A heating element converts electricity into heat through the process of Joule heating. In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature Joule heating is the process by which the passage of an Electric current through a conductor releases Heat. Electrical current running through the element encounters resistance, resulting in heating of the element. Electric current is the flow (movement of Electric charge. The SI unit of electric current is the Ampere. Electrical resistance is a ratio of the degree to which an object opposes an Electric current through it measured in Ohms Its reciprocal quantity is
Most heating elements use Nichrome wire or ribbon as the conductor. Nichrome is a brand name for a nickel-chromium resistance wire a non-magnetic Alloy of Nickel and Chromium. Nichrome is an ideal material, as it is inexpensive, has relatively high resistance, and does not break down or oxidize in air in its useful temperature range. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state
There are five kinds of commercial heating elements:
- Bare Nichrome wire or ribbon: Either straight or coiled, usually found in toasters and hair dryers. Nichrome is a brand name for a nickel-chromium resistance wire a non-magnetic Alloy of Nickel and Chromium. A toaster is a small electric Kitchen appliance designed to Toast slices of Bread. A blowdryer or hairdryer is an Electromechanical device designed to blow cool or hot Air over wet or damp Hair, in order to accelerate the
- Screen printed metal/ceramic tracks deposited on ceramic insulated metal (generally steel) plates. These elements have found widespread application for kettles and other domestic applicances since the mid 1990s.
- CalRod (sealed element): a fine coil of Nichrome wire in a ceramic binder, sealed inside a tough metal shell. The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) These can be a straight rod (as in toaster ovens) or curved to fit in a smaller space (such as in electric stoves, ovens, and coffee makers). A toaster is a small electric Kitchen appliance designed to Toast slices of Bread. A stove is an enclosed heated space The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating either to heat the space in which the stove is situated An oven is an enclosed compartment for Heating, Baking or Drying. A coffeemaker is a Kitchen appliance used to brew Coffee without having to boil water in a separate container
- Heat lamp: a high-powered incandescent lamp usually run at less than maximum power to radiate mostly infrared instead of visible light. A heat lamp is an Incandescent light bulb that is used for the principal purpose of creating heat rather than visible light. The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric Light that works by Incandescence, (a general Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of These are usually found in radiant space heaters and food warmers, taking either a long, tubular form or an R40 reflector-lamp form. Radiant heating is a technology utilized for the heating of both indoor and outdoor areas The reflector lamp style is often tinted red to minimize the visible light produced; the tubular form is always clear.
- PTC ceramic: This material is named for its Positive Thermal Coefficient of resistance. Positive Temperature Coefficient ( PTC) refers to materials that experience an increase in Electrical resistance when their temperature is raised The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) Most ceramics have a negative coefficient; most metals, a positive one. While metals do become slightly more resistant at higher temperatures, this class of ceramics (often barium titanate and lead titanate composites) has a highly nonlinear thermal response, so that it becomes extremely resistant above a composition-dependent threshold temperature. Barium titanate is an Oxide of Barium and Titanium with the Chemical formula BaTiO3 Composite materials (or composites for short are engineered Materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical This behavior causes the material to act as its own thermostat, since current passes when it is cool, and does not when it is hot. A thermostat is a device for regulating the Temperature of a System so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint Thin films of this material are used in automotive rear-window defrost heaters, and honeycomb-shaped elements are used in more expensive hair dryers and space heaters. Thin films are thin material layers ranging from fractions of a Nanometre to several Micrometres in thickness A blowdryer or hairdryer is an Electromechanical device designed to blow cool or hot Air over wet or damp Hair, in order to accelerate the Space heating is the Heating of a space usually enclosed such as a house or room
Heating elements for high-temperature furnaces are often made of exotic materials, including platinum, molybdenum disilicide, and silicon carbide. A furnace is a device used for Heating The name derives from Latin fornax, Oven. Platinum (ˈplætɪnəm is a Chemical element with the Atomic symbol Pt and an Atomic number of 78 Molybdenum disilicide ( 2, molybdenum silicide, or MOSI2) an Intermetallic compound, a Silicide of Molybdenum Silicon carbide ( is a compound of Silicon and Carbon bonded together to form Ceramics but it also occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral Silicon carbide igniters are common in gas ovens. A pyrotechnic initiator (also initiator or igniter) is a device containing a Pyrotechnic composition used primarily to ignite other more difficult to ignite
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The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric Voltage and vice versa Positive Temperature Coefficient ( PTC) refers to materials that experience an increase in Electrical resistance when their temperature is raised A kettle is a Kitchenware piece Depending on culture and historical location in the context of bathware the word kettle can have a variety of meanings
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