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Impulse heating boilers. Induction or heating heating boilers for a private house - comparison and which is better. The internal structure of the induction heater and the principle of its operation

Induction heating boilers create tangible competition for gas and heating elements. On the market, they are positioned as one of the most economical. They began to be used in the eighties for industrial purposes. Household models were first introduced in the mid-90s, and over the course of more than thirty years of history, they have undergone many changes.

First meeting

Induction boiler in operation

The name itself suggests that the boiler is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. To understand the essence of the process, it is enough to pass a large current through a coil of thick wire. There will definitely be a strong electromagnetic field around the device. And if you put any ferromagnet (a metal that is attracted) into it, then it will heat up pretty quickly.

The simplest example of an induction heat source is a coil wound around a dielectric pipe. It is only necessary to place a steel core inside. A coil connected to a source of electricity will heat a metal rod. Now it remains to connect the device to the line through which the coolant circulates, and the primitive induction boiler will begin to generate heat.

The whole principle of operation can be described in a few sentences. Electrical energy generates an electromagnetic field. Under the action of electromagnetic waves, the metal core is heated. Excess heat from the rod is transferred to the coolant (ethylene glycol, oil or water).

Intensive heating of the liquid generates convection currents. The hot coolant tends to rise, and its strength is sufficient to operate a small circuit. In long lines it is necessary to install a circulation pump.

Truth and myths

In specialized stores, you can often hear the amazing characteristics that are attributed to this heating equipment. Unfortunately, not all of them are true. For the sake of increasing sales, department managers sometimes cunning. It's time to consider the main theses with which they operate.

Novelty

Claim: Advanced innovation based on physical principles.

• Michael Faraday discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction in 1831.
• In industry, since the second half of the 20th century, induction furnaces have been successfully used to melt steel.

No innovations, let alone innovative technologies, have been implemented since then. This is a well-known principle that has found its new application and helped manufacturers to fill a hitherto empty niche.

economy

Vortex induction heaters

Statement: induction boilers use 20-30% less energy than other electrical counterparts.

1. Any heating device converts 100% of the energy used into heat - provided that it does not perform mechanical work. The efficiency factor may be less. It all depends on the heat dissipation around the heating device.
2. The time to reach the required coolant temperature directly depends on the efficiency of the heating element. Any statements that induction models consume less electricity are nothing more than tricks. The law of conservation of energy is immutable. To obtain one kilowatt of heat, it is necessary to spend at least 1 kW of electricity.
3. Part of the heat will inevitably be wasted. For example, the coil itself is heated, since the resistance of the conductor is not zero. However, losses in any case remain in the house, and do not fly away through the chimney channels.

The conclusions are quite obvious - the manager who makes such statements is engaged in outright swindling, or he himself is misled.

Durability

Statement: the equipment has been working flawlessly for at least a quarter of a century. Its reliability is incomparable with other electrical counterparts.

1. Mechanical wear of boilers of this type is impossible in principle, since there are no moving parts on them.
2. Copper winding has a decent margin of safety. With proper cooling, it can last indefinitely. Insulation breakdowns are not terrible for her either. The fact is that the turns are not wound end-to-end, but at small intervals.
3. The core will gradually collapse in any case. It can be affected by aggressive impurities, does not give strength and a constant cycle of "heating-cooling". However, this process is so extended in time that more than a dozen years may pass before its completion.
4. The control circuit includes several transistors. It is they who determine the uptime of all equipment. Manufacturers of components, as a rule, declare a ten-year warranty. However, it is not uncommon for them to work without problems for 30 or more years - it all depends on the technological process.

Thus, induction boilers in any case will work much longer than their counterparts. The heating elements of the latter may require replacement after a few years.

Indispensability of characteristics

New generation induction boilers

Claim: Appliances with traditional heating elements lose power through scale formation. Here, this process is absent, and the technical parameters have not changed for decades.

• The impact of scale is somewhat exaggerated. Firstly, the lime layer itself is not characterized by high heat-insulating qualities. Secondly, in a closed whirlpool, the formation of a large amount of calcareous deposits is unlikely.
• Regarding the core of the induction boiler, the content of the thesis is true. Scale formation is impossible on it, even if the coolant is supersaturated with lime inclusions.

