Save Time and Money in the Long Run: Choose a Custom Electric Heater When It Comes to Heating Clean and Ultra-pure Fluids

Custom heater for clean and ultra-pure fluids (from BCE)

What do the fuel cell, bio-med, laboratory, food, pharmaceutical, medical, semiconductor, and electronics industries all have in common? Applications in their processes requiring a fast responding and accurate high purity fluid heater.

Each of these industries include manufacturing processes that require a small and efficient heating source as a component of their production. These heaters must be ruggedly designed, made from materials immune to process contamination, and be vacuum tight. The heaters will be subject to high temperatures, harsh solvents, and corrosive gases. Many times they must maintain a seal for full vacuum, demonstrate a unique heating profile, and maintain very close control.

Common requirements in these processes:

• Capable of handling high vacuum.
• High temperatures.
• Isolation the process media from heating element.
• Isolation from other area of contamination.
• Very accurate control, including internal sensors.
• Fast heat up and cool down.

Few manufacturers offer electric heaters with all of these features with an off-the-shelf product, so a custom (or semi-custom) heater is required. Heater customization allows for specific application requirement to be addressed. Examples are type of internal sensor (RTD or TC), the use of chemical inert glass liners, a profiled heating pattern, and specific wetted materials.

Using stock screw plug immersion heater for these applications should be avoided. This category of heater will not stand up to the rigors of the application, as they are designed for general industrial service. They are not intended for high purity, will not meet material compatibility requirements, have poor controllability and are bulky in size.

The answer is in a custom high purity fluid heater designed with the specific process in mind.

Benefits of developing a custom fluid heaters are:

• Available in a variety of voltages.
• Available in a wide range of watt densities.
• Temperatures up to 350°C.
• Effective heated area can be profiled to generate a liner temperature profile.
• Vacuum compatible up to 1.0 x 10-8  STD. CC/SEC Helium.
• Can be provided with internal sensors (RTD or thermocouples).
• Can be glass lined for ultra pure gas application.

Careful review of the application is important and the help of an experienced heater application engineer is required. Choose a vendor with a long, proven track record of success. The outcome of the test, process or product will be infinitely improved.

High Purity Fluid Electric Heaters

Transfer Line
Heater Assembly

In many biomedical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, electronics or R&D laboratory applications, special purpose electric heaters are required for heating high purity fluids. These heaters typically must be ruggedly designed, made from materials immune to process contamination and be vacuum tight. They can be subject to high temperatures, harsh solvents, and corrosive gases. Many times they must maintain a seal for full vacuum, demonstrate a unique or even heating profile and be able to be closely controlled.

The misapplication of screw plug immersion heaters, screwed into a stainless steel welded vessel, offer more problems than solutions due to leaks, material compatibility, poor controllability, and bulky size.

Transfer line
heater assembly

The answer is in a custom high purity fluid heater designed with the process in mind.

Custom electric heating elements are available designed to handle high vacuum, high temperatures, utilize glass liners for ultra-pure gases, offer 316 stainless steel parts, provide internal RTDs for control and can be temperature profiled.

General Specs for these types of custom fluid heaters are:

• Variety of voltages.
• Wide range of watt densities.
• Temperatures up to 350°C.
• Heater length can be profiled to generate a liner temperature profile.
• Vacuum compatible up to 1.0 x 10-8  STD. CC/SEC Helium.
• Can be provided with internal sensors (RTD or thermocouples).
• Can be glass lined for ultra pure gas application.

Careful review of the application is important and the help of an experienced application engineer is required, but the outcome of the test, process or product will be infinitely improved.