Inductive heater...?

How can I make an inductive heater? I have some 1/2 inch gas pipe that will need to be heated.I'm familiar with electronics so any ideas on how to do it? Also, what type of voltage and amperage are we talking?

Answer:
You want low voltage and high current and a frequency in the kilohertz range -perhaps 5-20kHz so a high frequency step down transformer might work. The trouble is not so much making the coils or the signal, but keeping the coil from heating itself. These coils are usually hollow, with water pumped continuously through them.

The power required can be roughly calculated from the size of object you want to heat. One watt is a joule per second.

Heat capacity of metals is specified in J/(kg-C) or joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (or Kelvin) with iron being about 450J/kg.K

Example:
Say you want to heat .1kg by 1000 degrees C in 10 seconds, ignoring heat transfer to air and the rest of the object being heated, you would need 4500Joules per second or 4500 Watts . If you assume 50% efficiency, you actually would need 9000 watts.

That's more than you can get from a standard wall outlet in the US or Europe - these are limited to 1500-2000 Watts.

Lots of info at the link.

The answers post by the user, for information only, FunQA.com does not guarantee the right.



More Questions and Answers:
  • Why capacitor is connected in single phase water pumps and ceiling fans?
  • What are RF amplifiers used for in the medical field?
  • Could this help with the current energy problems?
  • How speed dialling works?
  • How much does a gallon of Diesel Fuel weigh?
  • Design guidelines in LPG piping, what pressure to use?
  • How to Solar Hot Water Systems Work?
  • How does a control panel 4 a solar system looks like?
  • Why are there steam pipes under US cities? What do they do with all that steam?