Deposits simply cannot stay on the surface, which constantly vibrates under the influence of an electromagnetic field. In addition, water bubbles regularly form on the core, which destroy any scale. Obviously, this statement is true for induction boilers, but not true for other electric heaters.

Noiselessness

Statement: there is absolutely no noise during the operation of induction equipment. This compares favorably with other electrical analogues.

Vortex induction boiler

• Any electric boiler does not make noise when water is heated, because there are simply no acoustic vibrations.
• Noise can only be generated by circulation pumps. However, if the operation of the heating system is based on the use of convection currents, then this noise will be excluded.
• If the hydraulic resistance forces one to resort to forced circulation, then on the market today there are many silent pumps for heating systems. So the statements of the sellers in this case are quite fair.

compactness

Statement: the dimensions of induction boilers are small, which allows them to be installed in any room.

Reality: in fact, it is so. The devices are a piece of pipe that does not require a separate place. The thesis does not distort reality in the least.

Safety

Statement: the boiler is absolutely safe.

Reality: in the event of a coolant leakage, the electromagnetic field will not automatically disappear. The heating of the core will continue, and if the power supply is not interrupted, the mount and body will melt in a few seconds.

Therefore, during installation, it is necessary to provide for automatic shutdown of the boiler in such a situation. So the safety of the boiler is at the same level as in the heating element equipment.

An electric boiler is, without any doubt, a great alternative to gas or solid fuel equipment. But it has a significant disadvantage - a large consumption of electricity. In the process of finding ways to reduce electricity consumption, the induction boiler was invented.

In fairness, it should be noted that the principle of an induction furnace was invented quite a long time ago, back in 1887, and they were used only in industry. The development of the technological process has made it possible to create compact models of a new generation suitable for domestic use, for example, heating a private house.

Device and principle of operation

The main element of the induction boiler is a transformer with a toroidal winding. The device itself of such a boiler consists of the following elements:

• The body of the unit, which is made of metal.
• Layer of electrical protection and thermal insulation.
• The core, which is a ferrimagnetic tube.

The core winding acts as the primary winding, and the boiler body is the secondary. The kit also comes with:

Not only ordinary water and antifreeze, but also oil can act as a coolant in such a system.

Operating principle

In the name of the induction electric boiler, the principle of its operation is laid - electromagnetic induction. When voltage is applied, the following processes occur:

• An electromagnetic field is created.
• The core is heated to a temperature of 750 °C.
• The coolant enters through special pipes and, passing through the core, heats up, then transferring heat to the radiators of the house.

This method of heating allows you to heat a large volume of coolant in a short period of time. At the same time, the resulting convection currents make it possible to do without a circulation pump.

Advice! The absence of a circulation pump is justified in small heating systems. When heating a two-story house with an induction boiler, its presence is mandatory.

Advantages and disadvantages of induction boilers

First, consider the positive characteristics of induction boilers:

• High and constant efficiency: up to 99%.
• Such a boiler does not need a chimney.
• The absence of moving and heating elements contributes to the high reliability and durability of the new generation systems.
• Quiet operation.
• The low inertia of the system saves energy.
• The installation of an induction boiler does not require a separate room.
• The high-frequency vibration of the core prevents the formation of scale.
• Affordable installation does not require special knowledge and skills.
• High level of fire safety due to the absence of open fire and heating elements.

Like all equipment, an induction heating boiler has not only pluses, but also minuses, which include:

• In the first place, of course, the high cost of such boilers. A more familiar electric heating element boiler costs 1.5 times cheaper.
• Connection is made only to the closed heating system of the house. At the same time, the pressure in it must be controlled and kept below 0.3 MPa.
• Significant weight in small size. This fact should be taken into account when mounting the boiler on the wall.
• Generation of interference in the entire radio range within a radius of several meters (depending on the power of the boiler). Such interference for humans is absolutely safe.

Advice! The main advantage of induction type devices is the quick and economical heating of a large volume of coolant, for which other types of boilers would take much more time. It is this quality that has found its application in induction instantaneous water heaters.

