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A heating element converts electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 into heat
Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is any transfer of energy from one body or thermodynamic system to another due to a difference in temperature....
 through the process of Joule heating
Joule heating

Joule heating, also known as ohmic heating and resistive heating, is the process by which the passage of an electric current through a conductor releases heat....
. Electric current
Electric current

Electric current is the flow of electric charge. The electric charge may be either electrons or ions.The International System of Units unit of electric current intensity is the ampere....
 through the element encounters resistance
Electrical resistance

The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the passage of a steady electrical current. An object of uniform cross section will have a resistance proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area, and proportional to the resistivity of the material....
, resulting in heating of the element.

Most heating elements use Nichrome
Nichrome

Nichrome is a brand name for a nickel-chromium resistance wire, a non-magnetic alloy of nickel and chromium. A common alloy is 80% nickel and 20% chromium, but there are many others to accommodate various applications....
 wire or ribbon as the conductor. Nichrome is an ideal material, as it is inexpensive, has relatively high resistance, and does not break down or oxidize in air in its useful temperature range.

There are five kinds of commercial heating elements:











Heating elements for high-temperature furnace
Furnace

File:Piec krepa.JPGA furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven. The earliest furnace was excavated at Balakot, a site of the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to its mature phase ....
s are often made of exotic materials, including platinum
Platinum

Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is in Group 10 of the periodic table of elements....
, molybdenum disilicide, and silicon carbide
Silicon carbide

Silicon carbide is a Chemical compound of silicon and carbon bonded together to form ceramics, but it also occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite....
.






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A heating element converts electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 into heat
Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is any transfer of energy from one body or thermodynamic system to another due to a difference in temperature....
 through the process of Joule heating
Joule heating

Joule heating, also known as ohmic heating and resistive heating, is the process by which the passage of an electric current through a conductor releases heat....
. Electric current
Electric current

Electric current is the flow of electric charge. The electric charge may be either electrons or ions.The International System of Units unit of electric current intensity is the ampere....
 through the element encounters resistance
Electrical resistance

The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the passage of a steady electrical current. An object of uniform cross section will have a resistance proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area, and proportional to the resistivity of the material....
, resulting in heating of the element.

Most heating elements use Nichrome
Nichrome

Nichrome is a brand name for a nickel-chromium resistance wire, a non-magnetic alloy of nickel and chromium. A common alloy is 80% nickel and 20% chromium, but there are many others to accommodate various applications....
 wire or ribbon as the conductor. Nichrome is an ideal material, as it is inexpensive, has relatively high resistance, and does not break down or oxidize in air in its useful temperature range.

There are five kinds of commercial heating elements:

  • Bare Nichrome
    Nichrome

    Nichrome is a brand name for a nickel-chromium resistance wire, a non-magnetic alloy of nickel and chromium. A common alloy is 80% nickel and 20% chromium, but there are many others to accommodate various applications....
     wire or ribbon: Either straight or coiled, usually found in toaster
    Toaster

    A toaster is a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 Watt and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes....
    s and hair dryer
    Blowdryer

    A blowdryer or hairdryer is an electromechanical device designed to blow cool or hot air over wet or damp hair, in order to accelerate the evaporation of water particles and dry the hair....
    s.


  • Screen-printed metal–ceramic tracks deposited on ceramic insulated metal (generally steel) plates. These elements have found widespread application for kettles and other domestic applicances since the mid 1990s.


  • Tubular (sealed element): a fine coil of Nichrome wire in a ceramic
    Ceramic

    File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
     binder, sealed inside a tough metal shell. These can be a straight rod (as in toaster ovens) or curved to fit in a smaller space (such as in electric stove
    Stove

    A stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it, for cooking purposes....
    s, oven
    Oven

    An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. It is most commonly used in cooking and pottery. Ovens used in pottery are also known as kilns....
    s, and coffee makers).


  • Heat lamp
    Heat lamp

    A heat lamp is an incandescent light bulb that is used for the principal purpose of creating heat, the spectrum of black body radiation emitted by the lamp is shifted to produce more infrared light....
    : a high-powered incandescent lamp usually run at less than maximum power to radiate mostly infrared
    Infrared

    Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves ....
     instead of visible light
    Visible spectrum

    The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visual perception to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light....
    . These are usually found in radiant space heaters
    Radiant heating

    Radiant heating is a technology for heating indoor and outdoor areas. Radiant heating consists of "radiant energy" being emitted from a heat source....
     and food warmers, taking either a long, tubular form or an R40 reflector-lamp form. The reflector lamp style is often tinted red to minimize the visible light produced; the tubular form is always clear.


  • PTC
    Positive temperature coefficient

    Positive Temperature Coefficient refers to materials that experience an increase in electrical resistance when their temperature is raised. Materials which have useful engineering applications usually show a relatively rapid increase with temperature, i.e....
     ceramic
    Ceramic

    File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
    : This material is named for its Positive Thermal Coefficient of resistance. Most ceramics have a negative coefficient; most metals, a positive one. While metals do become slightly more resistant at higher temperatures, this class of ceramics (often barium titanate
    Barium titanate

    Barium titanate is an oxide of barium and titanium with the chemical formula BaTiO3. It is a ferroelectric ceramic material, with a photorefractive effect and piezoelectric properties....
     and lead titanate composites) has a highly nonlinear thermal response, so that it becomes extremely resistant above a composition-dependent threshold
    Threshold

    Threshold may refer to:...
     temperature. This behavior causes the material to act as its own thermostat
    Thermostat

    A thermostat is a Measuring instrument for regulating the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint temperature....
    , since current passes when it is cool, and does not when it is hot. Thin film
    Thin film

    Thin films are thin material Layer s ranging from fractions of a nanometre to several micrometres in thickness. Electronics semiconductor devices and optical coatings are the main applications benefiting from thin film construction....
    s of this material are used in automotive rear-window defrost heaters, and honeycomb-shaped elements are used in more expensive hair dryers
    Blowdryer

    A blowdryer or hairdryer is an electromechanical device designed to blow cool or hot air over wet or damp hair, in order to accelerate the evaporation of water particles and dry the hair....
     and space heaters
    Space heating

    Space heating is the heating of a space, usually enclosed, such as a house or room. A space heater keeps the air and surroundings at a comfortable temperature for people or animals, or even plants in a greenhouse....
    .


Heating elements for high-temperature furnace
Furnace

File:Piec krepa.JPGA furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven. The earliest furnace was excavated at Balakot, a site of the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to its mature phase ....
s are often made of exotic materials, including platinum
Platinum

Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is in Group 10 of the periodic table of elements....
, molybdenum disilicide, and silicon carbide
Silicon carbide

Silicon carbide is a Chemical compound of silicon and carbon bonded together to form ceramics, but it also occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite....
. Silicon carbide igniters are common in gas ovens.

See also

  • Thermoelectric effect
    Thermoelectric effect

    The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa. On the measurement scale of everyday life, a thermoelectric device creates a voltage when there is a different temperature on each side....
  • Positive temperature coefficient
    Positive temperature coefficient

    Positive Temperature Coefficient refers to materials that experience an increase in electrical resistance when their temperature is raised. Materials which have useful engineering applications usually show a relatively rapid increase with temperature, i.e....
  • Kettle
    Kettle

    A kettle, sometimes called teakettle, tea kettle or the pot, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water in preparation for making tea or other beverages requiring hot water....


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