Overview of Steel Pipe Skin-Effect Heating Cables

The steel pipe sheath skin-effect heating cable (hereinafter referred to as the skin-effect heating cable) consists of two main components: a conductive core and a steel pipe sheath. The conductor is threaded through a magnetic, circular steel pipe—also known as a heat pipe—and connected at the pipe’s tail end. The steel pipe and the conductor’s head end are respectively connected to the neutral and live wires of the power supply. When high- or medium-frequency alternating current is applied, the current flows through both the conductor and the steel pipe, forming a closed current loop. Under the influence of the skin effect and proximity effect, the current generates Joule heating due to the resistance on the inner surface of the heat pipe.
The skin-effect heating cable is manufactured using a continuous steel pipe seamless welding and single-draw forming process. It features high sheath strength and excellent sealing, enabling it to withstand significant pipeline pressure and temperature. It provides superior protection during pipeline thermal cleaning or steam purging. Thanks to the skin effect and proximity effect, the sheath layer itself forms an insulating structure, ensuring that the outer surface remains electrically neutral and maintaining the medium pipe at zero potential at all times, thus guaranteeing **reliability**.
It is primarily used for auxiliary heating in long-distance pipelines, downhole heating for beam-pumping units, downhole heating for submersible electric pumps, downhole heating for screw pumps, and heating of large storage tanks, among other applications.