Electrical Heating Element

Last updated on February 16th, 2024 at 08:59 pm

Long gone are the days when traditional heaters were used for heating purposes. Traditionally, the idea of heaters and heating elements comes from the pre historic and continued use of fire to generate heat. The basic idea behind heating elements is that use of electricity to produce heat makes controlling heat easier than with the use of fire. Have you ever wondered how your irons, toasters, hair dryers, stoves, and electric heaters generate heat? That is where the role of electrical heating elements comes into play.

What is a Heating Element?

electric duct heaters and applicationsA heating element is an electrically charged structure that is used to create heat in electric appliances to ensure there is a greater control over heating. In design typically a heating element is made up of a coil, a wire strip that is made of nichrome, which works similar to lamp filament using electricity to produce heat and a ribbon. Once the electricity starts to flow through the nichrome wire strip, the strip works by converting the electrical energy into heat, giving a red-hot glow which starts to radiate in all directions. Nichrome (NiCr) is a metal alloy made up of around 20 percent of chromium and 80 percent nickel. The key to the workings of an electrical heating element is the role of the nichrome in it. Nichrome has fast emerged as the leading alloy to be used in terms of electrical heating elements. The high melting point, lack of oxidization, reasonable resistance, and lack of expansion are the chief among the features that make nichrome one of the leading parts of electrical heating elements.

Types of Heating Elements

Previously, there were a few types of electrical heating elements available in the market. Yet, with the passage of time and enhancement in technology, heating elements have evolved over time. At this point, there are loads of different types of electrical heating elements available in the market, and all have their different implementations. The major types of heating elements available in the market are:

  • Electrical heating elements that have nichrome used bare
  • Electrical heating elements that use nichrome surrounded by ceramic materials that help it become durable and robust.

Electrical elements in the market are available in different shapes and sizes. The primary factor that determines the shape and size of electrical heating elements are made according to the dimensions of the appliance that it is being used with. For example, in the case of hair curling tongs coiled, coiled elements used are short since they are needed to produce heat for a thin tube that is to be used to wrap around the hair. In the case of electric radiators, the bars of elements used are long, since they are required to radiate the heat across a wider area of room. Electrical heating elements are electrical masterpieces that have started to save the fossil fuels for future generations.

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