), which is surrounded by mineral fiber insulation 6.4 cm (2.5 inch) thick, and which is heated by a heater having a heating power of 6.7 watts (22.76 BTU/hour), when TL is 64.4°C (148°F) and TU is 66.6°C (152°F). It may be noted that the cycle time depends upon the ambient temperature, being long at low ambient temperatures, decreasing to a minimum as the ambient temperature increases, and then again increasing.

In a first embodiment, the heater is switched on and off for the heat-up and cool-down durations which have been determined to maintain the most vulnerable part of the system between TL and Tu. In a second embodiment, the heater is switched on for a specified fraction or multiple of the heat-up duration determined in this way, and then switched off for the same fraction or multiple of the cool-down duration determined in this way. For example, the ambient temperature might be sensed at fixed times separated by a fixed period, and the ratio of the heat-up duration to the cool-down duration (as determined to maintain the substrate between TL and Tu) used to determine how the fixed period is to be divided between heating and cooling. The fixed period is preferably less than the minimum cycle time when the most vulnerable part of the substrate is to be maintained between TL and Tu, e.g. 2 to 9 minutes. In a third, and preferred, embodiment, the heat-up and cool-down durations are determined in accordance with the first embodiment if the cycle time so-calculated (i.e. the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) is less than a predetermined period, e.g. in the range 0.5 to 1.25 hours, for example 1 hour, and are determined in

accordance with the second embodiment if the cycle time so-calculated is equal to or greater than the predetermined period.
The heat-up and cool-down durations do not take account of the actual temperature of the substrate or of changes in ambient temperature after the discrete time (or the last of the discrete times), the ambient temperature at which is used to determine those durations. The precise effect of the heating and cooling on the substrate, during particular successive heat-up and cool-down periods, will, therefore, depend on the temperature of the substrate at the beginning of the heat-up period and any changes which take place in the ambient temperature during the heat-up and cool-down periods. Since the substrate loses less heat at lower substrate temperatures than at higher substrate temperatures, the temperature of the substrate will adjust towards the lower limit TL at the end of the cool-down period. In a conventional heated piping system, the smaller the pipe, the more rapidly its temperature will adjust towards TL. However, even for a small pipe, the time needed for a cold pipe to reach its maintenance temperature is substantially longer than the time which is needed if the heater is left on continuously. Therefore, although this invention can be used to heat a cold substrate to a desired maintenance temperature, it is preferred to operate the heater continuously when it is first switched on, e.g. for a fixed time, so that the substrate reaches an elevated temperature, preferably the desired maintenance temperature, before this invention is employed.
If the ambient temperature drops during a heat-up and/or cool-down period, the reference substrate will lose more heat than was assumed in the determination of the duration of that period, and the temperature of the substrate at the end of the cool-down period may, therefore, be less than TL. Therefore, when the durations are determined by reference to the most vulnerable part of the substrate, TL should be somewhat higher than the minimum temperature permitted for the substrate by a safety margin which will depend upon the system, but may be for example 1.5 to 8.3°C (3° to 15°F). Correspondingly, when the heat-up and cool-down durations are determined by means of a reference system which has a known relationship to the most vulnerable part of the system, TL should be set somewhat higher than the temperature which corresponds to the minimum permitted temperature of the most vulnerable part of the substrate.
When the heat-up duration is the time needed to heat the reference substrate from TL to Tu, and the cool-down duration is the time needed for the reference substrate to cool from Tu to TL, the larger the difference between Tu and TL, the longer the cycle time (i.e. the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations) at any particular ambient temperature, and the less frequently the heater is switched on and off. For example, a typical reference substrate might have, at an ambient of 4.4°C (40°F), a cycle time of 8 minutes when TL is 36.1°C (97°F) and