Help in choosing a boiler

Due to the novelty of such equipment, only two brands are represented on the domestic market:

1. VIN is a manufacturer of Alternative Energy LLC. This vortex heater (this is how the abbreviation stands for) consumes a converted high-frequency voltage. At the exit from the coil, this gives a sharp jump in the intensity of the EMF and an increase in the surface Foucault currents. This allows the case and all internal parts, which are specially made of a special ferrimagnetic alloy, to heat up almost instantly and transfer thermal energy to the coolant. We can say that all units of the unit design act as one heat exchanger, this explains its high efficiency.
2. SAV is a manufacturer of CJSC NPK INERA. This induction boiler consists of a short-circuited labyrinth of pipes with a heat carrier, which acts as a secondary winding. The alternating current generated in this winding makes it possible to quickly heat up the surface of the heat exchanger. Due to the branched labyrinth of pipes in the heat exchanger, the coolant, passing through it, quickly heats up, which explains the high efficiency of this type of boiler. Thanks to the law of self-induction, a new generation device allows the coil to independently induce the required reactive power. This allows the use of this type of induction boilers in low voltage power networks, which gives a tangible result when working in rural areas with weak electrical substations.

All induction electric boilers differ in power and the number of connection phases:

• Single-phase: power 2.5–7 kW.
• Three-phase: power 7–60 kW.

In addition to standard automation (automatic breakers), the induction boiler can be equipped with an electronic programmer. This device allows you to set the operating mode of the boiler for the whole week, and if necessary, carry out adjustment remotely - via the GSM channel.

Boiler power calculation

To calculate the power of the system as accurately as possible, it is necessary to invite specialists. But it is easy to make an approximate calculation, which will be quite enough. To do this, for every square meter of heated area, 60 W of boiler power should be provided.

Such power is quite enough, because the efficiency is very high and does not decrease during operation.

Advice! When choosing an induction boiler, it is necessary to specify the thickness of the walls of the core. The optimal thickness is 10 mm. Such a core guarantees a long and uninterrupted operation of the home heating system.

Installation and connection

Installation of boilers of this type is quite simple, but requires compliance with a certain technology:

• Installation is carried out only in a closed heating system.
• It is mandatory to equip such a system with an expansion tank of the expandomat type.
• The feasibility of having a circulation pump depends on the system of inclination of the heating pipes of the house. In some cases, if the correct slope is observed, natural circulation can be dispensed with.
• It is necessary to set the induction boiler vertically. In this case, fastening to the wall occurs through special "ears" or with ordinary clamps, depending on the model.
• At the same time, it is important to maintain a free distance between the boiler and the walls: on the sides - at least 30 cm, above and below - at least 80 cm.
• When fixing the unit, one should take into account its solid weight and choose a reliable load-bearing wall for installation.

Connecting the boiler to the heating system

A feature of the induction boiler is the fact that there is no need to tie metal pipes. You can connect immediately with metal-plastic or plastic pipes:

• The branch pipe, located in the upper part of the housing, is connected to the supply of hot coolant to the heating system of the house.
• Then, a return heating pipe is connected to the branch pipe located at the bottom of the boiler.
• At a distance of no more than 80 cm from the outlet pipe, it is necessary to install the safety group of the unit. The set of devices present in this group is standard for all types of boilers: an automatic safety valve, a pressure gauge and an air vent.
• After the safety group, it is possible, but not necessary, to close the circuit (connecting the hot supply to the return). In some emergency cases, the presence of a small circuit protects the induction boiler from overheating.
• In any case, the installation of stop valves occurs after the mounted safety group.

Next, we proceed to the installation of auxiliary devices on the return pipe. On the small circuit or in front of the stop valves, the following devices are mounted in series on the return line:

1. Expansion tank.
2. Settling filter.
3. Bronze coarse filter.
4. Circulation pump.
5. Flow sensor. The presence of this sensor in the system allows you to control the circulation of the coolant and turn off the boiler in case of its termination.

A more detailed connection diagram is contained in the instructions supplied by the manufacturer, which must be studied before starting installation work.

Electrical connection

When making electrical connections, it is necessary to use the wires of the section indicated in the instructions. Electronic control systems are connected using special connectors supplied with the equipment.

Advice! An important point in the installation of the induction apparatus is the ground connection. It must be done with a separate wire (optimally bus) and connected to the existing grounding of the house.

Maintenance of induction boilers

As such, the induction boiler does not require maintenance. The only thing that can be recommended in this matter is to periodically check the reliability of the grounding and electrical connections.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the new generation induction boilers are ideal for heating a house where the owners are absent for a long time or come and go. Profitability, autonomy and safety of this type of heating equipment fully justify its rather high cost. And if you use antifreeze as a coolant in such a system, then freezing definitely does not threaten it.

