Compact Heating Element - Isis Project No 67
Researchers in the Department of Engineering Science have developed a safe, efficient and compact heating element.
Background
University of Oxford research engineers have invented and developed a very compact heating element. The system has high performance characteristics that could benefit a diverse range of applications e.g Process, .Aerospace, Automotive, Medical and Domestic. Recent work (2004) has combined the rapid response heater with a fast-response temperature sensing circuit.
Marketing Opportunity
Existing air heaters suffer from slow time response and a uniformly heated air or gas stream is almost impossible to achieve. Typically, to reduce size, such heaters operate with element temperatures significantly higher than the air stream which leads to additional engineering costs. In particular, the safety and location of hot wires needs to be carefully considered.
The Oxford Invention
The system incorporates a single planar sheet of fine stainless-steel wires that change the air temperature in less than 100microns. The Oxford Invention has been developed with the following advantages:
- extremely fast time response - typically less than 10milliseconds;
- can be integrated with a temperature sensing circuit to accurately control wire and flow temperatures
- produces a uniform temperature profile;
- operates with low wire temperature;
- highly compact and very light-weight;
- can be designed to fit most duct geometries;
- can be manufactured at low unit cost;
- extremely high temperature air flows over (630°C) have been achieved.
Commercialisation Opportunity and Patent Status
Adapting the compact heating element to specific applications has been aided by recent advances in fabrication methods, and the development of a novel protection circuit that ensures the heating element will not exceed a predetermined temperature. The most recent application of the technology is within a compact, inline compressed air heater. Other applications include a low cost automotive cabin heater and a prototype for heating air inhaled. The Oxford Invention is embodied in a patent and design and engineering know-how are based in the Department of Engineering Science. Further technical info including a video is available at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~jesu0086/heatercomparison.htm. Companies interested in developing the compact heating element are invited to contact Isis.
Keywords
rapid heating, compact design, high temperature, temperature protection, low mass, low cost