What are PTC Heaters?
What is a Surface Heater?
What is a PTC Surface Heater? A surface heater comprises a heating element designed to conduct heat directly to the surface of an object or material. Contact heater is also a term used when referring to a heating element in direct contact with a surface. “Surface refers to the outer face, outside, or exterior boundary of a thing; outermost or uppermost layer or area. Or any face of a body or a thing.” “Contact as a noun refers to the act or state of touching, immediate proximity, or association. As a verb to bring into contact.” A flange heater...
Positive Temperature Coefficient Heating Elements
How does the PTC heating element work?
PTC heating technology is unique in the family of electrical heating systems. As current passes through the ceramic element, the resistance to the current produces heat, just as in resistive wire heaters.
A PTC heating element or positive temperature coefficient heating element is composed of advanced ceramic material or ceramic stones with a small amount of barium titanate. The doping procedure sets the maximum temperature of the ceramic component and provides the PTC characteristics.
The temperature operating range of the positive temperature coefficient PTC heaters is 40 degrees C to 220 degrees or 104 degrees F - 428 degrees F. Keep in mind that is the temperature of the actual ceramic heating element.
When the heat rises in the heater, the resistance also increases logarithmically. This fast-rising resistance curve reduces the current going through the heater and the resultant heat.
The PTC ceramic heating elements are embedded in heat transfer materials that isolate the voltage and current from external contact and efficiently transfer the heat to other materials or air.
PTC air heater, aluminum honeycomb or v patterned structures are set between conductive bars containing the heating element. These structures are placed in ductwork where the air flows to transfer heat to the air stream.
PTC fan heaters are used for similar purposes in vehicles where a separate fan isn’t practical or available to transfer heat to compartments.
PTC convection heaters are used in electrical enclosures and other applications where there can be natural convection of air passing through the heating elements fin structure.
PTC surface heaters also have an aluminum fin structure that is attached directly to the surface of the object to be heated.
PTC immersion heaters or cartridge heaters have the ceramic heater embedded in heat transfer material inside a round or square tube of stainless steel that is inserted into the side of a container with contents to be heated.
Call our team of thermal management specialists. You will talk with an engineer that is very familiar with all of the devices available and can walk you through finding the proper PTC heating device for your application.
What are PTC, Positive Temperature Coefficient, Heaters?
What is Positive Temperature Coefficient?
If a material exhibits a positive temperature coefficient means that as its temperature increased its resistance to current raises proportionately. Initially, the current through these devices will rise sharply with the low resistance but then decrease to zero when the design temperature is reached. During manufacturing these devices are made to reach a specific temperature.PTC Heater Types Explained
PTC ceramic heating elements are used throughout our industrial economy. Their compact size, efficient heat transfer, reliability, and ability to self-control the amount of heat produced are highly valued. PTC heating elements are found in our homes, cars, trucks, trains, planes, ships, medical equipment, industry & manufacturing.
The small PTC ceramic materials or disks, specially made for specific temperatures, are encased in materials that facilitate thermal energy transfer for this compact source. The small ceramic stones are doped with barium nitrate during manufacturing for specified temperatures. These set-point temperatures are what make these elements unique in heating applications.
How to transfer heat from a PTC heating element
PTC element heat transfer Medical Laboratory Maintains Temperature with PTC Heating Elements The ceramic heating element designed with PTC, positive temperature coefficient, characteristics require a heat transfer medium to move the heat from the component to the material requiring heat. The heat transfer design is dependent on the material, distance, and surface area. Heat transfer is heat moving from a warmer object to a cooler thing. Heat is a measure of the kinetic energy possessed by an item. The heat measure of an object changes with time until equilibrium between the warmer and cooler things. Conductive heat...