Comparison Voltronic Power HC-20A vs Grunhelm PTC-2000R

The highest heating power produced by an industrial heater.

The maximum area that the unit can effectively heat directly depends on this parameter (see below). Even if it is not indicated in the specs, it can be approximately determined from the calculation that for heating 1 m² of a room with a standard ceiling height of 2.5 m and good thermal insulation will require 100 W of thermal power. If the ceiling height is significantly different, then the power required for heating can already be withdrawn from the volume of the room — every 2.5 cubic metres of volume will require the same 100 W (and the volume is found by multiplying the area by the height of the ceiling). There are also more complex formulas for the most accurate calculation, taking into account the degree of thermal insulation, the temperature difference between inside and outside the room, etc.; they can be found in special sources.

Note that in electric models (see "Power supply"), the maximum thermal power, in addition to all of the above, also determines the total power consumption of the unit: the power consumption (see below) cannot be less than the thermal output (usually, it is somewhat higher due to for the removal of part of the energy for the operation of the fan). In devices with a water circuit, the actual thermal output depends on the temperature of the coolant at the inlet and outlet. Therefore, in the characteristics, a certain standard value is usually indicated, and in t...he notes, it is specified for which temperatures it is relevant (for example, 90 ° / 70 °).

The largest area of the room that the industrial heater can effectively heat.

When determining the maximum area, usually, a universal formula is used that is valid for all heaters: 1 m² of floor space in a room with a standard ceiling height of 2.5 m requires 100 W of thermal power. Therefore, if the ceiling height differs markedly from this value, the actual heating area should be recalculated; for more details on scaling, see “Maximum thermal output".

— Open coil. The simplest type of heater for electric industrial heaters (see "Power supply"): a high-resistance metal coil that heats up when an electric current passes through it. open coil heaters are inexpensive, heat up quickly, provide a large increase in air temperature (see above) and generally have good efficiency. At the same time, dust or other contaminants can get on an open heater, which leads to unpleasant odours, intense heating dries the air, and the heating element is characterized by an increased fire hazard and has a relatively short service life (in other words, it burns out quite quickly from contact) with air, moisture and pollution).

— Tubular heater. The main element of such devices is also an electric heater (see above), but in this case, it is not installed openly but is enclosed in a metal tube filled with a heat-conducting insulating material (for example, quartz sand). Heating elements heat up somewhat more slowly than open coils, and their heating temperature is lower. However, this type of heater is considered more advanced — primarily because the protected heater is safer and more durable. In addition, a low operating temperature also has its advantages — a large temperature difference at the inlet and outlet is not always convenient, and there are fewer unpleasant odours when the heating element is contaminated.

— Ceramic....The most advanced type of heaters for electric type industrial heaters. Usually, such elements have the form of a series of plates made of special ceramics with high thermal conductivity. Due to this, it is possible to ensure high heat transfer efficiency at low operating temperatures, due to which ceramic heaters do not burn dust and dirt, practically do not create unpleasant odours, and the effect of drying the air from them is not so noticeable. On the other hand, such equipment is expensive.

— Heat exchanger. A type of heater that is used only in water models (see "Power supply") and diesel units of indirect heating (see "Type of diesel heater"). In the first case, the heat exchanger is a circuit through which heated water or other coolant passes, in the second — a combustion chamber of a special design. Anyway, the air passing through the heater is heated by contact with the outer walls of the heat exchanger. To increase the contact area and increase the heating efficiency, these walls often have a complex shape — with ribbed protrusions, plates, etc.

— IR plate. Specially designed plate that transfers heat primarily by infrared radiation. For several technical reasons, it is used only in diesel industrial heaters, and, unlike traditional units, these models do not have a fan. It is because IR radiation does not heat the air, but directly the objects that are under it, so there is no need to provide air circulation. IR heaters are convenient in cases where you need to heat only a relatively small area in a large room; in addition, they can be effectively used even outdoors, where the heat from traditional industrial heaters would simply be dissipated into the atmosphere.

The maximum amount of air that an industrial heater can pass through itself in a certain time.

This parameter is associated with an increase in air temperature (see above): at constant power, higher performance usually corresponds to a smaller temperature difference. Accordingly, a more efficient industrial heater will heat the entire volume of the room faster, but the heating temperature will be lower. So, it is worth choosing according to this parameter, taking into account what is more important for you — a large temperature difference or a high heating rate.

The method of adjusting the heating power provided in the design of the heat gun.

- Stepped. Step adjustment assumes the presence of several fixed power values, between which switching is carried out during the tuning process. The accuracy of such a setting is worse than that of a stepless one (see below), even in cases where there are quite a lot of fixed values. At the same time, perfect accuracy is far from always required, and setting a specific value is easier than selecting the position of the regulator with stepless adjustment.

- Stepless. Stepless systems include adjustment systems that do not have fixed steps and allow you to set the power value in any range from minimum to maximum. Due to this, this setting is extremely accurate, although in some cases it is not as convenient as the stepped one described above.