When it comes to Industrial Process Heating, the options can be overwhelming. Hopefully, this article helps to lighten your load and provide insight on the many heating options available to you as well as the control panels to help you control them.

Flanged Heaters

One kind of heating option is a flanged heater. A flanged heater is an electric heater that is used in chemical, petroleum, and water applications. It uses direct heat application to the liquid medium. A thermocouple or thermostat is used to report temperature readings to a digital control panel, and it maintains the temperature to which you set the program. It also has a sensor that helps to keep the liquid contained inside from overheating and it offers protection to the heater too.

Flanged Immersion Heaters are one of several known for heating gases and liquids such as water, oil, heat transfer fluid and corrosive solutions. The direct immersion method is both energy efficient and is easily monitored and controlled.

Pipe Heaters

If you are in a climate where the temperature reaches well below freezing, you’ll want a pipe heater. Pipe heaters are also used for keeping exceptionally low watt densities down, for example: waxes, molasses, and other thick liquids. They are excellent for liquids with high thickness, weighty bunker fuel oils, and destructive liquids. Pipe heaters can also integrate with coil heaters, flange heaters, and screw plug heaters. Pipe heaters are made to fit into standard pipes and keep them from freezing, so that the liquid can move smoothly from point A to point B.  Pipe heaters are designed to not come in contact with the liquids directly, they indirectly heat liquid sources though. Having this design in place is helpful when there is a maintenance issue with the heater, liquids do not need to be moved to another vessel while the problem is fixed.

Other Heating Options

Other heaters available on the market are:

Cartridge Heaters – Example the cartridge heater it gives good heat transfer, stabilizes temperatures, has resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and can handle extremely high temperatures, while also being reliable and having a long life.

• Tubular Heaters – Tubular heaters are unique. They can be transformed and converted into any shape needed for your project. Their heat transfer is by conduction, convection, and radiation. They can heat liquids, air, gasses, and surfaces. There are several different tubular heaters on the market: Round Double Ended Tubular Heaters, Single Ended Tubular Heaters, Thin Blade Tubular Heaters, Hopper Heaters, Specialty Shapes and Mini-Tubular Heaters. The possibilities are endless.

• All-In-One Heater Kit – This kit is great for asphalt and for pumping hot oil for pumps, valves, jacketed lines, drags, silo cones and plant components. Simple install, 100% efficient, long-lasting, provides excellent air quality making it environmentally friendly and eliminates the possibility of damaged asphalt or oil.

• Thermal Fluid Systems – An indirect heating system, where one medium is heated and then circulated to one or more energy users within a closed loop system. Mediums include thermal oil, glycol, and water.

• Process Heaters – Are built to last years and years. They give the controller the power for absolute precision in temperature control. Used for controlling liquid or gas applications that include: hydraulic fluid, crude oil, acidic solutions, potable water, industrial gases like hydrocarbons, hydrogen, high oxygen content, or super heated air. They are known to be efficient and can be designed to allow for a space-saving design frame depending on the company you hire.

• Tank Immersion Heaters – These are great for oils, grease, emulsions, oil additives, biofuels, asphalt/construction, food production, ink manufacturing, pulp and paper. It is very popular due to the ease of installation. Perfect for tanks and vats, 100% efficient, easy automation, needs very little maintenance and is very reliable. Three watts per square inch on the heater sheath.

• Screw Plug Heaters – This little box allows the control of temperatures locally from outside the unit. It can also help to upgrade your current system if you need a more hands-on approach to temperature control. It helps in a space with minimal leeway. Has built-in alarm to notify the user of temperature issues and process problems before they happen. This is for indoor use only.

• Solar Energy – Newer technologies in industrial heating include the use of solar energy to help heat industrial liquids. Of course, Solar is known for heating water and cooling water, but it can also be used for steam. It depends on what you need to heat, the mechanical design of your need, and the temperature requirements of the application.

• And More

Control Panels

When it comes to maintaining your temperature, it is important to have reliable control of your system. Here are a few temperature control panels on the market to help you regulate the temperature of your mediums:

Process Controller, Self Contained Temperature Control Panel is a control system that allows complete control over the temperature of your medium(s) without having to select individual components to control the temperature for you. It simplifies the control of temperature for you. They only require a power supply and load and sensor hook-up.

Electrical Process Control Centers are pre-engineered and pre-wired to operate as a temperature activated controlling device for any type of resistive heating load. Standardized to National Electric Code.

Specifications: Can handle loads up to 192 amps, NEMA 12 or 4 enclosure, U.L. listed, and 208 to 600 volts.

Digital PID Temperature Controllers are powerful, simple tools that use input/output signals to maintain temperatures. Possible obtainable outputs include voltage pulse, relay, linear voltage, and current. There are three alarm outputs offered on most of these. Seventeen alarm kinds are available. It takes RTD, analog, or Thermocouple inputs. It also has an integrated RS-485 interface using the Modbus slave (ASCII or RTU) communication protocol.

Hopefully, this has been informational in helping you determine what works best for your medium applications. This is just a quick look at the many options out there for you as well as the extensive variety of Wattco Industrial Heaters. Be sure to use any reference links in the article to get further information on these types of products and contact one of Wattco’s experts today.