Induction electric heating boilers in many respects surpass the still more common boilers with. The English scientist Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction. The principle of its operation began to be used in the production of generators and electric motors, transformers.

But only after some time did human thought reach the point that this principle can be applied to. Only in the nineties of the XX century began to produce the first induction electric boilers for home heating.

Boiler design

Boilers of this variety have a very complex structure. The design is a multilayer mechanism.

1. Its first layer is outer case which is made of metal.
2. The second layer is insulation made in two layers (thermal insulation and electrical insulation).
3. The third element of such a boiler is core. It consists of two walls. It consists of ferrimagnetic steel pipes (two pieces) with a wall thickness of 10 mm. These pipes have different diameters and are inserted into each other. The inner tube is surrounded by a winding, this tube has the function of a core, and the outer tube is a heating element.

Principle of operation

The heat carrier in induction electric heating boilers is most often water. It enters the pipe, which is welded to the bottom of the boiler. Water passes through the gaps between the outer pipe and the walls of the boiler body. During this time, it heats up to the required temperature, after which it enters the core (its inner diameter). The water then rises up the pipe to the outdoor heaters.

Why choose an induction boiler for home heating

1. The coolant undergoes double heating;
2. Scale does not form on the walls of pipes, because magnetic induction creates vibration at high frequencies. The boiler will last a very long time;
3. Minimum heating time even in comparison with heating elements. This is due to a lower degree of inertia;

How to choose an induction boiler

There are two types of induction boilers:

• single-phase,
• three-phase.

Many devices have a special control panel. It allows you to set the temperature parameters of the room.

When choosing a boiler of a certain power, it must be calculated as follows: 60 watts will be needed per square meter of area. If the tenants do not live permanently in the house where the boiler is planned to be installed, then this figure can be reduced.

For a house with an area of ​​​​120 square meters, an induction boiler with a capacity of 60 kW is enough.

Advantages of induction heating boilers

Boilers do not require a special room for the installation and installation of the chimney

• Operates on both AC and DC. Low voltage ratings are allowed;
• Heating elements, which often fail and require replacement, are absent in this type of boiler;
• The possibility of leaks is minimized by the overall design of the boiler. It is welded hermetically and reliably;
• In boilers of this type, scale is completely absent;
• High category of fire safety, as well as electrical safety. No need to install the boiler in a special room, does not require the installation of a chimney;
• Efficiency is 100% and this indicator does not decrease over the years;
• The manufacturer's warranty on the core is a quarter of a century;
• The coolant can be not only water, but also oils, antifreeze. The requirements for the quality of the coolant are rather mild. It is necessary to change the coolant no more than once every ten years;
• Simple self-assembly of the boiler;

Disadvantages of induction heating boilers

• High weight, a boiler with a diameter of 12 cm and a height of 45 cm will weigh 23 kilograms;
• High price. This is one of the most expensive types of boilers for heating houses;
• Suitable only for closed heating systems;
• At a distance of several meters, this boiler can create wave interference. It is not recommended to place near household appliances;

Economy of use

Compared to heating elements, induction boilers are much more expensive. But, you need to understand that the colder it is outside, the faster the new induction heater will pay off. Heating element boilers of the same quality and with similar performance properties fail faster. This is due to the fact that scale will form on the heating elements.

Scale of half a millimeter reduces heat transfer by 10%. The larger the layer of scale, the worse the heat transfer of the boiler will be.

Induction boilers can save up to 30% of energy

If we compare the power of heating elements and induction boilers depending on the operating time, then the first category will lose 40% of the power in four years of use. Induction boilers are energy-saving equipment, they can reduce operating costs by 30% or even more.

Induction boilers are an excellent solution for heating residential buildings. Despite the initial high cost, these devices practically cannot fail. Because they do not have a heating element. And the absence of detachable connections will completely eliminate the leakage of the system.

Many people still perceive an induction electric heating boiler as an innovative product that should help you save a lot of money.

In reality, these units have obvious disadvantages even at first glance:

• very high price

• difficulty in operation when connecting additional equipment (boiler)

How do advertisers talk about these benefits? Almost always they compare it with a heating boiler. Since they occupy 90% of the electric boiler market.

