Drum Heaters
Also known as band or barrel heaters, drum heaters operate in a wide variety of manners to suit the need of any drum type. As size and capacity vary greatly, some heaters can be made to heat up to 32 drums at once, while others heat one at a time. Although smaller drums and their corresponding heaters are sometimes found in domestic settings, these products are more often used in industrial and commercial settings. Other uses for drum heaters include glass bottle heating, small-scale reactors and process vessels. No matter the use, accurate temperature readings are essential. For this reason many drum heaters come fitted with infinite or variable control precision thermostats. Often these external apparatus can indicate the temperature of the viscous liquid within the drum as well as the exterior sheath temperature, making them essential to the safe use of drum heaters.
As use and size vary so greatly, there are many methods of drum heating a container. Cabinet, insertion, base, tunnel and wrap around heaters are all common variations of the electric drum heater. Cabinet heaters function as an oven as drums are loaded into the space, these are most often utilized for large capacity drums. Insertion heaters fit through the opening, or bung, in the top of a container to heat the fluids directly. Tunnel drum heaters involve a conveyor process that moves the drums through a heated tunnel. Base mechanisms offer a band that clamps around the bottom of a container holding it in place on a hot plate heater. Wrap around drum heaters are among the most common and involve clamps, straps or flanges to hold the heating mechanism around the circumference of a barrel. Common materials used in the construction of any of these include aluminum, brass, copper, fluoropolymer, high temperature foil, iron, nickel alloy, polymide, rubber, silicone, steel and stainless steel. These materials are durable, chemical resistant and can even be treated for explosion proofing as an added safety measure. Mica, ceramic, mineral or fiberglass insulation is often applied to these materials to improve efficiency and minimize operating costs. Other considerations include maximum operating temperature, AC voltage, watt density, inside diameter, width and band thickness.
