Decarbonisation Technology - February 2023

heaters can be supplied for both direct and indirect service. Furthermore, electric heaters can be made from many different metallurgies ensuring thermal, chemical, and mechanical compatibility with the process.

heat as it is heavily reliant on electric heat to eliminate its carbon footprint. Investment funding currently flowing into this research could be significantly optimised by focusing on pilot testing for end-user proof of concept and leveraging already proven technologies. The Armstrong Chemtec Group has been designing electric process heaters for over 40 years. As a company specialising in heat transfer, we have custom- designed thousands of electric heaters with proven operational reliability. Current publications suggest that

Figure3 – Hazardous Area Radiant Heaters Source: Armstrong Engineering Associates Figure 3 Hazardous area radiant heaters

Impedance heaters Impedance heaters use the natural electrical resistance of materials to heat. Because the heat can be generated in the same pipe which contains the process, these heaters are particularly well suited for high-temperature and high-pressure applications. A variant of the impedance heater design can provide extremely high temperatures and pressures simultaneously. Similar to radiant heaters, impedance heaters can control maximum surface temperature, are available in unlimited geometries, can be designed for two-phase flow and zoned heating, and be designed for hazardous areas. Impedance heating can be used to replace existing equipment with defined or challenging footprints or used in fired heaters as a dual source of energy. Conclusion Few electrification projects are suitable for immersion heaters, leading manufacturers to quickly explore and research alternative electrical heating options. Thanks to our expertise in process heat transfer and electrical heating, Armstrong can help process operators and licensors avoid these pitfalls and choose the appropriate equipment for their process.

electrical process heating above 1000°C is experimental. This is not the case, as several of our technologies operate at process temperatures over this suggested limit. Radiant and impedance heating technologies are particularly well suited for solving many process electrification challenges. Along with regular duties, these heaters can also be designed for high-temperature, high-pressure, and two- phase cases. Depending on the particular design, electric heaters can be supplied for both direct and indirect service. Furthermore, electric heaters can be made from many different metallurgies, ensuring thermal, chemical, and mechanical compatibility with the process. Radiant heaters Radiant heaters, true to their name, use electrically heated rods to radiate heat to a particular target. Because there is no need to make contact with the process fluid, these heaters are popular choices for heating reactors and lethal service piping. Controlling a maximum surface temperature at the process with radiant heaters also allows the ability to service organic processes where coking can be a concern. Due to the almost unlimited geometric potential, Armstrong has several proprietary and proven designs which allow for two-phase heating, which is often particularly challenging. Additionally, we can design heaters for installation in hazardous areas of a facility.

Brian Stubenbort bstubenbort@armstrong-chemtec.com