Influence of Design and Thermal Spraying Methods on the Techno-Economic Outcomes of a Coating-Based Deicing System for Mitigating Frozen Pipe Incidents

The severe financial repercussions of pipe bursting make it imperative to innovate efficient, cost-effective heating systems for pipelines in cold regions to prevent frozen pipe incidents. Consequently, the pursuit of an optimal design to achieve effective de-icing outcomes, while significantly reducing raw materials, labor time, and production complexity, is essential. In this study, both flame and cold-spraying processes were employed to fabricate a de-icing system with a novel design producing noticeable cost-savings and simplified production and maintenance compared to two previous generation solutions. The first-generation system consisted of a full-contact flame sprayed heating element, while the second-generation system consisted of a cold-sprayed helical heating element. The recently investigated third-generation system consisted of a cold-sprayed, straight-line heating element. A thorough techno-economic assessment highlighted the novel design of the third-generation heating system surpassing other thermally sprayed alternatives and conventional heating cables in both effectiveness and cost-efficiency. Earlier findings demonstrated a 48% decrease in fabrication costs from the first to second generation of the coating solution, with the third-generation solution delivering an extra 75% savings over the second. These results suggest that the latest generation of coating-based heating systems could be competitive to conventional heat tracers that are widely employed across various industries.