Patent ID: 8450663

Claim:
An electrical heating element for vertical installation, comprising: a plurality of vertically suspended electrical resistance elements configured for heating of furnaces in industrial operation, where each electrical resistance element is formed from conductive legs that run downwards and upwards a number of times; a plurality of ceramic disks along a length of each electrical resistance element, the ceramic disks being provided with holes through which the relevant conductive legs of the electrical resistance element pass; upper end transitions of each electrical resistance element disposed into terminals that are connected to a source of power; a plurality of ceramic tubes between which the ceramic disks are arranged; an upper metallic central rod positioned within the ceramic tubes, the upper metallic central rod being fixed to a ceiling of a furnace, the upper metallic central rod supporting each electrical resistance element through at least one of an uppermost disk of the ceramic disks; a single radiative tube surrounding the electrical resistance elements; a plurality of upper ceramic tubes outside of the upper metallic central rod, with the ceramic disks being positioned at a distance from each other and outside of the upper metallic central rod, and the upper metallic central rod extending a distance down into the radiative tube; and a plurality of lower ceramic tubes with ceramic disks being intermediate and positioned outside of a lower central rod, the ceramic disks being positioned at a distance from each other and outside of the lower central rod, the lower central rod extending a distance up from a bottom of the radiative tube to a level lower than a lower end of the upper metallic central rod, the lower central rod being supported by the bottom of the radiative tube, the lowermost of the lower ceramic tubes being supported by the bottom of the radiative tube, a weight of the lower central rod, the ceramic disks, and the lower ceramic tubes being supported by the radiative tube, wherein a zone is arranged between a lower end of the upper metallic central rod and an upper end of the lower central rod, wherein the zone comprises a ceramic sheath that surrounds a lower part of the upper metallic rod and an upper part of the lower central rod, wherein end surfaces of the central rods are situated at a distance from each other, and wherein the ceramic sheath is supported by an uppermost ceramic disk of the lower ceramic disks.