Electric Heaters
About Electric Heaters and Electric Heating Including: Air Heaters, Band Heaters, Cartridge Heaters, Ceramic Heaters, Coil Heaters, Duct Heaters, Immersion Heaters, Strip Heaters & Tubular Heaters.
Electric heaters encompass a broad category of heating elements and
devices which are used in residential, commercial and industrial
process applications. Technically speaking, an electric heater is any
device which is powered by electricity and creates heat. Coil heaters, band heaters and strip heaters
provide localized heat a to certain area within a machine to shape or
melt materials, heat liquid tanks, radiate heat through the air or
preserve the molten state of a substance. Ceramic heaters are a very common heating element used in space heaters, cartridge heaters, coil heaters, strip heaters and radiating air heaters. Immersion heaters and tubular heaters
are used in liquid submersion heating applications, while tubular
heaters and duct heaters are generally used to radiate heat into the
air. Industrial processes such as plastic and metal extruding, hot
stamping and industrial baking use strip heaters, cartridge heaters and
band heaters to provide direct, localized or radiating heat. An
electric heater may heat an object from room temperature up to over
1300°F.
Since heat is often an essential part of manufacturing processes, various types of industrial electric heaters must be designed and fabricated to precision wattages, temperature ranges and size/shape. In packaging, plastic fabricating, foam fabricating, metal fabricating and food processing industries, cartridge heaters are most often inserted through a custom-sized hole into the metal or material of equipment parts which require localized or high temperature heat. Extruding channels and hoppers use coil heaters, band heaters or strip heaters wrapped around or bolted to the channel to maintain the plasticity of the material being extruded. Radiating types of heaters such as duct heaters, immersion heaters and tubular heaters are used to heat liquid or air in water treatment facilities, residential applications, commercial buildings and many other applications.
Heating elements within electric heaters are mainly composed of three elements: an insulating core (typically ceramic), a heat conductive coil wrapped around the insulation and an encasing sheath made from stainless steel, aluminum, nickel or iron. Insulating cores are a necessary in of all types of electric heaters to retain and absorb electrical energy so that it might be released as heat energy by surrounding coils or materials. Ceramic is by far the most common type of insulation, although various electric heaters may use mineral, mica or fiberglass insulation, depending on the heater's application requirements. Radiating types of electric heaters transfer heat from ceramic cores or complete heating elements by moving heat through the air with fans, such as space heaters, or through hot air ductwork systems such as duct heaters.
When looking for an electric heater, it is important to identify its use. Does it need to heat a room, melt a substance or shape material? Each application for electric heaters will require a standard for material make-up, temperature capacity and power. Non-electric heating systems can involve coal, wood, gas or water, although most of these alternatives are far less energy-efficient than electric heat generation. Electric water heaters, for example, are both more environmentally sound and economical than other heating methods. Safety is another crucial concern when purchasing a heater. One must take into account how certain heaters react with certain substances. Some heaters are better than others when heating liquids or gases, or when heating small spaces. Safety features are often built into many electric heaters, such as auto shut-offs or warning signals.