ENGINEERS now have a compact and versatile solution for the precise regulation of air temperature inside instrument or analyzer enclosures with the launch of Intertec's 'smart' programmable heater for hazardous area applications.
Compared with the common alternative of trace heating cables, the new solution is very much smaller and easier to install.
Approved for worldwide Zone 1 use, by IEC, ATEX, GOST and CSA, Intertec's smart heater consists of a heating element plus a networkable digital PID controller with encapsulated electronic circuitry.  Dual temperature sensors are supplied: one intrinsically safe sensor that can be freely positioned in the enclosure or cabinet, another embedded in the heater body. These sensors allow the system to control air temperature precisely while also ensuring safety in hazardous areas by limiting the heating element's maximum surface temperature to the required 'T' rating – from T3 to T6 (200 to 85 degrees Celsius).
A range of different styles and sizes of elements including finned, block and fluid heaters are available – as well as types that mount directly onto ANSI/ISA standard SP76 analyzer substrates – to suit the application requirement.
The power density offered by Intertec smart heaters can be very high, as systems can be fitted with elements capable of outputs from 500W to 2 kW. By comparison, trace heating cables offer typical outputs of around 10 to 30W per metre.
This powerful heating capability makes smart heaters ideal for higher temperature control applications of up to 150 degrees Celsius. 
Whatever the output power and type of heating element selected, systems are supplied as an approved and certificated system for use in Zone 1 environments (and/or Class I, Division 1 areas for USA applications). Compared with today's common approach of building explosion proof heating systems from components such as trace heating cables, controllers, and terminations, no costly inspections and certification processes are required.
For more information go to www.intertec.info