Drum heaters are used to heat containers or drums that store viscous materials. There are different types of drum heaters; some are wrapped outside whereas others are placed inside these drums. Ideally, the essence of using this heating element is to reduce the viscosity of the liquid to pump, fill, or bottle the fluid. In some cases, drum heaters might be used to prevent liquids from freezing inside a drum.
Types of Drum Heaters
There are different types of drum heaters. These units differ in terms of their physical properties and how they work. When it comes to the individual features of the heater, some units are corrosion resistant, explosion proof, or finned. The design matters a lot especially when looking at the nature of the environment where they are used. For instance. There are hazardous location heaters used in areas with high risk of explosion or accidental fires.
Their capacity of a drum heater often specifies the size of the drum they heat. Some common choices include 5-gallon, 15-gallon, 30-gallon, and the 55-gallon sizes among other drum sizes. Other specifications dependent on drum sizes include maximum operating temperatures, voltage, and the wattage delivered. The watt delivered is expressed by the watt density, and it determines how fast the heating occurs inside the tank.
- Heat Jackets: This type of heaters have a heating surface woven into silicone or fiberglass. These heaters are made to surround the drum thus reducing heat losses completely.
- Heating cabinet: Powered by steam or electricity, heating cabinets allow you to heat several drums simultaneously. They are very convenient especially when heating and cooling is your core business.
- Immersion Heaters: This type of heater is made in a way that it fits through the opening the drum. The heating surface is always in contact with the fluid thus making it more efficient.
How Does a Drum Heater Work?
A drum heater is a heating element enclosed by a rubber or metallic sheath. The heat from the heating element is conducted through the sheath to the side of the drum where the heating unit is attached. Some drum heaters are thermostat controlled. This implies that they start heating when drum temperatures fall below a certain limit and also stop when maximum temperatures are attained.
With the enormous variety of drum heaters in the market, it is clear that some heating elements are suitable for certain jobs than others. Thus when shopping for a drum heater, see to it that you seek expert advice and do due diligence on your part.…
Most plants produce products that are highly regulated by the law for the sake of consumer protection. Such laws include providing standard products. Thus the factory has the mandate to ensure that petroleum products are free of water for instance. Similarly, other factories emit harmful products to the environment, and the law requires them to regulate such. Toxic fumes need to be filtered and trapped before they diffuse to the environment and cause harm.
Equipment with failure now and then will not produce anything that is to the standard. Rolling mills with machine failures due to overheating will have poor products and eventually have a poor reputation. Thus it is better to have maintenance coolants and mist eliminators installed at a higher initial fee than going down the abyss with a cost-saving strategy which is not convenient. On the same note, it is crucial to use professional manufacturers when it comes to these machines.