Open coil heaters are air heaters that expose the maximum heating element surface area directly to an airflow. The choice of alloy, dimensions, and wire gauge are strategically chosen to create a custom solution based on an application’s unique needs. Basic application criteria to consider include temperature, airflow, air pressure, environment, ramp speed, cycling frequency, physical space, available power, and heater life.

Advantages of Open Coil Heating Elements :

In case you’re looking for a product that suits your simple space heating application, you’d better consider an open coil duct heater, since it provides lower kW output.
available in small size compared to a finned tubular heating element
Releases heat directly into the air stream, which makes it run cooler that the finned tubular element
Has a lower drop in pressure
Provides a large electrical clearance
Using correct heating elements on heating applications can help minimize your manufacturing costs. If you need a reliable partner for your industrial application needs, contact us today. One of our customer support specialists will be waiting to assist you.

The selection of the correct wire gauge, wire type and coil diameter requires quite some experience. There are standard elements available on the market, but quit often they need to be custom built. Open coil air heaters work best below air velocities of 80 FPM. Higher air velocities could cause the coils to touch each other and short out. For higher velocities, select a tubular air heater or strip heater.

The big advantage of open coil heating elements is the very quick response time.

There are standard open coil heating elements available on the market and we carry some in stock. Most of these elements need a constant airflow over the resistance wire, but if the watt densities are low enough they may not burn out in still air.