Chromalox has announced that they will offer a new digital heat trace controller for use with constant wattage, mineral insulated or self-regulating heat trace cables. The model ITC Series intelliTRACE brand controller is designed for line or ambient sensing heat trace applications in hazardous (Class I, Division 2) or non-hazardous areas in industrial settings such as chemical processing, oil and gas exploration, and petrochemical processing.
These single, or independently controlled and monitored, dual-circuit microprocessor-based temperature controllers switch 40 Amps per circuit at 100-277 Vac, and may be used in either freeze protection or process temperature control applications. ITC’s compact 10” x 8” x 6” NEMA 4X enclosure facilitates all of the electrical connections including the heating cable, the AC Power and the RTD Sensors. The ITC features a high resolution TFT display, PID or On/Off SSR control, selectable soft start program, dual RTD sensor input per circuit, current load and GFEP monitoring. All process variables may be monitored both locally and remotely. All alarm, communication and system settings are user-adjustable via simple page menu navigation.
There are three user-selectable control modes available on the ITC: Manual, Off or Auto. An output of 1% to 100% is available while in Manual mode and the user may choose either PID or ON/OFF control while in the Auto Control mode. When using two RTD sensors, the ITC may be set to Low, High or Average. This provides flexibility, as well as redundancy, to help meet varying process demands. The ITC employs a soft start feature that uses a proprietary algorithm which minimizes the inherent self-regulating heat trace cable in-rush current, resulting in longer circuit lengths and less nuisance tripping in cold temperature startups. The soft start feature is selectable which allows this controller to be employed in non-heat trace applications as well.
The ITC controller enables the user to monitor temperature, current load and ground fault equipment protection leakage current (GFEP). Additionally, the alarms on the ITC consist of high and low temperature, high and low current, high GFEP current and sensor failure. Should the ITC unit realize a failed sensor, the controller automatically switches into a user adjustable manual output duty cycle. To eliminate abrupt current spikes, the Chromalox ITC employs bumpless transfer power switching when switching from either manual or auto mode. This controller provides LED indication of load, power and alarm status for each circuit, front panel capacitive touch user interface buttons and comes complete with heavy gage stainless steel mounting brackets.
“When you consider the power switching capacity of the ITC and its extensive list of control features that are efficiently packaged and offered at a competitive price, it is no surprise that it is quickly becoming an application solution favorite in the heat tracing industry,” said Scott Treser, director of controls products at Chromalox.
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