How do ceramic infrared heaters actually work?

What is a ceramic infrared heater?

There are generally two types of ceramic infrared heaters - convection ceramic infrared heaters and radiant ceramic infrared heaters. In convection heating methods, heat is transferred through a series of aluminum components or fins. Ceramic infrared heaters are radiant heaters that can reach temperatures in excess of 750°C.

Ceramic infrared transmits heat through a nichrome wire located in the center of a groove on the surface of the ceramic heater and radiates to the tool it is heating. Ceramic infrared heaters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on the application as well as energy efficient emitters.

Because ceramic heaters provide a fast, safe and clean source of heat, they are widely used in various industrial applications such as drying, boiling, shaping and melting products.

They are also used for space heating when animals such as pigs reach puberty. Ceramic infrared heaters create an optimized microenvironment for increased piglet survival without overheating the sow.

How ceramic heaters work?

Ceramic heaters work on the principle of resistance heating. It is a form of converting electrical energy into heat or thermal energy. This means that when current is passed through it, heat is generated due to the high resistivity of the heating element. When electricity is passed through a ceramic heating element, the material resists the flow and generates heat.

This conversion of electrical energy to thermal energy is beneficial to the heater because it increases efficiency. Resistive heating is 100% energy efficient, which means that all incoming electrical energy is converted into heat.

Ceramic infrared heaters are usually made from one of two elements - exposed ceramic rods or coils/ribbons/or wires of alloy. It is then covered in a ceramic insulating plate.

The amount of resistance of an element is a measure of its ability to generate heat and is proportional to the amount of current flowing through it. For a material to be classified as a good heating element, it must have sufficient internal resistance. Ceramic infrared heaters transfer heat to the surrounding environment by conduction, convection or radiation.

When the temperature of the ceramic heating element reaches a certain preset point, the resistance increases, which stops the flow of current and the generation of heat. Therefore, ceramic infrared heaters provide the required heat without raising the ambient temperature unnecessarily.

Advantages of Ceramic Infrared Heaters

1) They heat up quickly and are energy efficient.

2) They are safe and portable.

3) They are small, compact and inexpensive.

4) They are available in a variety of models, with or without fans.

5) They don't use much electricity compared to other types of heaters.

6) They have built-in safety features such as timers, touch sensors, overheating sensors, thermostats, digital displays and remote controls.

7) They are able to uniformly heat large areas.

8)They're safe because they don't have some of the toxic emissions, such as carbon monoxide, that some other types of heaters typically produce. Ceramic infrared heaters are generally pollution-free and help keep the air clean.

9) They are durable.

10) Ceramic infrared heaters are sold with or without a Type K internal thermocouple.