Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Induction heater with non-inductive vessel and added plate?

Fyndium - 9-3-2021 at 01:16

Can you use for example plastic vat with induction heater by placing a steel plate inside the vat that will heat the liquid? Beneath the plate would be wise to place an insulating fiber sheet or a grill for water circulation to prevent it from melting the plastic.

This considering the maximum operating temp of the vessel material, of course.

zed - 9-3-2021 at 03:02

I don't see why not. Cautiously. Many vessels used for domestic-kitchen use, utilize composite construction.

The way I remember it.... A stainless steel bottom, might not be the best material to use, for constructing an induction cooking vessel. Laminate an iron-plate into the bottom of that vessel, and it works a lot better.

I was considering the possibility of using such a stainless vessel for "explosion proof" chemistry.

Nope, no such luck. Potential? Yes! But, common domestic induction units don't look promising.

The internal coils, are cooled by blown air. Meaning fans. Those fans, being lab-safe, is unlikely.

So, rather than decreasing the possibility of a "solvent vapor" lab explosion, I concluded, a domestic induction heating unit.... might make such an explosion a certainty.

And then, there were quality control problems, in the units themselves. Poor temperature control. Short life, abrupt failure, no warranty protection. Cheezy electronics, and impossible to repair. Good idea though.

About warranty protection. My local Freddy's, was selling Induction plates at "fire sale" prices. Wouldn't take returns though. Gotta ship it back to the manufacturer for service.

Once shipped, the unit is gone, gone, gone.... And so is your money. It is unlikely you will ever get back a decent working unit.

If you haven't bought the induction unit yet, read all of the reviews. When I saw the feedback, it stifled my enthusiasm.

I dislike paying money, just for the privilege of being furious.



[Edited on 9-3-2021 by zed]

[Edited on 9-3-2021 by zed]

Fyndium - 9-3-2021 at 14:26

My Ikea induction plates have been great so far. Been using them a year now, and got a total of four of them, ran them for hundreds of hours. For 10L water bath I use settings 1 up to 60C and 2-3 up to 90C. Lvl 9 gets water boiling swiftly.

zed - 9-3-2021 at 19:53

Ikea Plates..... Good!

It is now tatoo'ed on my brain.

Sulaiman - 10-3-2021 at 03:24

Quote: Originally posted by Fyndium  
Can you use for example plastic vat with induction heater by placing a steel plate inside the vat that will heat the liquid?
I am sure that it will work ... but
- obviously the liquid/solution should not react with steel
- an iron/steel pot as a water bath may be more suitable

Fyndium - 10-3-2021 at 05:24

The metallic pot would be optimal. My idea here was that a suitable vat made from plastic could be bought for 2€. What I'm looking for here is a setup that could be used simultaneously as a heating bath up to 100C and as a cooling bath. Some reactions require heat-up first, and then cooling when the reaction kicks in, and adding a little cold water will usually buffer it well, as the device can be mounted in an overhead stirrer and other appliances that prevent it to be moved.

I was thinking of using a steel plate originally made as a flange, torch cut from 10mm carbon steel plate 200mm diameter. It would eventually rust a little in water, but that's it. It would be placed to the bottom of the vat, on top of thin layer of insulation, and the inductor would heat the plate and dissipate it to the water bath. PP withstands temps well up to 100C and above so hot water shouldn't be a problem, as long as the plate were not to be heated with full power so it could melt the bottom.

Btw, I'm using small aquarium pumps to circulate coolant water in cold baths. They will defunct in too hot water, so what could be used to agitate it?

zed - 11-3-2021 at 08:59

Ummm. I tend to buy stainless-steel pressure cookers, cheap.... at my local Goodwill Store.

10 bucks each... 20 tops. Induction compatible units, have a logo on the bottom.

A fair percentage, heat fine, via induction.