Tu is 39.4°C (103°F), and a cycle time of 17 minutes when TL is 32.2°C (90°F) and Tv is 43.3°C (110°F). When the most vulnerable part of the substrate is the reference substrate, TU-TL is typically 0.6 to 11.1°C (1 to 20°F), preferably 0.5 to 5.6°C (1 to 10°F), particularly 1.1 to 3.3°C (2 to 6°F). The corresponding cycle time will depend upon the substrate and the ambient temperature, but is typically 1 to 60 minutes for ambient temperatures of -23 °C to 37.8°C (-10 to 100°F) and 5 to 30 minutes for ambient temperatures of-17.8 to 32.2°C (0 to 90°F). When the reference substrate is part of an alternative reference system, the difference between Tu and TL preferably corresponds to differences of 0.6 to 11.1 °C (1 to 20°F), preferably 0.6 to 5.5°C (1 to 10°F), particularly 1.1 to 3.3°C (2 to 6°F), in the most vulnerable part of the substrate. If there is a fixed cycle time (divided between heat-up and cool-down periods), the longer the cycle time, the greater the difference between TL and the highest temperature reached by the reference substrate. When there is a fixed cycle time, it is typically 1 to 20 minutes, preferably 2 to 15 minutes, particularly 5 to 9 minutes. If the fixed cycle time is less than the sum of the heat-up and cool-down durations calculated (at a particular ambient temperature) for the most vulnerable part of the substrate to cycle between TL and Tu at the sensed ambient temperature, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will be heated to a temperature proportionately less than Tu. Conversely, if the fixed cycle time is more than the sum of those heat-up and cool-down durations, the most vulnerable part of the substrate will be heated to a temperature proportionately greater than Tu. Since the sum of those heat-up and cool-down durations depends on the ambient temperature (see Table 1 above), the highest temperature to which the substrate is heated in a fixed cycle varies with the ambient temperature.
When the method of the invention makes use of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time during the cycle of heating and cooling, (e.g. at the end of each heat-up period or at the end of each cool-down period) the interval between the discrete times at which the ambient temperature must be sensed is the same as the cycle time. When the ambient temperatures sensed at two or more discrete times are used to determined a heat-up duration, or a cool-down duration, or both, the discrete times are separated by a time which is typically at least 1 minute, preferably at least 2 minutes, particularly 5 to 15 minutes.
As the ambient temperature approaches the design minimum (i.e. the lowest ambient temperature at which the heater, when operated continuously and at full power, can maintain the substrate above a specified minimum temperature), the ratio of the heat-up period to the cool-down period increases. Preferably, the control system is set to switch the heater on

As the ambient temperature approaches Tu, the ratio of the Heat-up duration to the cool-down duration decreases and becomes zero when the ambient temperature reaches Tu. Furthermore, if the ambient temperature is above TL, and the most vulnerable part is above TL, no heating is in fact required (though no damage is done if the substrate is heated to Tu). It is preferred, therefore, that the control system be set to switch the heater off continuously when the ambient temperature reaches (TL-X1) °C, where x1 is 0 to 2.8°C, [(TL - x)°F where x is 0 to 5°F], and is less than the safety margin between TL and the minimum permitted temperature for the substrate.
The invention can be used with any electrical heater, but is particularly useful for elongate heaters, including series and parallel constant wattage heaters (including in particular mineral insulated cable heaters and zone heaters) and self-regulating heaters, including in particular self-regulating heaters comprising PTC (positive temperature coefficient) elements. The PTC elements are preferably resistive heating elements but may be control elements connected between parallel bus wires and constant wattage resistive heating elements. Suitable PTC materials include PTC conductive polymers, which are generally preferred, and PTC ceramics. Particularly good results are obtained when the heater is a self-regulating heater, because the power output of such heaters decreases as the substrate temperature approaches the desired maintenance temperature. Elongate self-regulating heaters based on PTC conductive polymers, and suitable for heating pipes, are well-known and are available commercially, for example from Raychem Corporation under the trade names QTV and K TV. Although the power output of a self-regulating heater changes with temperature, it does not change very rapidly in the relatively narrow temperature band between TL and Tu. Therefore, the heat-up and cool-down periods can usually be determined with sufficient accuracy by the methods described above, which assume a constant power output. However, the invention includes the possibility of including the change in power output as one of the factors for calculating the heat-up and cool-down durations.
The determination of the heat-up and cool-down periods is preferably made with the aid of a microprocessor. The microprocessor can be one whose memory contains look-up tables of separately calculated heat-up and cool-down periods for each ambient temperature and for each heater or zone, or it can be one which computes, each time, the heat-up or cool-down period. Suitable microprocessors are well know, for example a Zilog Z 80180 or a Motorola 68HC 7C 05 C8. The program instructions can for example be stored in a 64K EPROM and 8K of non-volatile RAM used for data storage. A CMOS programmable peripheral digital I/O can be used to interface with a keypad. An A to D converter can be used to interface with the temperature sensor.