At the same time, shortcomings (real or imaginary) for equipment with a heating element are highlighted, and advantages are given that there is no such thing in induction equipment. Which means they are better.

Let's go through these disadvantages and advantages in more detail.

No heating element

The first is that in the induction electric boiler, supposedly there are no heating elements. But in the heating element, there are sometimes more than a dozen of them, which means that the probability of their breakdown is high, maybe several at once.

But if there was no heating element, then how would the boiler heat the water? The same coil essentially performs this role, only without contact with the liquid. Therefore, this element is present in any such aggregate.

But as for the high probability of failure of heating elements, it directly depends on the product and manufacturer that you buy.

There are specialists who have installed more than 500 heating elements over the years of their work, and have not changed a single element under warranty for all this time.

Connections and flanges

The second drawback in comparison is a large number of sealing joints (heaters, flanges) and their complete absence in the induction boiler. Here, these advantages and disadvantages can even be reversed.

After all, if the heating element still fails, you can easily replace it. Or just briefly exclude it from the circuit, put the jumpers differently and continue working.

But if the coil burns out (due to an interturn short circuit), then how much will the repair cost you? And can you continue to heat up with such a breakdown?

Water softening and scale

The third point - with poor water preparation and heavy load, scale forms on the surface of the heating elements. In induction, scale is excluded.

Firstly, the very scale, as many imagine it, based on the example with a kettle, is not in heating systems. Since the liquid does not boil there.

But deposits, of course, are always and everywhere. Moreover, in any systems - gas, heating, wood, induction, etc.

"scale" in a gas boiler

These are exactly the impurities that are present in any water. Pour water into a clean glass, let it evaporate and you will see a thin film on the walls.

Therefore, the presence of an impurity or its absence is not a disadvantage or an advantage, but a given of any heating system.

Loose contacts

Terminal contacts in heating elements, and most of them, can be in the temperature difference mode. Heating at maximum load, and cooling when turned off.

And this imposes obligations for their revision and tightening.

And in induction, supposedly there are no electrical contacts. In fact, they are always and everywhere, including induction.

But as for the former, in recent years, specimens with high-quality screw clamps have been produced.

Or there may be screw connections with a lock washer at all, which do not require maintenance, or spring clips, which also go without control and revision for years.

In fact, these are benefits sucked from the finger.

Replacing the heating element

The service life of heating elements depends on the quality of the coolant. As the “comparators” assure, this is only 1000 hours of work, if measures are not taken and hard water is not softened. Well, if softened, then about 5000.

When using these data, the heating and water supply systems are mixed up.

This may only apply to DHW or district heating. There, the boiler house operator is not able to track water leaks.

If we are talking purely about your house, where everything is assembled and looped without leaks and holes, then no constant water preparation is required. Some elements in the water, of course, will be contained, but once being poured into the heating system, they will react once and more, they will have nowhere to come from.

Induction supposedly has a low cost of operation due to the very rare replacement of nodes. In fact, this is in high-quality heating elements, the elements change extremely rarely, as already mentioned above.

But if you need to change something in the induction, then you will think hard before you do it. Everything is sealed there in a sealed flask and without physically cutting it, you can’t get inside.

Reducing the efficiency of the electric boiler

Another argument when comparing is that the induction boiler does not lose its original power during the period of operation. But in the heating element due to the formation of scale, this happens in the order of things.

Even sometimes calculations are given, according to which, within just one year, the power of the heating element decreases by 15-20%. This means that its efficiency also decreases.

Let's take a closer look at this.

Almost any electric boiler efficiency exceeds 98%. And even boilers operating on ultra-high frequency currents from 25 kHz and above, what can change for you? Add an extra one and a half percent, but at the same time jump in price by 100%?!

As for the deposits on the heating element, they are really present.

In water supply systems in direct heating boilers, a certain “scale” is deposited on the working element. It actually gradually prevents the rapid heating of water.

And what happens where there is no constant supply of impurities? A small layer of deposits may settle on the heating element, however:

• this layer is not thick enough

• it does not interfere with the transfer of heat in any way

For example, let on the clean surface of the heating element, heat transfer conditionally occurs at t=60 degrees. As soon as this surface is contaminated with deposits, heat transfer will not disappear anywhere, but will begin to occur at high degrees, say 75-80C.

