Circulation heaters, sometimes called In-Line Heaters, are compact heating units used in a variety of ways across industry. Common applications for circulation heaters include heating liquids and gases. These heaters are especially popular in the oil and gas industry, where they are used to control the viscosity of oil and crude.
Choosing the circulation heater which is right for your application is a careful process which requires the procurement officer to exercise critical judgement and knowledge of engineering if the ideal solution is to be found and implemented. The purpose of this article is to provide a concise, and more importantly, digestible guide which will assist you in finding the ideal circulation heater for your applications.
However, choosing the right heater for your application is only the first step. Next, you must determine the precise heat requirements for your process to inform your choice of construction materials for the various components of the heater. Choosing a material for the flanges, vessel, and heating element sheath is critical for ensuring your heater consistently performs to it’s highest potential for as long as possible. The Watt density of the heater also depends on the temperature requirements, and we will cover all of these topics in this article to help you determine which heater will meet your needs.
Should you have any questions after reading this article or in general, we encourage you to contact us for additional information and requests.
Strong knowledge of your industrial process or application is required to pick the right heater, as is the knowledge of your plant’s designer or chief engineer. The following factors should all be considered when deciding which heater you need. These factors are not listed in order of importance.
A few additional points to consider if the fluid is a corrodent are its temperature, the degree of aeration the corrodent is exposed to, and its velocity through the system. Find specific answers to address each of these factors and share it with your Wattco representative along with a detailed description of your application. He or she can confirm that you have selected the appropriate piece of equipment and help you decide how to customize it, if required. The engineer at your plant will be an invaluable asset for finding precise and pertinent information.
As with any piece of industrial machinery, there are operational imperatives which must be maintained to ensure you get safe and long-lasting performance from your Wattco heater.
Firstly, the heating vessel must be completely stable and fixed while in use. Any loose mounting can cause the heater to vibrate and wear down prematurely. The heater must be fixed to a surface securely at all times while in use. When working with heavy, viscous, or high-temperature liquids, using a pump to circulate the fluid and create forced flow will improve the effectiveness of the heating system.
When it comes to mounting the circulation heater, orient the unit vertically such that the top of your heater is not above the lowest possible water level in the tank. Finally, for circulation heaters used in gas applications like steam superheating, compressed air heating, or heating nitrogen or ammonia, it is critical to ensure there is sufficient flow to achieve and maintain the highest vessel and sheath temperatures without sacrificing safety.
Wattco circulation heaters are designed to improve the performance of immersion heaters. A circulation heater is built from an immersion heater which is installed into a pressure vessel or into the body of the pipe. We will cover the circulation heater’s construction in further detail below, but generally speaking a circulation heater is an immersion heater modified for enhanced performance.
Circulation heaters are sometimes referred to as “Inline Heaters” because of the heater’s shape, the orientation of the element, and the way fluid circulates within the heater.
Circulation heaters are constructed of a flanged or screw-plug immersion heater coated in a layer of insulation to create an all-in-one unit. We also manufacture custom and stock immersion heaters for similar applications to circulation heaters. Each heater built and designed by Wattco exceeds our high-quality assurance standard and comes backed by over four decades of experience.
Wattco’s circulation heaters are versatile heating units suitable for a range of applications, industrial processes, water heating, and freeze protection, lube, and waste-oil applications being most common. Although circulation heaters can be used for different purposes the material they are constructed of must be appropriate for the application for optimal performance.
Below you will find a brief overview of circulation heaters in different applications along with the corresponding materials for the heater’s sheath and element.
Circulation heaters can be used to heat clean water, protect against freezing, store water at a required temperature, and solutions which don’t corrode copper. For these requirements Wattco recommends a copper sheath with flanges made of steel.
Heating oils (especially stagnant and heavy-gauge oils). Some mildly corrosive liquids, and high-temperature low-flow gas heating applications all require both a steel sheath and flange.
A circulation heater for a steam boiler or for hot water, or slightly corrosive solutions (such as those found in rinse tanks and spray washers) require steel flanges and a sheath made of a superalloy called Incoloy.
