Heating jacket
Heating jackets are electrical heating devices made of textile materials that are used in industrial applications for heating and maintaining the temperature of mostly three-dimensional geometries. This can e.g. B. pipelines, fittings, pumps, instruments, but also containers such as canisters, barrels, intermediate bulk containers , gas bottles or tanks, columns and reactors in plant construction. Due to their flexibility, heating jackets can be quickly and easily installed and removed for inspection and maintenance, in contrast to permanently installed trace heating .
construction
A heating jacket has a complex structure because, in addition to the actual heating element, functions such as thermal insulation, outer jacket, fastening, temperature sensor (s) and connection cable with electrical connection technology are integrated. The operating temperature determines the choice of materials. Plastics, such as B. fluoropolymers , serve as electrical and thermal insulation material; In addition, inorganic fiber materials made of glass or quartz glass must be used. From 900 ° C, these materials also lose their flexibility permanently, so that this value represents the upper limit of use for heating jackets. For use in explosion- protected areas, heating jackets must be mechanically upgraded, equipped with conductive outer jackets, suitable connection technology and an explosion protection document. In addition to the insulation thickness, the right fit, which should enable good heat transfer through thermal conduction , is decisive for energy-efficient operation .
Applications
Important applications for heating jackets can be found for baking in nuclear research and in vacuum technology . In semiconductor production, heating with heating jackets is used to avoid deposits in gas lines from coating and etching processes. In chemical-thermal process engineering, the required process temperatures are precisely achieved with heating jackets. In applications such as filling and dosing technology or adhesive technology , the aim is to influence the viscosity of fluids favorably through temperature control.
safety
In addition to the standards and regulations that apply to electrical equipment , temperature control and limitation play an important role in safe operation due to the high specific surface area of heating jackets. If a maximum surface temperature of 60 ° C cannot be guaranteed during operation, this must be identified with the warning sign W017 “Warning of hot surface”.