ENGINEERING RESOURCES

Regenerative blowers are portable, low-pressure air sources that are ideal for use with many Tutco SureHeat Air Heaters. They provide inexpensive, clean, oil free air, and can be easily mounted on equipment. A blower must be able to provide your desired amount of flow even with the restrictions caused by the heater, plumbing, and manifolding. These […]

What is Proposition 65? Proposition 65 (commonly referred to as Prop 65) is regulation originally passed in 1986 by the citizens of California and its purpose is to alert consumers in California of items which may pose a risk of cancer or birth defects.  The State of California maintains a list of these substances and […]

Overview Watt density is a useful measure when considering the various types of heating elements available. TUTCO-Farnam Custom Products manufactures open coil heating elements which are generally used to heat a gas flow, such as air or nitrogen. We are also manufacturers of surface heaters that heat by conduction. This discussion will pertain specifically to watt density and […]

By following a few rules-of-thumb you can determine the wattage requirement for your application. Calculating the wattage requirements to heat a system is a straightforward process as long as all the parameters of heat energy flowing in and out of a system are considered. Heat requirements that must be considered are: Initial heat for the […]

Here’s why: Sometimes, when all the design work is done, the heating element is too fragile for either the assembly process, or field operation. This can occur when making a low wattage heater that uses a high voltage. In these cases the element needs to be more robust but the design won’t allow it. One solution is […]

Introduction In the heating industry, we are often asked what is the difference between a distributed wattage heater and a zoned heater. These various construction techniques can be applied to many different types of conduction heaters such as cartridge heaters, ceramic and mica strip heaters, and band heaters. Almost any heater that uses a wound coil can use one of these […]

When designing an electric heating system for industrial processes, many factors must be addressed. These factors routinely include required power, location, ducting, air source, and controls, but circuit protection is often overlooked.  Proper circuit protection is of utmost importance not only for safety but also to avoid costly downtime and repairs to the system.  Electrical […]

Once process equipment is designed and placed into service, the importance of each individual component is frequently forgotten. Unfortunately, heaters often find themselves in this situation until there is a failure. Since heaters usually play an integral role within the application, any failure can rapidly expand to a major issue or shutdown. The good news…many […]

What’s the difference? The majority of TUTCO–Farnam Custom Product’s heaters are used to heat an air flow. When determining the power required to heat a stream of air, invariably two questions will come up. How much “stuff” do we have to heat up? In more technical terms, what is the mass flow rate? How hot […]

Grounding in GeneralGrounding is often treated as an afterthought, but not all grounds or ground connections are the same. Too often we just assume that any ground connection will be a ‘good’ one. Grounding a device generally serves two purposes. The first is to provide a safe path for current flow in the event of […]

For a typical convection air heating application, the air temperature and the volumetric air flow entering the heating element, and the power produced by the element are known or can be specified. The desired air temperature out of the heating element is achieved by commonly adjusting the power and/or the airflow. A first-order estimate of […]

At TUTCO-Farnam Custom Products, we manufacture many different types of heating products.  These heaters are used in all sorts of applications.  One of our standard heaters is the Cool Touch 200 (CT200).  These Cool Touch heaters are part of the Heat Torch family, which are offered in a variety of diameters.  For example, the CT200 […]

TUTCO–Farnam is pleased to announce that we are offering of high-temperature insulation blankets. These insulation blankets are specifically tailored for use with the TUTCO–Farnam Flow Torch® family of heaters. A specific insulation blanket is available for Flow Torch® with an outside diameter of 4in, 6in, & 8in. Simple InstallationThe insulation blankets are easily installed in […]

This article identifies different types of electric heating elements, highlights important considerations when determining a heater solution, and finally looks at some of the less obvious costs. Examples from experience as well as in-house engineering white papers are referenced throughout the article. What is a Heating Element? A heating element is a component composed of both electrically conductive as well […]