electric

HEATING
Electric heating is any process in which
ELECTRICAL ENERGY is converted to
“HEAT ENERGY”.
Electric heating works on the principle
of ”JOULE HEATING” (an electric
current through a resistor converts
electrical energy into heat energy.)
 INTRODUCTION
Electrical heating is based on the principle of that

when electric current passes through a medium

heat is produced. Let us take the case of solid

material which as resistance ‘R’ ohms and

current flowing through it is I amps for ‘t’ seconds

than heat produced in the material will be H=I²Rt

Joules.
 DOMESTIC APPLICATION
OF
ELECTRICAL HEATING
Room heater for heating the
building Immersion heater for water
heating Hot plates for cooking
Geysers
Electric
kettles
Electric Iron
Electric oven
for baking
products
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
Melting of metals
Electric welding
Mouldling of glass for making
glass appliances
Baking of insulator
Mouldling of plastic components
Making of plywood.
Drying of paints
ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRICAL HEATING
OVER OTHER METHOD OF HEATING
• Clean and atmosphere / Free from dirt.
• No pollution / No flue gas is produced
• Response quickly
• Accurate Controlled temperature can made easily
• Comparatively safe
• Localized application
• Overall efficiency is much higher
• Uniform heating
• Highest efficiency of utilization
• Cheap furnaces
• Mobility of job
 Heat
The movement of thermal energy from a warmer
object to a cooler object is called heat.
All objects have thermal energy; however, you
heat something when thermal energy transfers
from one object to another.
The rate at which heating occurs depends on the
difference in temperatures between the objects.
When thermal energy moves between a material
and its environment, the material’s temperature
changes.
TRANSFER OF HEAT
Conduction:- This phenomenon takes place in solid, liquid and
gas. Heat transfer is proportional to the difference of
temperatures between two faces. No actual motion of
molecules.
Consider a solid material of cross-section A sq.m. and
thickness x metre, k is constant of thermal conductivity.
If T1 and T2 are the temperatures of the
two sides of the slab in °K, then heat
conducted between the
two opposite faces in time
t seconds is given by:
Convection
This phenomenon takes place in liquid and gas.
Heat is transferred due to actual motion of
molecules.
H = a (T1 – T2), where a is constant and T1 and
T2 are the temperatures of the heating surface
and the fluid in °K respectively
Radiation
This phenomenon is confined to surfaces.
Radiant energy emitted or absorbed is dependent on the nature of
the surface. It is the transfer of heat from a hot body to a cold body
in a straight line without affecting the intervening medium.
The rate of heat emission is given by Stefan’s law according to
which
Heat dissipated

where K is radiating efficiency and e is known as emissivity of the

heating element.
 CLASSIFICATION OF
ELECTRICAL
HEATING High Frequency
Power Frequency heating
heating

1. Resistance heating 1. Induction

heating

a. Direct Resistance heating a. Direct Core

type Induction heating

b. Indirect Resistance heating b. Core less

type induction heating

2. Arc heating 2. Dielectric

heating

a. Direct Arc heating

b. Indirect Arc heating
Classification of Heating Method

Low Temperature Heating ± up to

400°C

Medium Temperature Heating ±

from 400°C to 1150 °C

High Temperature Heating ± above

1150 °C
 ELECTRIC HEATING

I
Power High I
Frequencymethod
I
Microwave
Frequency/Ohmic Heating
Heating method /Radio Frequency (0 3 GHz ±300
1
. .

(50-60Hz) (kHz} (5-500KHz} GHz}

I I I
Infrared
Induction Dielectric
Heating Heating/ I
I High Radiant/
Resistance Arc 1}Direct Frequency Radiant
Heating Heating 2}1ndirect capacitive Heating
Heating
1 } Direct 1}Direct
2} Indirect 2}1ndirect
 RESISTANCE HEATING
(Example – Electric Water
Heater)
This method is based upon the I²R loss.
Whenever current is passed through a
resistor material heat is produced
because of I²R losses.
The generation of heat is done by electric
resistor
carrying current.
Characteristic Features of Heating
Elements
1)high resistivity
2) able to withstand high temperatures
without deterioration
3) low temperature coefficient of
resistance
4)positive temperature coefficient of
resistance
5) free from oxidation at high
temperatures
1 . DIRECT RESISTANCE HEATING
• In this method the material (or charge) to be heated
is treated as a resistance and current is passed
through it.
• The charge may be in the form of powder, small solid
pieces or liquid.
• The two electrodes are inserted in the charge and
connected to either a.c. or d.c. Obviously, two
electrodes will be required in the case of d.c. or
single-phase a.c. supply but there would be three
electrodes in the case of 3-phase supply.
• When the charge is in the form of small pieces,
a powder of high resistivity material is sprinkled over

the surface of the charge to avoid direct short circuit.