And accordingly, the boiler does not lose its original efficiency in any way.

That is, in fact, both on a clean heating element and on a dirty one, the same amount of energy is transferred, only at different temperatures.

Comparison of a heating element and an induction boiler of the same power

But the most important point for comparison is, of course, the final cost of products and how much it will cost to maintain one or another heating system.

Let's really compare two models of approximately the same power:

For the first model, the package includes:

• pump

• temperature sensor

• shut-off control valves

The weight of an instance per 25 kW is about 80 kg.

What is the difference between a high-quality heating element boiler? First, it weighs almost 40kg less.

In addition, all the electronic filling is hidden inside it. This means that there is no need for a bulky control cabinet that takes up additional space.

In addition to the above equipment for the induction boiler, which is also initially present in the heating element, it includes additional functional units:

This is good because the boiler itself can choose the power at which it currently needs to work. The temperature outside changes smoothly, and with a large number of steps, you can flexibly select the required power to avoid frequent on-off.

In induction, you manually select one, two or three steps, and at some value, you immediately turn on the maximum load of 25 kW.

You will observe with your own eyes the constant blinking of light during such switching. And yet, powerful electrical contactors with their pops and clicks can really make you jump every time in surprise.

In heating elements, quiet relays are installed, or a compact size contactor, you can hear their work only when you are directly near the unit.

If your system is leaky and there is a leak somewhere, then the boiler simply will not turn on. In induction, the heating of the core will continue.

You can always approach the boiler and very quickly identify the malfunction due to which it “got up” by the error code.

Working at 40 degrees and switching to the boiler, it will independently accelerate to 80C, heat the titanium and then return to the previous mode.

If the same automation is included in induction boilers, then at P = 25 kW they would cost not 85 thousand, but a hundred thousand more. Indeed, in the original version, all control in them is carried out according to the temperature of the duct.

The question of whether to buy or not to buy an induction boiler, or to make a choice in favor of a heating element, of course, everyone decides for himself. But many are becoming more and more convinced that an induction boiler is not the heating unit that should be installed in individual private houses and cottages.

Of course, it is impossible to do without induction heating in some structures, production and work premises. For example, heating the environment in chemical production, which must remain sterile.

Therefore, it is better to leave this type of heating there, and do not drag it to your home. There is no need to suffer with a complex, heavy, overall unit, if you can get by with other very elegant solutions.

Having decided to heat their home with electricity or install an additional electric heat source, homeowners are wondering - what type of heater to use? Here the choice is small, there are three types of electric heat generators on the market: heating elements, electrode and vortex (induction). The latter are of the greatest interest, since they are declared by manufacturers as the newest and most economical equipment. Induction boilers have appeared relatively recently, so it is worth studying them in more detail.

The device of the vortex induction boiler

In fact, this technical solution is far from new, the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, due to which electric induction heating boilers function, was discovered by M. Faraday back in 1831. Simply, thanks to modern materials and technologies, the phenomenon has been taken as a basis and implemented in water heating installations relatively recently.

Water heating occurs due to eddy currents (Foucault currents) appearing in the core of the coil. They are formed under the influence of an alternating electric field created by the turns of the coil with an alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz. The core is made in the form of a pipe, and the coolant flows through it when heated. In fact, the device is an induction converter of electrical energy into thermal energy with an efficiency of about 98%. The diameter of the wire from which the coil is made, the number of turns and the dimensions of the core are calculated in such a way as to heat water to a maximum temperature of 95 ºС and at the same time prevent overheating of the winding.

Water heaters type "VIN"

The heart of the unit is a coil, consisting of a large number of turns of insulated wire, and placed vertically in a cylindrical body in the form of a vessel. A metal rod is inserted inside the coil. The housing is hermetically sealed from above and below by welded covers, terminals for connecting to the electrical network are brought out. A cold coolant enters the vessel through the lower branch pipe, which fills the entire space inside the vessel. The water heated to the required temperature goes into the heating system through the upper pipe.

Due to its design, when connected to the network, the heat generator constantly operates at full capacity, since it is not rational to supply the heating installation with additional voltage regulation devices. It is much easier to use cyclic heating and use automatic shutdown / on with a water temperature sensor. It is only necessary to set the required temperature on the display of the remote electronic unit and it will heat the coolant to this temperature, turning off the hot water induction element when it is reached. After the time has elapsed and the water has cooled down by a few degrees, the automation will turn on the heating again, this cycle will be repeated constantly.

