Temperature optimization of an electric heater by emissivity variation of heating elements

Abstract

This note addresses an industrial application concerning the way to optimize the surface temperature of commercial electrical heater. The aim of this paper is to reduce the temperature on accessible surfaces and electrical heater in order to respect the European standards and quality criteria imposed by the manufacturer. This target must be achieved by changing only the emissivity distribution of the electric heater components. A numerical study of the natural convection flow coupled with radiation is carried out in a heated room with an electric heater. The physical model includes the transport equations of mass, momentum, energy and radiative transfer which are solved numerically. Thermo-physical properties of the fluid are assumed to be dependent of the temperature. The numerical simulations are carried out for a two-dimensional, steady and turbulent flow using the finite volume approach. Results showed the influence of emissivity distribution of the electric heater components. The reducing of the heating foil emissivity allowed to decrease the radiative contribution on the foil and its temperature.

Keywords

• Natural convection
• Radiation
• Electric heater
• Emissivity
• CFD