Heating Element Inside Of a Liquid Filled Tube ? ? ?

[NineInchNails]

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about installing a 5500W straight fold-back element inside of a copper or stainless tube full of a safe liquid. My thought is that this should eliminate scorching or similar concerns. Has anyone done this?

My first thought was to use some type of oil, but then there’s the concern of potential leak and contamination of the distillate. I presume water based materials are out of the question due to steam/pressure. What kind of liquid would be considered safe to use in this manor? It would have to work inside of a sealed tube in direct contact with the heating element and not become a pipe bomb.

[Pikey]

You are joking - No ? 5.5 kw heating a confined space ? - Bye bye element ! Or Liquid, Or container - but it ain't gonna happen "!

[NineInchNails]

You don't think it's at all possible that an element can heat a liquid (an oil for instance), conduct heat through copper tube to heat liquid within a boiler? What if the tube were 2" or even 3"?

[Pikey]

Try it

Do let us know how it works out

[Edit - you're talking 5.5 kw here ]

[Bushman]

A couple years ago I designed a screen cover for the electric element. Larry at Stilldragon improved on the design and now sells them. Looks like the link below includes element and attachment but it gives you an idea.
http://stilldragon.com/index.php/elemen ... ector.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Pikey]

Wossis ? $100 - and the site is a dubious resourse you have to over-rule the protection to get to !

[cob]

pikey

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 0#p7423170

[miket]

Yea the screen looks safer and over all better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk1a9nOqwB8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Pikey]

The mesh would need to be fine and relying on natural convection to keep 5.5 kw cool is optimistic imo. However it must work to be a saleable item. does it have a maximum power rating ?

[der wo]

The mesh would need to be fine and relying on natural convection to keep 5.5 kw cool is optimistic imo. However it must work to be a saleable item. does it have a maximum power rating ?

Yackattack tried it and it didn't work. Bushmans adapter screen project was the name of the thread about it. I can't provide the link because I am at the phone at the moment. I am surprised that they really sell it.

[Swedish Pride]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=59737

[Yummyrum]

NIN you could concider Propylene Glycol .It is a FDA approved liquid that is used in heat exchange processes .Not to be confused with the highly toxic Ethylene Glycol used as radiator coolant .
But all liquids have some expansion cooefficient . There are expansion tanks available to safely take up the pressure created in these systems .

[DAD300]

What you are suggesting works. Industrial cartridge heaters and I've seen DIY versions for mashing.

Some industrial immersion heaters are filled with calcium powder.

I've seen some big "heat sticks". An electric element in a 3" tube filled with oil (peanut oil) hung in a mash tank and plugged into a 220v outlet.

For a boiler it would be no dif than an old steam coil. Picture a beer keg with a 3" triclamp on the side, a 3"dead end tube inside filled with peanut oil and cartridge heater clamped to it.

For those worried about sealing it, the oil filled heaters sold for a house are sealed. How about HERMS or RIMS beer brew setups.

Still don't want to seal it? Add a 90 deg and stand pipe to above and leave the top open with the element at the top.

[Pikey]

NIN you could concider Propylene Glycol .It is a FDA approved liquid that is used in heat exchange processes ..............

The thing about heat exchangers generally, is they have moving fluids passing through - entering at a fixed temperature and leaving at a lower temperature.

Here we have a sealed pot of gloop, inside the still body.

The gloop has a 5500 watt heating element stuck in it and turned on
There is no control of extreme temperatures and nowhere for excess heat to go if it cannot get out through the walls of the gloop pot quick enough.

I'm not saying it can't be done - perhaps it can - but I'd like to see calculations on th eheat flow mechanics first.
Possibly just do it but with a thermometer in the fuid, another strapped to the wall of teh pot and a power controller system to bring up the power slowly until we see what's going on !

Dropping Red hot steel in oil or water cools it down quickish -so maybe teh heat CAN be dissipated quickly enough, if the medium can get it from the heater to the outside shell quick enough.

[Edit - It might be easier just to build a thumper ! ]

[Tater Patch Kid]

A sealed heating tube sounds like a big problem, what about a container and pump such as a hydronic heating system? To find a pump that can handle the heat and expansion tank might work.

[NineInchNails]

This has just been an idea I've been rollin around in my head. I can totally understand the fear of too much direct heat to the oil if the heat does not transfer away into the boiler. A quick Google search says that the smoke point of Peanut Oil is 227°C/440°F. I really need to get a TIG welder. If I had one I'd test this right away outdoors.

I have certain instances where something like this would benefit where I work. For instance, we have containers that we fill and dispense certain chemicals that are rather viscous. Almost like a syrup. We've used band heaters to heat it up, makes it less viscous and then it dispenses nicely. I'd like to use a submersible heater, but some heating elements get quite hot on the surface that is in direct contact with the chemical were trying to heat. I figured a controlled heating element inside of a tube filled with an oil would provide more 'indirect' heat and solve that problem. I've Goggled for a bit and found that low temp heating elements are rather expensive.

[NineInchNails]

If a temp probe were installed within the element housing, the oil temp could be controlled. That would make this element less efficient at bringing a boiler up to temp, but that should work.

I admit I don't know anything about heating oil in a sealed vessel, whether gasses, pressure would be created or at what point it could/would be created.

[shadylane]

"Heating Element Inside Of a Liquid Filled Tube ? ? ?

@ NineInchNails, that sounds like something I'd try
If I remember correctly, I did this experiment outside
The concept might work good, for a low power fermenter heater.
But wasn't a logical way to heat a boiler.