Is it better to make a periodically used electric water heater by oneself or to purchase one?
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At the beginning of the reaction, the materials at ambient temperature must be heated to approximately 60°C. Hot water is circulated through the jacket of the 3 m³ reactors to achieve this temperature rise. There are four such reactors in total. Once the material temperature reaches 60°C, the reaction must be maintained at around 60°C for about 5 hours. During this period, hot water continues to be circulated through the reactor jackets to keep the temperature constant. Given that when hot water is generated, the water needs to be raised to the desired temperature quickly at first, which requires high power, while later only a low amount of power is needed to maintain the temperature, it is planned to use electric heating elements with different power levels: all of them are used at the beginning, and later only one set of heating elements is activated, with a temperature controller being used to regulate the temperature of the hot water. After communicating with some electric water heater manufacturers, it was found that commercially available electric water heaters generally do not have the capability to adjust their power in combination with a temperature controller. Such heaters require additional components such as a hot water tank and a hot water pump. Features of commercial electric water heaters, such as automatic water filling, are already built-in. If one decides to build an electric water heater oneself, it can be designed as a hot water storage tank, with a series of electric heating elements placed at the bottom of the tank, combined with a temperature controller. This approach seems compact, but there are disadvantages to self-construction: the resulting design may not look as good as those of commercially available units, its insulation performance is inferior to that of commercial models, and the control systems, including temperature control and low-level alarm functions, are not as well-developed as those in commercial products. Additionally, building one oneself is quite complicated. I would appreciate some advice on what approach would be better in this situation. Thank you!
This post was last edited by mgdtcc on 2011-2-7 at 17:03. Reply 1# chinazwr: The electric heating element should still be purchased externally. For anything else where a fixed shape cannot be achieved, it’s best to provide drawings and have them manufactured by specialized equipment manufacturers. The processing quality is guaranteed.
“If considering making an electric water heater by yourself, it can be set up as a hot water storage tank – does that mean designing the jacket as a hot water tank? A heating tube is installed at the bottom; if strict temperature control is required, attention must be paid to the uniformity of heat distribution by hot water, as there may be a significant temperature difference between the bottom and the top. “Control systems such as temperature control and low liquid level alarm interlocks are not as well-designed as those that have been thoroughly considered; by installing thermistors in appropriate locations and using a small PLC with signal current input interfaces, the reliability of control functions can still be ensured. The level measurement issue is somewhat tricky. If we only consider high/low level alarms, it’s sufficient to install electrical contacts on a short glass plate with water calibration. It is not recommended to use the differential pressure signal as the level signal. Is it possible to do this from a technical standpoint? It’s better to make a water jacket by yourself, with several sets of high-power resistance wire sleeves at the bottom. Enabled during rapid heating. Turn it off once the temperature is reached. Maintain a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours: Make holes at the top and bottom of the jacket, and connect a small, prefabricated electric water heater to it (similar to those used for bathing, with adjustable temperature settings). Utilize its own thermal circulation or install a small circulation pump on top of it. This also makes the structure more compact and avoids the complications associated with the control section.