Electric steam boilers use electrical elements to heat water and generate steam, similar to gas or oil-fired boilers. They come in two types: resistance and electrode, with the latter having higher output. Electric boilers offer advantages such as zero emissions and ease of use, but are more expensive to operate. They are commonly used in food processing plants, laundries, and hospitals. Resistance boilers use immersion heaters, while electrode boilers use conductive rods or electrodes to heat water.
An electric steam boiler is a steam generating unit that uses the thermal energy developed by electrical elements to heat water within a closed tank or shell. Aside from its heat source, the electric steam boiler is similar in its basic construction and operation to other types that use gas or oil-fired furnaces to heat water. These boilers fall into two categories: resistance and electrode, types defined by the elements used in their design. Resistance boilers feature conventional resistive immersion elements similar to those used in a kettle, while electrode types use a current passed through the water between two electrodes to provide a source of heat. Although more expensive to operate, electric steam boilers offer operators many advantages over gas and oil types, including zero emissions, no fuel leak problems, and ease of use.
Steam generation for food processing plants, laundries and hospitals is usually achieved using a steam boiler. Similar in construction to a conventional water heater, these boilers use a heat energy source to boil water in an enclosed tank to generate steam. The heat source can be a gas or oil flame or, in the case of an electric steam boiler, a set of electric resistances. Electric heating boilers are quite expensive to run, but offer many benefits that offset the costs involved. These include simple operation, low maintenance requirements and zero emissions.
Electric resistance steam boilers are equipped with one or more immersion heaters. These elements are similar to those used in a kettle and consist of a resistive core enclosed in a sealed tube. The elements are usually long U-shaped elements passed through a bulkhead or flange bolted to the boiler body, placing the connections on the outside of the boiler with the element immersed in the water inside the tank. When an electric current is applied to these elements, the resistance offered to its passage by the cores of the elements causes them to heat up which, in turn, heats up the water.
Electrode boilers have much higher outputs than resistance types and use a series of conductive rods or electrodes immersed in the boiler water. When an electric current is applied to the electrodes, the water becomes a conductor and a resistive element to the passage of current between the two. This causes the water to heat up in the same way as the resistive core in the immersion element. This type of electric steam boiler is generally used where large volumes of steam are required and are capable of producing up to 110,000 lbs. (242,000 kg) of steam per hour. Resistive element boilers generally produce less steam with average values between 50 and 13,000 lbs. (110 and 28,600 kg) per hour.
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