A furnace heater includes a first conductive lead, a second conductive lead spaced apart from the first conductive lead by a first distance, and a first helical resistive heater element connected to the first conductive lead. The furnace heater also includes a second helical resistive heater element connected to the second conductive lead and to the first helical resistive heater element, the second helical resistive heater element spaced apart from the first helical resistive heater by a second distance, wherein the first distance is at least twice the second distance.

A cylindrical heating unit of an exhaust gas processing device is installed in a reactor. The cylindrical heating unit is provided with an exhaust gas introduction port provided in an insertion base part and a heated exhaust gas outlet provided at insertion end. The cylindrical heating unit includes a hollow cylinder, insulators, electric heaters, and holding members. The hollow cylinder has a double structure with an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder made of metal. A plurality of the insulators surround the inner cylinder and are provided at intervals from each other in a heater installation space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder. Electric heaters are mounted to the insulators. The holding members are attached to one of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder or both and hold the insulators in the heater installation space.

A method of transporting non-volatile bituminous materials from a first location to a second location involves carrying a plurality of irregular bricks formed by the bituminous material in transport chambers carried by vehicles. Bricks are defined by a plurality of non-planar surface, which create gaps between adjacent bricks, and can further include polymer skeletons and other features that help them float. The bricks can travel by land, sea, air, or rail and need not be heated while in transit. Transport chambers have active or preferably passive environmental control systems to circulate cooling air, water, or other substances through the transport chamber and the gaps between adjacent bricks. In a preferred embodiment, ambient air circulates among the bricks during travel by land and ambient water circulates among the bricks during marine travel. The vehicles carrying the transport chambers can be low-emissions or zero-emission vehicles including fuel-cell powered trains and ships.

An air cavity package having a supplemental heat generator for generating heat and a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure within the air cavity package. The supplemental heat generator may be maintained at a constant or variable temperature. The supplemental heat generator may be selectively activated based on a predetermined parameter by a user or by a processor. The supplemental heat generator may be an RF and or other chip capable of generating heat or a conductive wire.

An air cavity package having a supplemental heat generator for generating heat and a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure within the air cavity package. The supplemental heat generator may be maintained at a constant or variable temperature. The supplemental heat generator may be selectively activated based on a predetermined parameter by a user or by a processor. The supplemental heat generator may be an RF and or other chip capable of generating heat or a conductive wire.

A device for melting adhesive having a melting grill that has a multiplicity of passage openings, and heating elements, wherein the melting grill is heatable by the heating elements and melted adhesive heated by the hot melting grill is dischargeable through the passage openings, the melting grill on that side thereof that faces the adhesive to be melted having ribs. The melting grill has rotatable rods that are disposed beside one another and ribs that are disposed on the rods, the rods and the ribs being heatable by the heating elements, wherein ribs of adjacent rods are aligned so as to be directed toward one another, and the passage cross sections of the passage openings between the rods are modifiable by rotating rods of the melting grill. The device enables varied forms of delivery of solid adhesive to be melted at a high specific melting rate without the adhesive thereby being subjected to damage due to excessive thermal stress.

A device for melting adhesive having a melting grill that has a multiplicity of passage openings, and heating elements, wherein the melting grill is heatable by the heating elements and melted adhesive heated by the hot melting grill is dischargeable through the passage openings, the melting grill on that side thereof that faces the adhesive to be melted having ribs. The melting grill has rotatable rods that are disposed beside one another and ribs that are disposed on the rods, the rods and the ribs being heatable by the heating elements, wherein ribs of adjacent rods are aligned so as to be directed toward one another, and the passage cross sections of the passage openings between the rods are modifiable by rotating rods of the melting grill. The device enables varied forms of delivery of solid adhesive to be melted at a high specific melting rate without the adhesive thereby being subjected to damage due to excessive thermal stress.

One example of a tube heater includes a fluid conduit, a heating element that is at least partly made of carbon and is in thermal communication with the fluid conduit, one or more conductors that are in electrical communication with the heating element and are configured to provide power to the heating element, an electrical insulator configured and arranged to electrically isolate the heating element from the one or more conductors, and a containment tube within which the fluid conduit, heating element, conductors, and electrical insulator are disposed.

One example of a tube heater includes a fluid conduit, a heating element that is at least partly made of carbon and is in thermal communication with the fluid conduit, one or more conductors that are in electrical communication with the heating element and are configured to provide power to the heating element, an electrical insulator configured and arranged to electrically isolate the heating element from the one or more conductors, and a containment tube within which the fluid conduit, heating element, conductors, and electrical insulator are disposed.

A receiver for irregularly shaped bricks cast from non-volatile bituminous material includes a receiver with a specialized storage chamber that can receive viscous bituminous material and a concave lid preferably modified with a radiant heating system that can accept and melt or soften arriving bricks. The lid includes multiple openings or other delivery routes that funnel the melted bituminous material to the chamber below. The radiant heating system can be electrical where cables or grids are embedded in the lid or where conductive materials coat or are distributed throughout the lid. Alternatively, the radiant heating system can be hydronic where channels or conduits are embedded in the lid to circulate heated liquid such as water or water mixed with propylene glycol. The receiver can also include blenders, skimmers, and additional heaters to further skim, blend, or process the bituminous material collected in the chamber.