The ambient temperature can be sensed by any suitable temperature sensor. Suitable sensors are well known, for example the Resistance Temperature Device available from Raychem Corporation under the trade name RTD 300.
The microprocessor is preferably programmed so that, if it receives no input from the ambient temperature sensor, it sets off an alarm and preferably initiates a back-up program which ensures that the system comes to no harm, e.g. switches on all the heaters controlled by it. Similarly, the system preferably includes an alarm which is set off if the power supply fails.
Referring now to Figure 1, which is a diagrammatic illustration of a system of the invention, pipes 11,12 and 13 have different diameters and are surrounded by thermal insulation, 15, and pipes 21 and 22 also have different diameters and are surrounded by thermal insulation 25. Between each of pipes 11,12 and 13 and the insulation 15 lies an elongate self-regulating heater 1; the same heater is wrapped around each of the pipes, but the larger the diameter of the pipe, the greater the wrapping frequency. Similarly a heater 2 is wrapped around the pipes 21 and 22 under the insulation 25. The heater 1 is connected, by connections not shown, to an AC power source 2, and can be switched on and off by contacter 3. Similarly, the heater 2 is connected, by connections not shown, to the AC power source 2 and can be switched on and off by contacter 4. An ambient air temperature sensor 51 is placed in the vicinity of the thermally insulated pipes in a position where it will sense an ambient air temperature which is representative of the pipe system generally. The sensor 51 is connected to a microprocessor 52. The microprocessor 52 has been programmed to compute, for a given ambient temperature supplied to it by the sensor 51 and for the heater 1, a heat-up duration which will cause the smallest insulated pipe, 11, to increase in temperature from a lower limit TLI to an upper limit Tu1, and a cool-down duration which will cause the pipe 11 to cool from Tui to TLI. The microprocessor makes this computation at the end of each cool-down period, and uses it to control a relay 53 which operates the contacter 3. Similarly, the microprocessor 52 has been programmed to compute, for a given ambient temperature supplied to it by the sensor 51 and for the heater 2, a heat-up duration which will cause the smaller pipe 21 to increase in temperature from a lower limit Tu to an upper limit Tu2, and a cool-down duration which will cause the pipe 2 to cool from Tu2 to TI2. The microprocessor makes this computation at the end of each cool-down period and uses it to control the relay 54 which operates the contacter 4.
In a modification of the method of the invention in which the sum of the heat-up and cool-down variations is a fixed period, the heater is operated at less than its full power, continuously throughout the fixed period (or over one or more periods whose duration is greater than a heat-up duration determined for a heat-up period when the heater is operated at

full power), the proportion of the full power employed being such that the heater provides to the substrate, during the fixed period, an amount of heat which will cause the substrate to be at TL at the end of the fixed period (assuming that the substrate is in fact at TL at the beginning of the fixed period and the ambient temperature does not change during the fixed period.)

CLAIMS
1. A method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of different electrical heaters, the substrate being surrounded by thermal insulation and the heaters lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the substrate comprising at least two different zones and each zone being heated by one or more heaters which heat only that zone, wherein each of the heaters is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods whose durations (a) ensure that all parts of the substrate are maintained at or above a selected minimum temperature, and (b) are successively determined at successive discrete times, the determinations being carried out by a single microprocessor, independently for each zone, as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at the time of the determination or at one or more discrete earlier times.
2. A method according to Claim 1 wherein

(A) the microprocessor has a memory in which there is recorded, for each sector or for each group of sectors having similar heating requirements, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) a most vulnerable part, which is the part of the sector or group of sectors which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the heater adjacent said part; and
(B) the durations of each heat-up period and the immediately succeeding cool-down period are determined at the same time and are functions of the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature at that time, to heat said most vulnerable part from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of interconnected pipes, each of the heaters is an elongate heater, and the durations of the heat-up and cool-down periods are functions of the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature, to heat said most vulnerable part from the lower limit temperature TL to an upper limit temperature Tu, where TU-TL is 0.5 to 8,3°C (1 to 15°F), and then to cool back to TL.
4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the substrate comprises at least 5 zones, each zone being heated by at least one self-regulating heater which is at least 15 feet long.
5- A method of heating a fluid transfer system comprising a plurality of pipes which are surrounded by thermal insulation, the system comprising a plurality of zones having different

heating requirements and each of the zones including at least one elongate electrical heater which (i) lies between the pipes in that zone and the thermal insulation surrounding them, and (ii) is switched on and off during successive heat-up and cool-down periods, thereby maintaining all the pipes in that zone above a minimum temperature, the method comprising, for each of the zones separately,
(1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period;
(2) determining a cool-down duration fore each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period;
(3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and
(4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3).

