I recently had an electrician try to explain that a fluorescent light ballast was really a step down transformer, since fluorescent lamps run on low
voltages... So I think I understand the problems of explaining impedance. Even after I showed him multiple sources, he would not believe that a
fluorescent tube was not running at voltages above 100 V AC...
I think both of you are correct, but it is not a good use of pure copper wire to create a heater, as it's resistance can charge with temperature
enough to mess with the calcs. Just recently I learned that it is used as an insulator for superconducting magnets, as it's resistance then is so
large compared to the superconductive part, that it acts as the insulation there. So you have to look at the overall system to determine the way it
will react, and there are better heaters out there. We used to use barrel heaters which were fairly cheap years ago to keep low mp materials from
freezing in the winter. Simple heat tape will work, and it is not that pricey. |