For heating HF ( hydrofluoric acid ), KOH ( potassium hydroxide ), and other high PH chemistries, Imtec introduces the high-purity Silicon Carbide (SiC) Accuheat inline heaters.

Until now, Teflon was the material of choice for chemistries not compatible with quartz. However, while Teflon has excellent chemical resistance properties, it is a poor material for use in heating applications. Its thermal conductivity is approximately 1/5 that of quartz and its mechanical properties make it a poor choice for coupling to any type of heater element.

The net result is that heaters using Teflon fluid paths suffer from poor efficiency and/ or reliability. Failures are often accompanied by process contamination when the material is compromised and the chemical comes into contact with the element.

Imtec found a better solution by using high purity Silicon Carbide (SiC) as a heat transfer material. SiC has excellent heat transfer properties and eliminates the risk of contamination due to Teflon breakdown.

Imtec uses a low mass heater element directly coupled to the exterior of an SiC tube that has a thermal conductivity rate 100 times better than quartz and 600 times better than Teflon.

Our SiC Accuheat inline heaters are available in the same size packages as our quartz heaters and use the same complement of sensors and safety devices. Look to the SiC Advantage solution for your high purity processes using heated high PH chemistries.