PTC and PV Heating Water

PTC  immersion heater systems have been successfully installed and tested by Orbic Solar over the last 5 years on many Geysers. The technology are not new, but to obtain a efficient working design and integration of this system with Blue Energy is very tricky. A proper understanding of tolerances and electric automation are required. We have great success with our designs, and successfully integrated PTC heating into our Blue Energy systems. In the last couple of years PTC equipment have improved and developed in many respects and now offers inherent safety and improved functionality over typical resistance-wire heaters. The latest new technology utilities Positive Temperature Co-efficient (PTC) chips as the internal heat source.

Electric immersion heating elements made with resistance wire are traditionally used as the source of heat in electric geysers. This is the only type of heating element used in geysers within the South African market. When voltage is applied to the resistance wire, it heats up. Heating elements designed to heat water typically operate above 500ºC internally. Since the element’s resistance measurement is constant, the heat output will be constant regardless of the surroundings. When an element using resistance wire is subjected to conditions such as scale build up or operation in air due to a water level drop, the heat generated by the wire is not able to dissipate quickly enough. This results are a rapid increase in surface and internal temperatures, and corrosion. These elevated temperatures shorten the element service life and can damage surrounding material such as a plastic tank or piping. Further tests conducted in air, showed the tank temperatures can increase to 180ºC within two minutes causing the resistance wire heating element to fail within 10 minutes.

Contrarily PTC heating chips do not use resistance wire as a source of heat. Instead, it uses a number of small ceramic PTC chips as the main heating source. PTC heating elements have self-limiting temperature characteristics. This helps to extent life as the PTC chips heat up it reaches a designed temperature at which the heat output stabilize and prohibits it from getting hotter. And operate much more efficient than compared to wire elements. As ambient temperature increases and less heat is dissipated, the resistance of the element will increase culminating in a near zero current draw at its designated temperature.

The dynamic resistance and output of PTC heaters makes them an excellent choice for providing controlled electric heating. In many applications it is possible to do away entirely with thermostatic controls on some applications, further simplifying the design and reducing energy consumption, with a significant cost savings for any given application.

The removal of failure prone components such as thermostats can also add significantly to the reliability of a product. Safety is an added benefit, since no matter how much current is applied to the PTC, it will never surpass its intended surface temperature.

Further to the success was to combine the PTC, PV and MPPT  to power the PTC Heating unit. The net result are a real feasible solution to lower energy demands considerably on many heating applications. Our estimates are that this combination of heating water with PTC and PV are a real power saving model that will last for very long up to 30 years with only minor requirements for maintenance. To also consider that no plumbing are required and that the net savings over life time can be better than traditional water heating tubes and pumps makes this  system using PTC and PV a very serious consideration if you want to lower your electricity bill over a long time with little headaches.

Projections are that the cost of system will repay it self in 5 to 6 Years or less if PV panel selection is optimal for your location.

Small and Large organizations that use water heating can benefit from this technology now. Another important point is that many homes now have solar systems, that was not designed efficient.

Our system can use solar generated power that would have been lost when you don’t need it and heat your geyser with the extra power, when you would have lost it.

Advantages of PTC in conjunction with PV

• Temperature limiting characteristics ensure safety.
• NO – Heatpump needed.
• Up to 90% Less Power need from Eskom, means lower tariffs, means more savings.
• Last longer than traditional Geyser. up to 30 Years life cycle form Photo Voltaic Panels
• Lower pressure on Geyser, Means less change of geyser and pipe bursts.
• Your power can be manged better by means of temperature control and timer settings.
• Dynamic, self-regulating and energy efficient.
• Can operate in dry air.
• Compact design.
• High power density.
• Low watt density.
• Long lifetime. up to 30 years PV power production.
• Aesthetically pleasing. ( No ugly  tanks on roof)
• Reliable PV panels will last up to 3 times longer than Heat Exchange panels !
• Can easily be integrated into a backup power system with batteries. Eg when you not heating water the panels can charge your batteries and Vice Versa.
• All voltages from 12V DC and 100V AC to 240V AC
• Dual voltages 12-72V DC and 100-240V AC possible

Specifications

Available in 1.5, 2.2 and 3kW
Titanium ta2 industrial grade
Dry burn – can operate in dry air
Uses PTC technology (see above for more information)
Self-regulating AC/DC
Continuation on 1.5kW and 2.2kW

Orbic Solar can look at your water heating application and we guarantee that we can improve your efficiency and safe you a fortune, with a design and system that will pay for its self.

Available for Many Geysers and Boilers

1¼” Screwboss

Suitable for retrofit on the following geysers:

• Tecron
• Duratherm
• City Heat

Xtream

Suitable for retrofit on the following geysers:

Flangemount

Suitable for retrofit on the following geysers:

Kwikot
Franke
Heat Tech
Many Other Boilers

Diagram  below of PV system powering a PTC Element (Full Kit Available on request)

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