The present invention relates to an electric heater designed especially and specifically to heat flasks or other similar containers which are habitually used in laboratories and wherein the liquid product which is to be heated is placed beforehand, as part of a specific process, the essential characteristics of the aforementioned electric heater being described below.
As indicated in the previous paragraph, very frequently, with the aim of carrying out research in order to conduct an industrial process, one must heat the liquids, many of them of a corrosive nature, and which must be handled safely by putting them into appropriate containers, such as the known flasks made of heat resistant material.
The heating of the flask, together with the liquid placed inside it, is effected in a normal way, by means of the habitual use of electric heaters, consisting of a hollow body, wherein the flask is appropriately placed, the body whereof is heated to a high temperature with the help of electrical resistors which are coiled around its exterior, and even around its interior, according to the type of model.
The drawback with these heaters is that the electrical resistors which will cause the heating of the body wherein the flask has been placed, are situated in a part where they are easily vulnerable to the action of the liquids which are heated, either by pouring or dripping from the flask, or breakage thereof and spillage of the contents inside the heater.
This accidental situation provokes the short circuit of the electrical installation and, on almost all occasions, the breakage of one or several of the heating elements, with serious damage to the apparatus, which will have to be adequately repaired as it creates a risk of electrocution to the user.
The heater which is the object of the present invention offers a practical and economic solution of a heating element composed of a shielded resistor, referred to as a heating blanket, which is positioned embracing the exterior of the heating body of the appliance, so that, in the case of breakage of the flask or pouring or dripping of the liquid, the latter can not come into contact with said heating blanket, as it is not in contact with the outside.
The heater is equipped with a connection to earth, in accordance with the regulations currently in force, and its heating body is completely watertight, so that it can heat the flasks in four different ways:
The polivalence of the heater which is the object of the present invention is evident, increased by the possibility of presenting, as a practical embodiment, apparatus with bodies of different sizes, with the aim of heating flasks also of differing volume, as well as the presentation of the individual heater or the set of heaters, with two or more bodies.
The repeatedly mentioned body of the heating apparatus will be manufactured from metallic material, coated with ceramic material with high resistance to the action of corrosive liquids and high temperatures, or with stainless steel, with resistance characteristics similar to those of ceramics.
In the remainder of the description reference will be made to different components of the apparatus. To that end some drawings are attached wherein, by way of an unrestricted example, a practical embodiment of the heater which is the object of the present invention has been represented.
In said drawings,
In accordance with these drawings, the heater for flasks and such like is composed of a heating body (1), made as previously indicated, of metallic material, coated with a layer of ceramic material or stainless steel, which has a cylindrical top and a spherical cap for a bottom, having a plated resistor or heating blanket (2) going completely around the top outer part of the heating body (1).
Said body (1) has an upper flange, by way of a circular hoop (3), which is positioned, by way of a “sandwich” between two circular rings (4) and (5), made of material with thermal insulation capacity.
On these insulating rings (4) and (5) is placed the appropriate upper cover (6), equipped with a central orifice completely in line with the top of the heating body (1), and with a vertical flange in square, which covers the upper contour of the chassis (7), which composes the lateral or lower external part of the apparatus.
This chassis (7) is completed with its upper side (7a), flat and horizontal, provided with a central circular orifice which is completely in line with the upper part of the side of the heating body (1), the above-mentioned upper side (7a) of the chassis (7) being below the lower insulating ring (5).
With the components of the apparatus positioned in this way, the set of the two insulating rings (4) and (5), with the upper hoop (3) of the heating body (1) completely rest on the upper side (7a) of the chassis (7), and together with them also the heating body (1), all of them perfectly held together by the upper cover (6) so that it constitutes a completely watertight unit, wherein no liquid can penetrate and, consequently, it can not suffer from any imperfections or faults.
Inside the space delimited between the chassis (7) and the heating body (1) is placed an insulating screen (8), which goes around the whole of said body, laterally and below, all of this completed by a filling of wool or shavings of insulating material (9), which guarantee a total thermal output from the apparatus, without any loss of heat to the outside, insulation also guaranteed by the action of the insulating rings (4) and (5), which prevent the transmission and consequent heat loss through the upper circular loop (3) of the heating body (1).
This complete insulation, as well as preventing the possible losses of heat, is a safety factor for the user, as it is not in contact with the heating elements.
The flask (1a), with the liquid which is to be heated, will be positioned in the inner space (1b) of the heating body (1), according to the manner of heating which is used, as was previously described.
The functioning of the heating system is based on the action of an electronic module control (11), placed in the inner lower part (10) of the chassis (7), completely insulated from the part of the apparatus which gives off heat. This electronic module will be controlled from the outside by means of the appropriate control (11a).
As a practical embodiment variant, the apparatus which is described could present its chassis enlarged sideways (12), so that it can hold one or more additional heating bodies and therefore, function as a unit.
It can also be presented, as a practical embodiment variant, an apparatus the chassis whereof, instead of being quadrangular prismatic, as it is represented in
It must be pointed out, because of all this, that any variation in the putting into practice of the invention which has been described, the dimensions, exterior forms, unitary or battery arrangement and types of materials used, said essentiality being summarised in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
U200501058 | May 2005 | ES | national |