Electrode boiler. How it works, its advantages and disadvantages

In this article I will talk about electric boilers, but unusual ones.

Suppose there is a surplus of generation in the power system, a lot of energy is generated, and there are few consumers. This is a situation of a night load failure. And if a nuclear power plant operates in the power system, and it is difficult to regulate it, then you have to turn off the generation at other power plants.

And what to do if they are tied to heat generation, for example, this is a CHP. What then? If we turn them off, consumers will freeze. And the second option, for example, there is a lot of renewable energy in the energy system: wind and solar. There was a peak in generation - a lot of wind, a lot of sun and also nowhere to put the energy - then you need to either turn off the wind farms and solar stations, or dispose of somewhere.

If storage capacities are limited, for example, we are in the winter period, then it would be advisable to convert this energy somewhere into heat. And here electric boilers are in a hurry to help us!

Electric boilers are industrial and household. In this article, let's talk about industrial.

Industrial electric boilers.

With the word electric boiler, most readers immediately have an association with an ordinary household electric boiler. The association is such that they say - this is a barrel inside which there is a heating element - a tubular electric heater.

But there are boilers of a different design! In industry, powerful high-voltage electrode electric boilers are used.

What is this?

Surely many readers know what a student boiler is / That is, these are two blades between which there are 2 matches and two wires from a power outlet are connected to them. And if this structure is inserted into a glass of water, then the water will boil after a while.

The principle of the electrode electric boiler is about the same. Electrodes are inserted into the water tank, an alternating voltage is supplied to them - and the water is heated due to the fact that an electric current passes through the water.

The water must be prepared and have the necessary electrical conductivity so that an electric current flows through it, but a short circuit is not created. Instead of water, there may be some other coolant.

Electrode boilers have their own advantages and disadvantages.

I'll start with the benefits

1. The undoubted advantage is, of course, the simplicity of the device, small dimensions and high efficiency reaching 99 percent, because this is a direct boiler action, because some component does not heat up in it, but the coolant is heated directly by direct action of an electric current.
2. The undoubted advantage of the electrode boiler is also its reliability. After all, if the coolant disappears from a conventional boiler with
   TEN, then it will burn out, and in the electrode boiler the loss of the coolant is tantamount to the fact that the current circuit will simply be interrupted and it will stop, that is, it will turn itself off. This is of course a very advantageous feature.
3. No problem with fuel delivery and storage. Electricity is delivered very conveniently and does not need to be stored. I let him down and immediately went to work.
4. Electrode boilers are less susceptible to voltage surges.

And now about the disadvantages

1. Electrode boilers are subject to increased requirements for electrical safety and grounding.
2. The coolant is water or some special solution must have the required electrical conductivity.
3. Maintenance of the electrodes is also required.
4. Electrode electric boilers operate only on alternating current because direct current will cause electrolysis of water, that is, separation into hydrogen and oxygen.