How cartridge heaters work to transfer heat

With the change in seasons, our minds turn to all things heating. Have you given in and put yours on yet? Does the right timing for the heating going on cause family strife? Today, I am talking about something a little different. Until recently I had not heard of cartridge heaters so had no idea how they worked. So today I am writing about cartridge heaters and how they work.

What are cartridge heaters?

When it comes to cartridge heaters we are moving away from the domestic zone and into the industrial one. They are used to transfer heat from one area to another. They are fundamentally efficient and reliable heating elements. They are great because they can fit well into holes. You can recognise them by their tube-like shape. You get ones in different diameters to fit different size holes that may have been drilled using a standard drill bit size. The heating element is known as a sheath and is an outer metal enclosure. Most but not all cartridge heaters have a standard electrical connection.

Uses

It is all about heat transfer and very high temperatures. You will see them used to heat solids such as moulds, dies and platens. Think back to your science lessons of yesteryear – this is all about the process of conduction with heat being transferred uniformly and reliably. I spoke to my husband who is far more of the scientist that I am. He said they are great for applications that require high watt density, for heating fluids and for rubber moulding. He got particularly excited when telling me how they can help regulate air temperatures in devices prone to condensation.

Where would we find them?

You will find cartridge heaters in industries such as medicine, food manufacturing and plastics moulding.  These are just some examples and you can probably come up with others yourself.

Exercise caution

It should go without saying that as we are talking about high temperatures, you do need to be careful when using cartridge heaters. Take good advice and if you are not sure, don’t attempt to use them yourself and call in an expert.

What do you know about cartridge heaters and how they work?