A mineral insulated heater is an electric heater that consists of one or two wires that convert electrical energy into heat. A conductive wire is connected to resistance wire, both insulated with high-quality magnesium oxide, and covered with a corrosion-resistant sheath material.
Mineral insulated heating cables are made of three components:
A one-wire heater has a single inner wire and consists of one hot section and two cold ends. A two-wire heater consists of two inner wires with one hot section and one cold end. More about our one-wire and two-wire heating elements.
One of the advantages of mineral insulated heating cable is constant power output, independent of temperature variations. Temperatures of up to 800 °C can be achieved in environments with an exposed temperature of up to 1000 °C.
Mineral insulated heaters are applied in high-temperature environments when the large power output is required, and if strong resistance to corrosive surroundings are needed. In general, mineral insulated heaters are used when temperatures up to 800C need to be maintained when exposed to temperatures up to 1000C. Also, mineral insulated heaters have an excellent heat transfer and a constant power output, independent of temperature variations.
Our heaters are available in various lengths and diameters. In general, the length of the hot section of a micro heater starts around 100 mm. The maximum length is variable and depends on the sort of heater. For example, a heat tracing element can go up to 200 meters. The outside diameter of a heater can vary from 1.0 mm up to 13 mm.
Mineral insulated heaters are very bendable. A minimum bend radius of 5x the sheath outside diameter is recommended to not appreciably affect insulation resistance negatively.
The minimum bend radius (R) is typically determined by the outer diameter (d) of the cable times a multiplier.
For example:
Learn more about the typical applications where mineral insulated heating cables are used in.
Heat tracing elements are applied in environments where high power output is required. Mineral insulated heaters are used to protect pipes from freezing or to maintain the temperature of process piping and vessels. The mineral insulated heaters are suitable for short to very long heating circuits.
Read about the different type of mineral insulated heaters available.
| Industry | Advantages of MI heaters | Known Uses |
| Aerospace | Can handle harsh environments, Small formed intricate geometries, Easy to braze | Drain tubes, Pitot tubes, Ion propulsion cathode heater |
| Electronics | Small formed intricate geometries, Easy to braze | Small heating plates for soldering/brazing |
| Semiconductor/Thin Film | Small formed intricate geometries, Easy to braze | Wafer heater, Small/medium formed heater arrays |
| Research institutes | Small formed intricate geometries, Easy to braze, Can handle harsh environments | Battery testing, Fluid tank level indicators/heaters, Ion propulsion cathode heater, Isotope seperator |
| Nuclear/powerplants | Small formed intricate geometries, Can handle harsh environments | Off-site fire detector testers |
| Cryogenics | Small formed intricate geometries, Easy to braze | Cryopumps |
