What Is an Infrared Heater?
Infrared heaters work by utilizing the infrared frequency (between 300 GHz to 430 THz) to heat substances. They are made up of heating systems and reflectors. The heating system converts the electrical or chemical energy from the fuel sources into thermal energy. The thermal energy is subsequently directed as radiant heat to the items in the reflector’s immediate vicinity. The reflector then distributes the radiant heat produced by the heating system to the items in its direct proximity.
The infrared heater heats the surroundings with its radiation. Compared to a traditional heater, an infrared heater can heat a larger area. This is because infrared heat makes use of the moisture in the air. It is far more efficient than a standard space heater since it takes advantage of the humidity in the air. Infrared heats the surface area of the room, not the volume like a conventional central heating system or convection heater.
Electricity or fuel are used to power infrared heaters. Infrared heaters are now available with a variety of features and designs to meet our varied needs. Infrared heaters are used for a variety of heating requirements such as heating systems, space heaters, plastic shrinking, plastic welding, cooking, glass and metal heat treatments.
How Do Infrared Heaters Work?
Infrared heaters turn electricity into radiant heat. The electromagnetic spectrum includes infrared and they function on the principle of energy conversion.
Types of Infrared Heaters
Based on their source of energy, wavelength and material of construction, infrared heaters can be categorized as below:
- Electric infrared heaters
- Radiant gas heaters
- Near-infrared (NIR) or short wave infrared heaters
- Medium-wave infrared heaters
- Far infrared (FIR) or long-wave infrared heaters
- Quartz heat lamps
- Carbon infrared heaters
- Ceramic heaters
- Construction heaters
- Over-door heaters
- Garage heaters
- Warehouse heaters
Advantages of Infrared Heating
Infrared heaters are versatile and easy to install. The advantages of infrared heating are:
- They heat the surroundings directly. This feature in turn reduces the energy cost.
- Since they heat the surroundings directly, they work instantly. This minimizes the time required for heating.
- The heat emitted by the infrared heaters is similar to the radiant heat from the sun.
- As the moisture mobility is limited, infrared heaters restrain the growth of microorganisms.
- Unlike convection heaters, most infrared heaters do not use fans or blowers to move the heated air. This makes them less noisy.
- They are environment friendly as they do not emit gaseous or toxic fumes or particles that affect our environment.
Infrared heaters turn almost all of the electricity they use into heat, making them one of the most energy-efficient heating options available. When considering an infrared heater, it is important to understand what an infrared heater is and how it works.
Best Quality Infrared Heater
Nexthermal is the exclusive supplier of Elstein ceramic infrared heaters and emitters in North America. Engineers at Nexthermal prefer Elstein due to the quality, the long lifespan, thermal performance and the overall cost-saving that they offer.
Nexthermal offers a wide variety of ceramic heaters based on specific industrial applications. We provide standard as well as variants based on your unique needs. Reach out to us to procure standard ceramic heaters or develop custom heaters for your application.
