Electric Heating Element Having An Electrically Operated Heating Element And An Anode For Cathodic Corrosion Protection

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an electric heating element for use in a water storage unit, comprising a metal attaching element for attaching the electric heating element on the water storage unit, an electrically operated heating element, an anode for cathodic corrosion protection, and an adjustable resistor element, wherein the heating element is electrically contacted with the attaching element and/or the water storage unit via the adjustable resistor element, and the heating element and the anode are arranged in physical proximity to one another on the attaching element.

Claims

1. An electric heating element for use in a water storage unit, comprising a metal attaching element for attaching the electric heating element to the water storage unit, an electrically operated heating element, an anode for cathodic corrosion protection, and an adjustable resistor element, wherein the heating element is electrically contacted with the attaching element and/or the water storage unit via the adjustable resistor element and the heating element and the anode are arranged in physical proximity to one another on the attaching element.

2. The electric heating element according to claim 1, wherein the attaching element has a thread and may be screwed directly into the water storage unit.

3. The electric heating element according to claim 1, wherein the anode comprises an anode body and a contact element connected in an electrically conducting manner to the anode body, wherein the contact element is passed through the attaching element in an electrically insulated manner through an insulating pass-through.

4. The electric heating element according to claim 3, wherein the contact element for cathodic corrosion protection is connected in an electrically conducting manner to the attaching element and/or the water storage unit.

5. The electric heating element according to claim 3, wherein the contact element for cathodic corrosion protection is connected in an electrically conducting manner to an external voltage source.

6. The electric heating element according to claim 3, wherein at least parts of the insulating pass-through are produced from cross-linked polyethylene.

7. The electric heating element according to claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises a temperature sensor, at least one heating tube, an intermediate piece, and a connecting element connected in an electrically conducting manner to the intermediate piece, wherein the connecting element passes through the attaching element through a sealing/insulating body in an electrically insulated manner.

8. The electric heating element according to claim 7, wherein the connecting element passes through the adjustable resistor element and is electrically contacted with the attaching element and/or water storage unit via the adjustable resistor element.

9. The electric heating element according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable resistor element is annular, has a contact surface for electrical contacting on both an upper side and lower side, and an ohmic resistor is interposed between the contact surfaces.

10. The electric heating element according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable resistor element is provided as a miniaturized plate with an SMD.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0028] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implantations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] The disclosure is explained in the following, referencing the drawings, using a preferred exemplary embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an electric heating element according to one preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 2 is another schematic illustration of the electric heating element from FIG. 1 according to one preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an electric heating element according to another preferred embodiment of the disclosure; and,

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an electrical heating element according to another alternative embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] FIGS. 1 and 2 are two schematic illustrations of a first preferred embodiment of an inventive electric heating element 10. The electric heating element 10 has an anode 12. The anode 12 has an anode body 14 made of magnesium that is electrically contacted with the contact element 16, a metal threaded pin 18 in the exemplary embodiment shown here. An insulating pass-through 22 is provided so that the metal threaded pin 18 does not have any direct contact to an attaching element 20. The electric heating element 10 may be mounted in a wall of a water storage unit with the attaching element 20. The attaching element 20 comprises brass and, for mounting purposes, has a thread 24, a male thread in the exemplary embodiment shown here, with which it may be securely screwed into a wall of the water storage unit. The insulating pass-through 22 is embodied as a rotational part, comprises cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X), and has a male thread having the size M8 and a female thread having the size M4.

[0036] A heating element (insulated via 34) is also mounted to the attaching element 20. The heating element 26 has a U-shaped heating tube 28, a temperature sensor 30, and an intermediate piece 32. The temperature sensor 30 and the heating tube 28 are connected to the intermediate piece 32, and thus attached to the attaching element 20. Like the attaching element 20, the intermediate piece 32 comprises brass. A sealing body 34 made of polymer is provided as seal and insulation between the attaching element 20 and the intermediate piece 32. The attaching element 20 has a centered inner bore (not shown) via which a connecting element 36, in this case embodied as a screw 38, can engage from the outside in a blind bore of the intermediate piece 32. When screwed in, the heating element 26 is drawn toward the sealing body 34 and sealed against the attaching element 20. The sealing body thus also acts as an insulating body. The heating element 26 is supplied energy via two electrical crimp connectors 40.

[0037] For cathodic corrosion protection, the contact element 16 of the anode 12, the metal threaded pin 18 in the simplest exemplary embodiment depicted here, is contacted with the attaching element 20 via a nut 42. Alternatively, it is also possible to produce an electrical contact to the wall of the water storage unit via an electrically conducting connector 44. In order also to include the heating element 26 in the cathodic corrosion protection, the connecting element 36, in this case the screw 38, is contacted with the attaching element 20 via an adjustable resistor element 46. The adjustable resistor element 46 is embodied as a miniaturized plate having an SMD (surface-mounted device) resistor 48. The adjustable resistor element 46 is embodied in an annular fashion so that the screw 38 can pass through the adjustable resistor element 46. On each of its upper and lower sides the plate has contact surfaces, the resistance is 620 Ohms.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a sectional depiction of another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Compared to the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the exemplary embodiment shown here the sealing body 34 and the intermediate piece 32 extend across a larger region of the attaching element 20. Accordingly, the contact element 16, the metal threaded pin 18 in the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, passes through not only the attaching element 20, but also the intermediate piece 32 and the sealing body 34. The insulating pass-through 22 also insulates the metal threaded pin 18 from the intermediate piece 32 and the sealing body 34.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a sectional depiction of another alternative embodiment. In contrast to FIG. 3, however, the contact element 16 is not embodied as a threaded pin, but instead as a metal pin 50 without a thread. The intermediate piece 32 and insulating pass-through 22 are modified appropriately. In the region of the anode 12, the intermediate piece 32 has a projection 52 that is enclosed by the insulating pass-through 22. The insulating pass-through 22 is embodied as an injection molding part for this. A sealing ring 54 acts as a seal between projection 52 and insulating pass-through 22. Two sealing rings 54 are also added between the metal pin 50 and the insulating pass-through.

[0040] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.