Last updated on March 22nd, 2024 at 07:41 pm

Many commercial applications need large amounts of oil or liquids. In fact, it’s often necessary to store them in large tanks and many of these liquids must be heated to precise temperatures. For example, if a tank of asphalt or adhesive was allowed to get too cool, it could spell disaster. On the other hands, some liquids like water may begin to boil and evaporate if heated too much. Many tank applications are being heated with flange mounted heaters and for good reason. They are very efficient and can save you a great deal on your operating expenses.  

What is a Flange Heater?  

Flange heaters are made to mount on tanks via an external flange. These flanges can easily be bolted on but in some cases, it’s necessary to weld matching components for installation. Once this is done, changing units is as simple as unbolting the flange and removing it.  

Flange heaters are very adaptable and versatile. With some heaters, you would need to make a great deal of changes or modifications, but flange heating units can be installed with a minimum of modifications and are made to fit a wide range of applications.  

Flange Heaters and Immersion Heat  

Perhaps one of the reasons flange heaters are so effective is immersion heat. Immersion heat is a simple process. For example, if you were to drop a heated iron rod into a large vat of water, the heat from the rod would transfer rapidly to the water. Naturally, this would cool off the iron rod, but if the rod had a constant source of heat (like a heating element) then heat from the iron would continue to transfer to the water until it reached the temperature of the iron. This is the basic principle for immersion heating.  

Immersion heat is becoming very popular because it offers an efficient solution to many types of heating processes. It plays a major role in the gas and oil industry in keeping liquids to the proper temperature for processing. Because of their efficiency, flange immersion heat units are saving businesses money while increasing overall efficiency.  

More about Flange Heaters  

There is nothing complicated about flange immersion heat. The units have a tubular heating element attached to a flange. The element is encased in a pipe which also contains a temperature sensing unit. This is called a thermowell. It allows the heating elements to heat liquids and neither the elements nor the temperature sensor is submerged. This is one of the best ways to eliminate many issues with corrosion. In addition there is no scale or sludge build-up either. For corrosive environments, this is a must.  

Flange Heaters and Tanks  

Flange heaters are used to solve many kinds of tank heating issues. For instance, your plant may require several large tanks of corrosive liquids. To save time and money, you can easily install special heating units that fit over the top of the tank and extend into the caustic solution. However, in time your heating elements will be covered with scale and may begin to corrode. In fact, corroded elements are not very efficient and they will eventually quit working altogether.  

This corrosive problem is easily solved with indirect immersion flange heaters. Installation is simple, especially if you are changing over from gas heat. In fact, the burner wells can be used for the flange heaters. Your maintenance people can weld matching adapters for the flanges to fit on, and they can then be easily bolted to your tanks.  

Your new flange heaters will heat the tank liquid and there is no need to be concerned with the heating elements becoming corroded. Even though they are not touching the liquid, heat transfer is easily obtained.

Better Heat Control  

Thanks to modern technology, today’s flange heaters are capable of heat control once only dreamed about a few short years ago. Sensors can deliver data to digital heat control units and you can keep your liquids at exact temperatures when needed. Temperatures can easily be regulated with digital, thermocouple, or RTD control. In addition, the units also have overload and overheating protection built in.  

Wiring Options  

You can have just about any type of configuration you require. For instance, small applications may only require a few heaters wired to one control unit. However, larger systems can be setup to have several control units and one master unit for monitoring all the heater systems.  

Do you need single phase or three phase power? How about 477 volts and 60 kilowatts of three phase heating power? These things and many more are all possible when you choose a trusted provider for your flange heating needs. The possible configurations are only limited by your needs and imagination.  

Sizes  

Flange heaters come in many different sizes. For example, you can choose heaters in sizes as small as two inches or as large as forty two inches. Diameters range from .26 inches to .625 inches, and other in between sizes are available. If you need a heating element more than four feet long, this is no problem as top providers offer custom heating elements made to your specifications. Here are some of the materials available:  

• Stainless steel
• Copper
• Titanium
• Incoloy
• Inconel

Custom sizes are also available.  

Choosing the Best Provider for Your Flange Heaters  

Look for a trusted provider with decades of experience in the business. For example, you can depend on a reputable flange heater provider to be there when you need them if they have over 40 years experience. They are not likely to suddenly fold up and go out of business.  

Fast service is important from a provider. If you want a quote on a project, you should not have to wait days. The best services can sometimes provide quotes on the same day and even within an hour’s time.  

You can depend on an experienced company to give you a price guarantee on their flange heaters. This will give you the lowest prices in the industry and with fast service you won’t have to deal with a lot of downtime issues associated with tank heaters.