How and induction water heating system works?

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Is it possible to create a water heating system by electro motor which rotates the magnetic ring (variable magnetic field of certain frequency) through which the copper pipe (water inside) is going?

https://youtu.be/Ua6brgZha-4

In: Physics

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Induction is a way to transmit electricity over a short distance without any physical electrical connection. You normally do not use a motor to spin a magnet but rather just use an electromaget which can be varied in strength to generate the variable magnetic field used for the induction. The way an induction stovetop works is that it induces electric current in the metal of the pan itself which then generates heat. This is why certain materials of pans do not work on them. The reason this is done is because it is very hard to transfer heat thorugh the stove top and through the pan without heating a lot of air as well. Another similar technique is electric cettles which do not use induction but instead an electrical connection but still have the heating element in the kettle close to the water.

I am not quite sure why you would use such a setup to heat water in pipes though. You generally do not need the mobility that induction provides. In addition copper conducts electricity too well and will therefore not work well as a heating element and plastic does not conduct electricity at all. So induction heating would not work on most existing water systems, only steel pipes. If you need to heat water pipes the best way is to do similar to the electric cettles and use fixed electrical connections as they are more efficient. You can wrap a heater around the pipe and then apply insulation. In rare cases you might also connect the wires directly to the pipe to heat it up, but with copper pipes this only works for longer pipes. This may be the only way to thaw underground pipes. There may be benefits to an induction water heating which I do not see though. It might be of benefit to have a portable system that can be easily applied to insulated pipes.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Yes and no.

Yes, the variable electric field would induce currents in the copper and the resistance of the copper would cause those currents to warm the copper, and thus the water.

No, there are many more efficient ways to turn electrical energy into hot water.