The heating of hoppers is a common way to prevent condensation; for example, in cases of very different internal and external temperatures; shutdowns of a few hours in the flow of gases; and when there is a risk of sticking and jamming.
The system gives very good results in certain applications.
Whenever a hopper is heated, it must be heat-insulated.
The two typical heating modes are:
- Electrical heaters, which are usually placed with a rigid stainless steel tube, attached to the outside of the hopper plate and controlled from thermostats inserted in it.
- Tracing, via electrical cable on the sheet.