6. A method according to Claim 5 wherein a single microprocessor is used to determine the heat-up and cool-down durations for each of the heaters.
7. A method according to Claim 5 or 6 wherein ambient temperature is sensed at a single location, and the heat-up and cool-down durations for all the heaters are determined as a function of the ambient temperature sensed at that location.
8. A method according to any one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the heat-up and cool-down durations for each heater are determined at successive discrete times which are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes.
9. A method according to any one of Claims 5 to 8 wherein the heat-up duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for a reference heater to heat a reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature TL to an upper-limit temperature Tu, where TU-TL is 0.5 to 8.3°C (1 to 15°F), and the cool-down duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for the reference substrate to cool from Ty to TL, the reference substrate being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference substrate and the reference insulation.

IU. J\ metnoa accoraing to (Jlaim y wherein the reference substrate is the part of the zone which cools most rapidly, the reference heater is the heater which heats said part, and the reference insulation is the insulation surrounding said part.
11. A method according to Claim 9 or 10 wherein the duration of each heat-up period and
the duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are
each a function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and the heat-up duration,
expressed in hours, is a function of the expression

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the heat-up duration is equal to the expression
(I) and the cool-down duration is equal to the expression (II) when the sum of the expressions
is less than a fixed period which is from 0.5 to 1.3 hours; and the heat-up duration isp times
the expression (I) and the cool-down duration isp times the expression (II) when the sum of
the expressions is equal to or greater than said fixed period, where p is a number less than 1
such that the sum of the heat-up duration and the cool-down duration is equal to the fixed
period.

13. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 12 wherein the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration is 5 to 30 minutes when the ambient temperature is from -17.8 to 32.2°C (0° to 90°F).
14. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 13 wherein the heater is a self-regulating heater.
15. A method of maintaining a substrate above a minimum temperature by means of an electric heater, the heater being switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, the substrate being thermally insulated by thermal insulation, and the heater lying between the substrate and the thermal insulation, the method comprising

(1) determining a heat-up duration for each successive heat-up period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the heat-up period;
(2) determining a cool-down duration for each successive cool-down period as a function of ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the substrate at one or more discrete times before the end of the cool-down period;
(3) switching the heater on during the successive heat-up periods for the heat-up durations determined in step (2); and
(4) switching the heater off during the successive cool-down periods for the cool-down durations determined in step (3);
the sum of each heat-up duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration being 2 to 60 minutes.
16. A method according to Claim 15 wherein the heat-up duration of each heat-up period and the cool-down duration of the immediately following or immediately preceding cool-down period are each a function of the ambient temperature at a discrete time during the immediately preceding heat-up period or cool-down period, and the successive discrete times are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes.
17. A method according to Claim 15 or 16 wherein the heat-up duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for a reference heater to heat a reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature TL to an upper-limit temperature Tu, where Tu-TL is 0.5 to 8.3°C (1 to 10°F), and the cool-down duration is a function of the time needed, for the ambient temperature at the discrete time, for the reference substrate to cool from Tu to TL, the reference substrate being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference substrate and the reference insulation.

18. A method according to Claim 16 wherein the duration of each heat-up period and the
duration of the immediately preceding or immediately following cool-down period are each a
function of the ambient temperature sensed at a single time, and the heat-up duration,
expressed in hours, is a function of the expression

19. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 18 wherein the sum of each heat-up
duration and the immediately succeeding cool-down duration is 5 to 30 minutes when TA is
from 0° to 90°F.
20. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 19 wherein the heater is a self-regulating heater.
21. A controller which can be used to control an electrical heater which is switched on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods, and which comprises

(a) a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature;
(b) switching means for causing an electric heater to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and
(c) a regulator which
(i) is operatively connected to the sensor and the switching means,