If you require a circulation heater for process water, detergent or solutions with soap, soluble cutting oils, or demineralized/deionized water, you need a circulation heater with stainless steel sheath and flange.
Mildly corrosive solutions require circulation heaters with stainless steel components. If you don’t see your application in this article, a Wattco representative would be happy to work out a solution to your heating needs. We offer custom circulation heaters for niche requirements and can build to suit virtually any demand.
Watto circulation heaters are designed for heating circulating fluids under pressure. As such, these units must be durable and efficient in order to do their job well and provide strong return on investment.
A Circulation heater is a heating unit securely mounted inside a thermally insulated tank. The heater unit is either a flanged or a screw-plug immersion heater and it sits inside a pressure vessel or the body of a pipe. The heating unit has inlet and outlet valves which allow fluid to pass through the tank unit and reach the desired temperature.
Refer to the diagram on the right for a visual representation of a circulation heater’s construction.
Multistage heating is regulated by the control panel. Multistage heating is a preferred heating method because it enables one to control certain banks of elements interchangeably with different circuits to create a fluid power flow, thereby heating the elements and in turn heating the liquid.
Wattco also offers redundant stages as a precautionary measure in case any existing circuits fail or cease functioning. Should a failure occur, an electricians could change the wiring on to the unused circuit to minimize any production downtime.
Below are listed some of the key features which are standard in Wattco circulation heaters.
As one of potentially many solutions to heating needs, there are a number of advantages to choosing a Wattco circulation heater.
Wattco circulation heaters are easy to install and compact. These heating systems are highly energy efficient, meaning you save money on electricity. They’re also easy to clean, and are highly durable and suitable for operation in adverse conditions.
The heat distribution from a Wattco circulation heater is even and quickly responds to changes made at the control panel. A circulation heater provides greater wattage in a smaller heat bundle than most alternatives while simultaneously producing maximum dielectric strength.
You will save even more energy with a Wattco circulation heater while protecting and preventing thermal isolation, because of the reduced heat loss from the vessel.
Aside from all their thermodynamic benefits, circulation heaters are versatile due to their easy mounting support. They’re also compatible with general purpose terminal enclosures, terminal enclosures which protect from moisture or weather, and adverse conditions where there may be a risk of explosion.
Each heater produced by Wattco is 100% compatible with standard industry piping and safety standards. Most importantly our heaters are safe, like all of our products.
Although Wattco can custom-fit a circulation heater with your required terminal enclosures and mechanical controls, the most common are as follows:
Keep the following points in mind when selecting your circulation:
The heater’s sheath material depends on the nature of the fluid being circulated. Other factors to consider include the fluid’s temperature, how aerated the solution is, and the velocity the fluid must travel at.
Prepare answers to these questions and have them ready when consulting with a Wattco representative and he or she will help you determine which circulation heater is ideal for your application.
There are a few general principles it helps to keep in mind when selecting your circulation heater. Firstly, heat generated from an electric heater leaves the heater and not the steam or liquid heat exchanger.
Furthermore, regardless of whether the surface area contacting the application is well fixed the temperature of the sheath of the heating element will increase until it achieves a temperature which is similar to the heat transferred to the process.
Finally, the lower the watt density of the heater, the longer the heater’s lifespan will be, particularly when installed in applications with highly viscous or stagnant liquids. Low-density heaters are more expensive than high-density heaters. Warning: Selecting a heater with the wrong watt density is likely to cause damage to the control systems and/or the product, causing the heater to fail.
Circulation heaters can be mounted in one of three configurations, depending on the application. Below are the three orientations and the applications these arrangements are suitable for:
(Terminal Housing Pointing Up)
(Terminal Housing Pointing Down)
Wattco has been designing, manufacturing, and innovating in the industrial heating industry for over 50 years and serves a range of clients all over the world. Our dedication to our customers is matched only by our dedication to high quality products. Contact Wattco to find an innovative, cost-effective solution to your problem. It all begins with a consultation with a Wattco representative. From there we get to understand your needs and work together to come up with the most efficient solution. Visit our contact page or contact us at 1-800-492-8826 and get started today.
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