Why Carbon Fiber Heating Elements Don’t Need a Ballast

The linear carbon fiber heating elements with wires on both ends look very similar to traditional fluorescent lamps. As a result, some customers may ask, “Do they need a starter or ballast?” The clear answer is “No.”

Carbon fiber heating elements are resistive heating elements, operating under the same principle as traditional incandescent lighting. The main function of a carbon fiber heating element is heating, while the primary function of an incandescent bulb is illumination. Today, we will explain the working principles of incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps, so you can understand why resistive heating elements do not require a starter.

Carbon Fiber Heating Elements

Working Principle of Incandescent Lamps:
Incandescent lamps are a type of thermal radiation source, with a conversion efficiency of electrical energy to visible light of only 2% to 4%. Despite this low efficiency, incandescent lamps have excellent color rendering, continuous spectra, and are convenient to use, which is why they continue to be widely used even after the government announced a ban on their production. When lit, the filament of an incandescent lamp reaches a temperature of 3000°C, and it is this high temperature that causes the bulb to emit white light. The entire lighting process does not require the ionization of inert gas using high voltage, unlike fluorescent lamps; hence, no starter or ballast is needed. Carbon fiber heating elements operate similarly to incandescent lamps. Upon being energized, they directly act on the filament, converting electrical energy into heat energy and a small amount of visible light due to resistance effects.

In simple terms, a carbon fiber heating element is a conductor with a specific resistance value range. When powered, it converts electrical energy into heat energy based on Joule’s law, and its heating power is related to the voltage across both ends.

Knowledge Expansion—Resistance

Resistance (R) is a physical quantity that represents the degree of obstruction a conductor poses to current flow. The larger the resistance of a conductor, the greater its hindrance to current flow. Different conductors have different resistances, as resistance is an intrinsic property of the conductor itself. Resistance can cause changes in the flow of electrons; the smaller the resistance, the greater the electron flow, and vice versa. Superconductors, however, exhibit no resistance.

The size of a conductor’s resistance is related to its resistivity, length, cross-sectional area, and temperature. According to Ohm’s Law:

R=ρLSR = \frac{\rho L}{S}R=SρL​

1. The larger the resistivity of the conductor, the longer the length, the smaller the cross-sectional area, and the higher the resistance of the conductor. When the temperature increases, the resistivity of metallic conductors increases, thus increasing resistance.
2. When the temperature of a conductor drops to a certain point, its resistance suddenly drops to zero, a phenomenon known as superconductivity.
3. For semiconductor thermistors, the resistance decreases rapidly with increasing temperature, responding quickly to small temperature changes with high precision.

By understanding these principles, you can better grasp why resistive heating elements like carbon fiber heating elements do not require a starter or ballast for operation.

GlobalQT specializes in high-quality quartz and carbon fiber heating elements. For more information, visit our אתר אינטרנט או שלח לנו דוא"ל בכתובת contact@globalquartztube.com.