Objectives   For the optimization of an oil tank steam heating system,

  Methods   the author used the Flowmaster simulation calculation method and tradition calculation method and made comparative analysis on the calculation results to verify the dependability of the calculation results. Two methods were used to examine how ambient temperature, heating coil pipe length, steam flow rate, steam temperature and heating coil pipe HTC(heat transfer coefficient) could affect the heating process.

  Results   the calculation results indicate that calculation error margin of the two methods is about 3%~7% and there are design parameters such as a heating coil pipe length and a steam flow rate in the design of the oil tank steam heating system. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, where simulation calculation is suitable for optimization design while traditional calculation is favorable for preliminary estimation. Combination of the two methods can offset their disadvantages.

  Conclusions   The study result can be used as reference for design of oil tank steam heating system.