Silicone heaters
Introduction to Flexible Heaters
A flexible heater (or flex heater) is a device which can conform to the surface which requires heating. There are many varieties of flexible flat heaters
which include silicone heaters, Polyimide Film heaters, flexible heat tapes, heating tapes with thermostats, rope heaters,wrap around tank heaters,
gas cylinder heaters and custom sizes.
Silicone heaters are rugged, reliable, accurate, and moisture and chemical-resistant. They can be easily bonded or adhered to any surface or other
system parts. Surface heaters have a wide range of industrial, commercial, and military applictions where reliability, cost of
effectiveness, minimum cross section, resistance to deterioration and basic flexibility are critical.
Learn more about silicone Heaters
FLEXIBLE HEATER SELECTION
- How much wattage is required?
- A low wattage heater is required?
- What voltage will be used?
- If it is a flat surface, what size will be needed?
- How long do the heater leads need to be?
- Will you require a thermostat or a digital temperature controller with sensor?
- What is maximum temperature?
- For flat surfaces will require wire wound or etch foil?
- What is the time required to reach your temperature?
- What is the ambient temperature?
- Is insulation being used?
Ohms's Law
Ohm's law shows the relationship between voltage, wattage, amperage, and resistance. It is important to know Ohm's law in order to
calculate the load you will be switching with your thermostat or digital controller. For example if you select a silicone heater which
is rated 200 Watts and apply 120 Vac, the current will be 1.6 Amps.
A is equal to W / V where: A = Amperes; W = Wattage; V = Voltage
Using our example above 200 Watts/120 Vac = 1.6 Amps
Some other variation of Ohm's Law:
Volts = Watts/Amperes
Volts = Amperes x OHMS
OHMS = Volts/Amperes
Amperes = Volts/OHMS
Watts = Volts x Amperes
Killowatt Requirement
To determine the kW required to be heat up a solid. The following formula is used.
kW = (W
T x C
px Δ T)/3412 x h
Where:
W
T= Weight of Material, lbs
C
p=specific heat, BTU/lb-°F
Δ T = Temperature Rise, °F
3412= Conversion Factor, BTU/kWh
h = heat-up time, hrs
Choose the right flexible heating elements
Silicone Rubber Heaters
OMEGALUX™ flexible silicone heaters can improve heat
transfer and speed warm-ups w here controlled heating is
required in confined areas. All low wattage heating elements where both the length and the width dimensions exceed 12" (305 mm) use the wire-wound element design.
Effect of power density: gentle warming is best done with 2.5 W/in2. A good all purpose unit is the 5 W/in2. Rapid warm-up and high temperature are
achieved with the 10 W/in2; however, temperature must be controlled as the safe maximum operating temperature limit of 450°F (232°C) may be exceeded.
Polyimide Film Insulated Flexible Surface Heaters
Polyimide surface heaters are available in a variety of shapes,
sizes, and wattages. Wattage ratings are 2.5, 5, or 10W/in2 at 115 or
28 V. Polyimide Film offers a high degree of resistance to chemicals, and has excellent outgasing properties in high vacuum environments.
Typical construction consists of an etched foil element of 0.0005" or 0.0001" thickness which is encapsulated between two layers of 0.002"
Polyimide Film and 0.001" FEP adhesive.
Electric Heating Tapes
OMEGALUX™ Rubber Extruded Electric Heating Tapes are low watt
density electrical resistance heaters designed for temperature maintenance
in applications requiring moisture and chemical resistance. Silicone rubber tapes are constructed of finely stranded resistance wires
fully insulated with braided fiberglass and knitted into flat tape with fiberglass yarn. These tapes are encapsulated in a voidfree
silicone rubber sheath
Rope Heaters
OMEGALUX™ electric rope heaters apply heat to tubing with diameters as small as 1/8" (3.2 mm).
Featuring a maximum allowable operating temperature
of 482°C (900°F), the FGR series rope heaters can be wrapped around either conductive or non-conductive surfaces. Each end terminates with
24" (610 mm) long fiberglass insulated lead wire. These rope heaters are very similar to our heater tapes. Please review our tape heaters
for your application needs.
Wrap Around Tank Heaters
The OMEGA™ TOTE Series tote tank heaters are flexible wraparound surface heaters
offered in different sizes based on height.
These heaters provide a quick, easy, non-invasive way to warm your product. They fit nearly every standard tote tank utilizing
adjustable nylon straps with buckles. There are 3 straps for placing around the tank and 2 for across the top. Units include an
adjustable thermostat and a manual reset high-limit thermostat for each of the 2 zones.
Gas Cylinder Warmers
OMEGA's GCW Series gas cylinder warmers create a
convection current and increase pressure inside the cylinder.
This cost-effective process reduces condensation, allowing more gas to fill the cylinder. Use with gases such as
SF6, propane, nitrogen, oxygen, BCl3, WF6, and HF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Temperature Controllers and Sensors for silicone Heaters
There are a variety of temperature controllers and sensors one can use depending on the application. One of the more popular sensor types for
flexible heater applications are the
surface mount temperature sensors.
Thermocouple, RTD or Thermistors are available with an adhesive backing or
the ability to be cemented to the surface being heated. There also bolt on and magnetic surface mount type temperature sensors available.
Digital
temperature controllers come in many different sizes with many output and input choices. Thermcouple and RTD inputs are the most popular with a
mechanical relay or dc pulse output. DC pulse ouputs allow the user to go to a larger relay to switch the heater load. Thermostats are also
available for the most basic applications.
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