A customer came to Tempco seeking to replace their current supplier of mica insulated band heaters with Tempco Duraband heaters for use in a chemical distillation process. The customer was having issues with the heater quality and the quantity that their current supplier could provide. The heaters had the following requirements:
- able to be easily removed on and off mandrel daily
- meet specific dimensional and electrical requirements
- be as self-contained as possible.
Various construction options were considered such as an expandable design, a two piece design and a hinged design. The expandable (NE) style band heater provided the simplest solution but it was not capable of being removed daily. The two piece (NS) style was capable of repeat removal from the application, but it required extra clamping hardware. A hinged, two-piece design was the best solution. The hinged, two-piece construction style uses one of the gaps on a two piece (NS) heater to join the pieces with a stainless steel hinge. This allows for easy installation and removal because the hinge keeps the band as one, joined piece. Additional design features of this heater include:
- A low-profile termination
- Ground wires
- Internal thermocouple wires
- External jumpers between the two halves of the heater
- Silicone rubber sleeving over the leadwires that provide moisture protection
A micaband heater was an excellent choice for this application due to the versatility and variety of features available on Tempco’s Duraband heaters. Further testing and new projects continue to develop with this specific micaband heater as Tempco works with the end customer to refine the design to meet their application needs. Currently, these heater bands are used with one of Tempco’s own control panels and shim stock style thermocouples to completely the assembly needed to control and maintain the chemical distillation process.
