Nickel Chromium Wire for high temperatures

Question

I've been trying for months to find a way to heat moving air inside a tube to high temperatures.  The closest to success I ever had was using an element from a heat gun. It would achieve the desired temperature but over time would burn out.

This has led me to believe making my own coil is probably the best approach.

Parameters

So my desired temperature in the tube is about 450 degrees F with around 400 CFM going through it. At 1500 watts of power,  what diameter and length nickel chromium wire would I need for this?

Drew · Answer

Nichrome wire is the correct material to use for this. That's almost certainly what the heat gun element is made from anyway.

You may be able to increase the longevity by using more nichrome wire for the same power, thus reducing the wire temperature. You will need to increase the wire diameter, or run strands in parallel to maintain the same wattage.

Due to the popularity of vaping, assortments of nichrome wire in various gauges can be purchased on amazon and ebay.

blacksmith37 · Answer

Nichrome , very similar to Inconel 600 and 601 : Is/are the standards ,actually  about the only choice ; some manufacturers may put different names on the same stuff.

Nickel Chromium Wire for high temperatures

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