Strip-Type Surface Heater for Rapid Defrosting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anti-freezing heaters have low flexibility, high manufacturing and maintenance costs, and inefficient heat transfer due to thick coating layers and expensive nichrome wire materials, while defrost heaters suffer from slow temperature response and prolonged defrosting cycles.
Innovation Solution
A surface heater using a strip-type metallic heating element with a specific resistance value, fabricated in a thin film form using Fe-based amorphous ribbon material, allowing for low-temperature heating, high workability, and efficient heat transfer, and featuring a spiral design for easy winding and rapid temperature response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional anti-freezing heater with thick coating layers is used, then heat resistance and durability are improved, but flexibility and heat transfer efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a thin film insulation layer (5-20 μm) made of heat-resistant resin instead of conventional thick coating layers, enabling the heater to be flexible and easily wound around pipes while maintaining adequate thermal insulation and durability
2Reliability
If a conventional anti-freezing heater with thick coating layers is used, then heat resistance is improved, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film insulation layer (5-20 μm) provides sufficient heat resistance while minimizing thermal barrier effects, enabling efficient heat transfer from the heating element to the pipe surface and reducing energy loss
3Reliability
If expensive nichrome wire is used as heat wire material, then heat resistance is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive nichrome wire with a cost-effective heating element consisting of a resistive wire (0.05-0.5 mm diameter) coated with a thin layer of heat-resistant material, achieving comparable durability at lower manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element uses a composite structure combining a resistive wire core with a heat-resistant coating layer, optimizing both thermal performance and cost-effectiveness
4Strength
If a conventional linear heater with thick structure is used, then structural strength is improved, but cohesiveness when wound on pipe deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film insulation layer and flexible heating element structure enable the heater to conform tightly to pipe surfaces when wound, achieving excellent cohesiveness and contact while maintaining structural integrity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The surface heater provides excellent cohesiveness, high heat transfer efficiency, reduced electric power consumption, and rapid defrosting cycles, while being cost-effective and safe due to its low thermal density and high temperature response performance.
Implementation Method 1
a strip type surface heating element which emits heat when electric power is applied to both ends of at least one strip
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a surface heater using a strip type surface heating element and a fabricating method thereof, in which the surface heater can be embodied into a thin film form using a metallic surface heating element which has a specific resistance value appropriate as a heat wire and is formed of a strip style, where the strip type surface heating element can be sequentially produced at an inexpensive cost. The surface heater includes: the strip type surface heating element in which a number of strips which are obtained by slitting a metallic thin film are arranged with an interval in parallel with each other and both ends of each adjacent strip are connected with each other; and an insulation layer which is coated on the outer circumference of the strip type surface heating element in a plate form.