Process Heaters
Integrating sensors into the design and thinking about sensors early in the development process allows you to place the right sensors in the right location, and it’s not only a safety concern but can have a real impact on the efficiency and productivity of your process and, ultimately, revenue.
Heater systems have several safety controls built in to protect workers, devices and materials. High-limit sensors, or safety sensors, are one of these types of devices. Such sensors prevent runaway situations in which a switch does not turn off a heater and it continues heating after reaching the desired temperature.These can be dangerous situations that lead to damaged materials and devices or a fire that could injure employees and damage property.
Thermocouples and RTDs can become damaged and incorrectly read the current and temperature of your heating products. If you have unusual temperature fluctuations or temperature differences between multiple heater bundles, a replaced or repaired sensor can restore your heating process to optimal performance.
Typical customer specifications for a direct electric heat exchanger (DEHE) in forced convection gas applications aim for efficiency and safety given the technology principles that have been in place for the last two decades. While the older specifications are conservative and safe, the design may be sub-optimal.
Electric process heaters that interface with flammable materials in explosive environments need to be properly evaluated to protect the equipment against catastrophic failures. A temperature class requirement will be provided by the user based on the explosive gases that may be present in the installation area. Click to read.
One of the most common failures in electric process heaters used in various industrial applications involves electrical terminations and not the heating elements. Engineers at Watlow® believe designers across the industry are underestimating the temperature profile from the heater flange to terminal enclosure in these thermal systems.
By using HELIMX™ circulation heaters in its BPA processing, a manufacturer was able to widen its maintenance window by two to three times what it traditionally has been, saving both time and money. Read more
Companies in liquified natural gas (LNG) and other industries have been taking bold steps to reduce their carbon footprint. The overall strategy of these companies is to tackle carbon emissions not only through alternative energy investment and increased efficiency, but also through converting key industrial processes (like process heating) to electric (rather than fuel-fired). This paper explores pressures to electrify process heating, as well as the role that electric heat exchangers are playing, particularly in light of innovations in the design of these heaters.