Since the winding of the heat generator provides for a single-phase connection with a supply voltage of 220 V, induction-type heating units are not produced with high power. The reason is that the current in the circuit is too high (over 50 amperes), it will require laying cables of a large cross section, which in itself is very expensive. To increase the power, it is enough to put three water heating installations in a cascade and use a three-phase connection with a supply voltage of 380 V. Connect a separate phase to each cascade device, the photo shows a similar example of induction heating.

Design features of Sibtechnomash type heaters
Using the same effect of electromagnetic induction, another company develops and manufactures water heaters of a slightly different design that deserves attention. The fact is that the electric field created by a multi-turn coil has a spatial form and spreads from it in all directions. If in the VIN units the coolant passes inside the coil, then the device of the Sibtekhnomash induction boiler provides for a spiral heat exchanger located outside the winding, as shown in the figure.

The winding creates an alternating electric field around itself, eddy currents heat the coils of the heat exchanger pipe in which water moves. Coils with coils are assembled in a cascade of 3 pieces and attached to a common frame. Each of them is connected to a separate phase, the supply voltage is 380 V. The Sibtekhnomash design has several advantages:

• induction heaters have a separate collapsible design;
• in the zone of action of the electric field there is an increased area of ​​the heating surface and a larger amount of water due to the spiral circuit, which increases the heating rate;
• heat exchanger piping is available for flushing and maintenance.

Despite the differences in the design of the heat generator, its efficiency is 98%, as in heaters of the VIN type, this efficiency value is declared by the manufacturer himself. The durability of the units in both cases is determined by the performance of the coils, or rather, the service life of the winding and electrical insulation, this indicator is set by manufacturers within 30 years.

Advantages and disadvantages

The real advantages that induction boilers have for heating a house or an industrial building are as follows:

1. High, as with all water heating installations, work efficiency, which is in the range of 97-98%.
2. Durability due to no moving parts and simple design.
3. Small dimensions that allow you to place heating equipment in a room of any size.
4. High heating rate of the coolant and no inertia when it is turned off.
5. Comfort during operation, the induction electric boiler does not require the constant attention of the owner of the house, and the frequency of its maintenance depends entirely on the quality of the water used in the system.

Vortex heaters are supplied with automatic control kits, which makes it possible to connect heat generators with other climate systems in the house.

Sectional heater

This equipment also has disadvantages. The main one is the high cost, especially for heat generators of the Sibtekhnomash type. If it is quite acceptable to use these units for industrial purposes, then induction heating of a private house may turn out to be unreasonably expensive.

The experience of practical use of vortex heaters by homeowners and maintenance personnel of service companies is not yet very extensive, but at the moment there are no significant complaints about the equipment.

Myths about induction boilers

One of the most popular myths is created by sales representatives selling induction electric boilers. The bottom line is that these boilers are allegedly 20-30% more efficient than other heating electrical installations, especially heating elements. This information is not true, since all heat generators that convert electricity into heat operate with an efficiency of at least 96% in accordance with the physical law of conservation of energy. The only undeniable fact is that the heating elements heat up the coolant a little longer due to their multilayer structure. The tungsten coil first heats the quartz sand, then the tube material, and then the water. At the same time, energy is not lost anywhere, and the efficiency of the heating element unit is 98%, as well as the vortex one.

Example of a heating system

Another myth says that the induction electric boiler does not require maintenance at all, since the alternating magnetic field prevents deposits from settling on the heating elements. This question depends on the quality of the water and scale on the core of the coil appears in the same way as in heating element heaters, if the coolant is not desalinated. Therefore, at least once every 2 years, the heat generator itself and the heating system must undergo a flushing procedure.

Contrary to the assurances of the sellers, the water heater cannot be placed in any room. There are two reasons: the danger of electric shock and the presence of an electromagnetic field around the device. It is better to place it in a technical room with limited access (boiler room).

Conclusion

Heating installations using eddy currents for heating really have many advantages, especially among them they are attracted by the heating rate, compactness and durability. To what extent these advantages justify the high cost of the product - each homeowner will have to decide individually.