A seven-page white paper compares one medium-voltage electric heating system to alternatives, including low-voltage systems, and how the technology can reduce the cost of ownership for thermal applications.

Certain applications in heavy industries — power generation, oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical — demand multi-megawatt electric heating systems, note the paper’s authors. At low voltages, these systems lead to challenges involving power distribution, process design and costs.

Written by Christopher Molnar and Mark Wheeler of Pittsburgh-based Chromalox, the white paper also covers the benefits and cost savings associated with upgrading to heating systems operating at 4160 V. Individual sections discuss estimated savings associated with installation, operation, maintenance and product lifecycles. They also describe the company’s DirectConnect systems, which incorporate replaceable medium-voltage elements to decrease maintenance costs while improving heater life cycles.

The white paper concludes with a real-world case study conducted for a U.S. refinery in need of a 2.4 MW electric hot oil process heating system. The case study details the components and costs for 480-V, 24-circuit system compared to a 4160-V, two-circuit system. It separately tabulates the costs for installation, operation, maintenance and lifecycles for each system.

Download a copy HERE from Chromalox’s website.