Heating Elements

About Heating Elements and Heating Element Manufacturers Including: Ceramic Heating Elements, Dryer Heating Elements, Electric Heating Elements, Heating Coils & Tubular Heating Elements.

Heating elements and electric heating elements are metallic components that conduct heat in many products, usually electrically, and are available in various configurations. These heating elements are able to heat areas or items directly or indirectly. Sometimes a heater consists of nothing more than the heating element itself. In this case, the heating element is not a component of a larger heater or system, but serves as a product all on its own. Heating elements and electric heating elements are manufactured in many different sizes and shapes to fit particular applications, and have heating configurations unique to the particular need as well.

A standard hard wired electric heater can have a central heating element and then utilize fans to force the hot air throughout a larger system of ductwork. A cartridge or ceramic heater has heating elements that come into direct or near direct contact with the area or substance needing heat. An example of such a heater would be a heater used to keep prepared hot food products warm for consumption. The electric heating element directly warms the substance rather than indirectly via fans or ductwork. An immersion heater is essentially a heating element that can be immersed in a liquid or a similar substance, which it heats directly.

Heating elements usually have a shorter lifespan than the item in which they are installed, and therefore may need to be replaced. Replacement heating elements can be stock or custom made to fit the application. Temperature, environment, size, duration and material should be considered when looking for a heating element. The heating elements used in industrial electric heaters are common in availability as opposed to those elements found in hair dryers or toasters, in which it is better to replace the whole unit rather than replace the heating element. The providers and manufacturers of industrial heaters create the specific heating elements needed for replacement. Since so many products use heating elements as an essential part, there is seldom an alternative to using a heating element to conduct heat in an item.

Common places in industrial and manufacturing applications where heating elements are found include, but are not limited to, heaters, ovens, dryers and furnaces. Heating elements can be used in products that melt, cook, dry, warm, seal and reform substances. Many commercial and consumer products also contain heating elements, such as hairdryers, space heaters, toasters and irons. Each application can require a different type of heating element. Heating elements are made from many different heat conducting materials but most commonly are made from metals. They are capable of generating heat in upwards of 1300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heating Elements Images Provided by Hotwatt, Inc.

Types of Heating Elements

• Cable heating elements are made of wire that is wound on a fiberglass core and insulated by PVC or silicone rubber.
  
• Ceramic plate and fiber heating elements are used in low and high temperature ovens and furnaces. They can be found in rectangular, square, flat, cylindrical, or partial cylinder shapes.
  
• Coil heating elements are common in many products and provide heat to a general area. The heating elements are shaped into coils based on their intended purpose; they can be free radiating or enclosed.
  
• Dryer heating elements are metallic components that conduct heat in many products, including clothes dryers and hair dryers.
  
• Electric heating elements are heating elements used inside devices that use electricity to power themselves and create heat.
  
• Heating coils are configured to have a large surface area without taking up much space.
  
• Infrared heating elements are used in infrared heaters, which are used for many applications. The element heats a surface which distributes the heat.
  
• Mica elements are often encapsulated in steel sheaths and have ribbon or wire wound on mica sheet or tube and insulated by mica.
  
• Plug/Rack type heating elements are typically used in convection furnaces and ovens with open coil heaters. Plug/Rack types are often an assembly of heating elements together in a rack or plug.
  
• Silicon-carbide heating elements are used in high temperature procedures and where higher watts are required. They are usually long tube-like elements.
  
• Tubular heating elements are very common and sometimes have a casing or protective component and can be formed according to the application.

Heating Element Terms

Alloy - A substance made of two or more metals or of a metal and a non-metal usually being fused together and dissolving in each other when molten.
 
Annealing - To heat and then cool a solid (usually steel or glass) for softening, cooling slowly in a furnace to result in a less brittle material.
 
Brazing - The joining of metals through the use of heat and a filler metal to form a strong joint, the filler metal is usually silver alloy.
 
BTU – British Thermal Unit. The amount of heat required to raise or lower the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
 
Carburizing - To combine, often a metal, with carbon .
 
Celsius - The metric temperature scale in which water freezes at zero degrees and boils at 100 degrees, designated by the symbol "C".
 
Ceramic - Any product made essentially from a nonmetallic mineral (clay) by firing at a high temperature, examples: porcelain or brick.
 
Coil - Any coiled element that serves as the source of heat.
 
Condenser Coil - In a heat pump system, the coil absorbs heat from the outdoors.
 
Ductwork - A pipe or conduit through which air is delivered. Ducts are typically made of metal, fiberboard or a flexible material.
 
DX - Direct expansion; a system in which heat is transferred by the direct expansion of refrigerant.
 
Fahrenheit - The temperature scale on which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees; designated by the letter F.
 
Firebrick - A brick that can withstand high temperatures and is used specifically for lining furnaces or fireplaces .
 
Grounded Element - An element that has broken and is touching something metal, like the cage that is suppose to hold the element or the element metal housing.
 
Heating Element - The component of the heater which is responsible for conducting the heat.
 
Infrared - Invisible waves, sensed as heat, which has lengths longer than red visible light and shorter than microwaves.
 
Kilowatts – Unit of measurement of energy 1000 watts.
 
Mica - A mineral made of a shiny, transparent, flat chemical crystals.  It is often used as an electrical insulator.
 
Plenum chamber - A space or ducting used to distribute the air evenly in the process of cooling, heating, or humidifying.

Surface Load - Can be determined by dividing the total bearing load by the bearing projected area (inner diameter * width).
 
Therm - A measurement of heat equal to 100,000 btu.
 
Thermocouple - Measures the difference in potential created at the junction of two different metal wires which feed from the measuring instrument. ( http://www.iqsdirectory.com/thermocouples/ )
 
Thermostat - An automated device for controlling temperature.
 
Watts -The meter-kilogram-second unit of power equal to the power produced by a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt, 1/746 horsepower.