What are the different types of process heating systems?
The three most common process heating systems are: fuel-based, electricity-based and steam-based systems. In fuel-based process heating, heat is generated by the combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, and transferred either directly or indirectly to the material. The combustion gases are either in contact with the material (direct heating) or are confined and separated from the material (indirect heating; e.g., radiant burner tube, radiant panel, muffle). Examples of fuel-based process heating equipment include furnaces, ovens, heaters, kilns and melters. Electric-based systems (electro-technologies) use electric currents or electromagnetic fields to heat materials. Direct heating methods generate heat within the material by either: 1) passing an electrical current through the material, 2) inducing an electrical current (eddy current) into the material, or 3) by exciting atoms/molecules within the material with electromagnetic radiation (e.g. microwave). Indirect heating methods