• Heat is produced when current passes through it. This
method of heating has high efficiency because the
heat is produced in the charge itself.
2. INDIRECT RESISTANCE HEATING
In this method of heating, electric current is passed
through a resistance element which is placed in
an electric oven.
Heat produced is proportional to I2R losses in the
heating element.
The heat so produced is delivered to the charge
either by radiation or convection or by a
combination of the two.
Sometimes, resistance is placed in a cylinder which
is surrounded by the charge placed in the jacket as
shown in the Fig.
This arrangement provides uniform temperature.
Moreover, automatic temperature control can also
be provided.
 DIRECT
RESISTANCE INDIRECT
• HEATING
Electric HEATING
current is passed • HEATING
Electric current is passed
through highly resistive
through the body (charge)
material(heating
to be heated. element) placed inside an
• High efficiency oven.
• Example- • Heat produced due to I2R loss
in the element is transmitted to
1) Electrode boiler for the body
heating water • Mode of heat transfer is
2)Resistance Welding Conduction &/or Convection
&/or Radiation
• Room
1) Example-
Heaters
2) Domestic & commercial cooking
3) Heat treatment of metals
 Requirement of a Good Heating Element
(1) High Specific Resistance.-When specific resistance of the material
of the wire is high, only short length of it will be required for a
particular resistance (and hence heat) or for the same length of the
wire and the current, heat produced will be more.
(2) High Melting Temperature- If the melting temperature of the
heating element is high, it would be possible to obtain higher
operating temperatures.
(3) Low Temperature Coefficient of Resistance- In case the material
has low temperature coefficient of resistance, there would be only
small variations in its resistance over its normal range of
temperature. Hence, the current drawn by the heating element
when cold (i.e., at start) would be practically the same when it is hot.
(4) High Oxidising Temperature-Oxidisation temperature of the
heating element should be high in order to ensure longer life.
 Contd..
(5) Positive Temperature Coefficient of Resistance- If the temperature
coefficient of the resistance of heating element is negative, its
resistance will decrease with rise in temperature and it will draw
more current which will produce more wattage and hence heat. With
more heat, the resistance will decrease further resulting in instability
of operation.
(6) Ductile- Since the material of the heating elements has to have
convenient shapes and sizes, it should have high ductility and
flexibility.
(7) Mechanical Strength- The material of the heating element should
posses high mechanical strength of its own.

Usually, different types of alloys are used to get different operating temperatures
maximum working temperature of constant an (45% Ni, 55% Cu) is 400°C, that of
nichrome (50%, Ni 20% Cr) is 1150°C, that of Kantha (70% Fe, 25% Cr, 5% Al) is
1200° C and that of silicon carbide is 1450°C.
 CAUSES OF FAILURE OF
HEATING
ELEMENTS

Formation of hot spots.

Oxidation

Corrosion

Mechanical failure
 Temperature Control of Resistance Furnaces
The temperature of a resistance furnace can be changed by
controlling the I2R or V2/R losses.
(1) Intermittent Switching-In this case, the furnace voltage is
switched ON and OFF intermittently.
• When the voltage supply is switched off, heat production
within the surface is stalled and hence its temperature is
reduced.
• When the supply is restored, heat production starts and the
furnace temperature begins to increase.
• Hence, by this simple method, the furnace temperature can be
limited between two limits.
Contd..
(2) By Changing the Number of Heating Elements
In this case, the number of heating elements is changed
without cutting off the supply to the entire furnace.
Smaller the number of heating elements, lesser the heat
produced.
In the case of a 3-phase circuit, equal number of heating
elements is switched off from each phase in order to maintain
a balanced load condition.
(3) Variation in Circuit Configuration.
In the case of 3-phase secondary load, the heating elements give
less heat when connected in a star than when connected in delta
because in the two cases, voltages across the elements is
different .
In single-phase circuits, series and parallel grouping of the heating
elements causes change in power dissipation resulting in change
of furnace temperature.
 Infrared Heating
• When tungsten filament lamps are operated at about 2300°C (instead of
3000°C), they produce plenty of heat radiations called infrared radiations.
• With the help of suitable reflectors, these infrared radiations are focused on
the surface to be heated.
• The lamps so employed have ratings varying from 250 W to 1000 W
operating at 115 v-230 v.
• Lower voltage results in robust filaments.
• With this arrangement, the charge temperature obtain is between 200°C
and 300°C.
• The heat emission intensity obtained is about 7000 W/m2 as compared to
1500 W/m2 obtained with ordinary resistance furnaces.
• In this type of heating, heat absorption remains practically constant
whatever the charge temperature whereas it falls rapidly as the temperature
of charge rises in the ordinary resistance furnace.
• Infrared heating is used for paint drying and for drying foundary moulds, for
low temperature heating of plastics and for various dehydration and other
processes.
The distance of lamp should be at 25-30 cm from the object.