(ii) can operate the switching means so that the heater is connected to the power source during the heat-up periods and is disconnected from the power source during the cool-down periods, and
(iii) comprises determining means which can determine heat-up and cool-down durations for the heat-up and cool-down periods as a function of the ambient air temperature sensed by the sensor at one or more discrete earlier times, said earlier times being separated by a time of at least 1 minute.
22. A controller according to Claim 21 wherein the regulator determines, as a function of
the ambient temperature sensed at one or more of the discrete times,
(i) a heat-up duration which is a function of the time needed for a reference heater to heat a thermally insulated reference substrate from a lower-limit temperature to an upper-limit temperature, and (ii) a cool-down duration which is a function of the time needed for the
reference substrate to cool from the upper-limit temperature to the lower-limit temperature; the reference body being surrounded by reference insulation and the reference heater being placed between the reference body and the reference insulation.
23. A controller according to Claim 21 or 22 wherein the determining means is a
microprocessor which can determine the duration of each heat-up period as a function of the
expression

where R is the effective thermal resistance, expressed in hour. °F/BTU, of the
reference thermal insulation surrounding the reference substrate, C is the thermal capacity of the reference substrate, expressed in BTU/°F, Tu is the upper-limit temperature, expressed in °F, TL is the lower-limit temperature, expressed in °F,

TA is the ambient temperature, expressed in °F at the discrete time, and is
less than Tu, and Q is the power of the reference heater, expressed in BTU/hour, and is
such that RQ is greater than TL - TA.
24. A controller according to any one of Claims 21 to 23 which includes timing means for operating the determining means at discrete times which are separated by a time of 5 to 15 minutes.
25. A regulator which can be used to control a plurality of electrical heaters which heat separate zones of a thermally insulated substrate, the regulator comprising

(1) at least one input port for receiving information from a sensor for sensing ambient air temperature;
(2) a plurality of output ports, each of the output ports being capable of sending signals to respective switching means for causing each electrical heater in respective zones to be connected to or disconnected from a source of electrical power; and
(3) a microprocessor which (a) will receive information about ambient air temperatures from the input port, (b) comprises a memory in which there is recorded, for each zone, thermal characteristics corresponding to (i) a most vulnerable part, which is the part of the zone which cools most rapidly, (ii) the thermal insulation surrounding said part, and (iii) the electrical heater heating said part, (c) is programmed to calculate, separately for each of the zones and at successive discrete times, durations of successive alternating heat-up and cool-down periods which are the time periods needed, at the ambient temperature received from the input port, to heat said part of the zone from a lower limit temperature TL to a higher temperature and then to cool back to TL at the end of the cool-down period, and (d) will send signals to an output port associated with the appropriate zone to switch said heater on and off during successive and alternating heat-up and cool-down periods.
26. A regulator according to Claim 25 wherein the microprocessor is programmed to
calculate heat-up and cool-down periods which are functions of the time periods needed to
heat said most vulnerable part of the zone from the lower limit temperature TL to an upper
limit temperature Tu and then to cool back to TL-

27. A method of heating a substrate by means of a plurality of
different electrical heaters, substantially as herein described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
28. A controller which can be used to control an electrical
heater substantially as herein described with Reference to the
accompanying drawings.

Documents:

2046-mas-1997-abstract.pdf

2046-mas-1997-claims duplicate.pdf

2046-mas-1997-claims original.pdf

2046-mas-1997-correspondance others.pdf

2046-mas-1997-correspondance po.pdf

2046-mas-1997-description complete duplicate.pdf

2046-mas-1997-description complete original.pdf

2046-mas-1997-drawings.pdf

2046-mas-1997-form 1.pdf

2046-mas-1997-form 26.pdf

2046-mas-1997-form 3.pdf

2046-mas-1997-form 4.pdf

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Patent Number

206483

Indian Patent Application Number

2046/MAS/1997

PG Journal Number

26/2007

Publication Date

29-Jun-2007

Grant Date

27-Apr-2007

Date of Filing

15-Sep-1997

Name of Patentee

RAYCHEM CORPORATION

Applicant Address

300 CONSTITUTION DRIVE MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA 94025

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	MICHAEL DICKENS	332 CAMARITAS WAY, DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA 94526

PCT International Classification Number

G05D23/19

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA