search  current discussion  categories  kilns & firing - elements 

element life and energy output, was: electric kiln elements for hi

updated sun 21 apr 02

 

Erik Buitenhuis on sat 20 apr 02

temp

Hi Craig,

>If I'm remembering this correctly, the lower
>the resistance value, the hotter the element.
In answer to your message of 6 January, I wonder if this is exactly correct.
The lower the resistance, the higher the energy output of the element, sure,
but there are two ways of getting a lower resistance: decreasing the length
of the element, or increasing the wire diameter. I just got new elements and
I was trying to decide whether to use them in serial or parallel connection.
The salesman told me to keep the energy output below 2 W/m2, and when I
asked for the two options, he proposed either two 48 Ohm elements in
parallel, 1 mm diameter, energy output of 1.35 W/cm2, or two 12 Ohm elements
in series, 1.4 mm diameter with an energy output of 1.97 W/cm2. I bought the
first set, but your remark
> The heavier the element guage, the more time
> you have until failure.
makes me wonder if that was the right choice. Has anyone compared the
lifetime of long, parallel, low surface output elements with short serial
high surface output ones?

Cheers,
Erik Buitenhuis.
please CC replies to erik1967@email.com
--

_______________________________________________
Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Email.com
http://www.email.com/?sr=signup