Understanding Heating Effect of Electrical Current 

The heating impact of electric current involves the development of heat in an electric device owing to the passage of electric current. We can observe the heating effect of electric current in various devices such as a kitchen electric heater, an electric lamp, and a room heater. The heating effect in these appliances is so impactful that when these appliances are turned on after being connected to an electrical supply, their elements become red-hot and emit heat. 

Resistance leading to the heating effect

Resistance is the degree to which a substance resists the flow of an electric current through it. When an electric current flows over a wire with a high resistance, the electric energy is transformed into heat energy, which then warms the wire. Thus based on the resistance of an element, the heating effect in an element can be observed. 

Role of an element in the heating effect

A coil of wire, known as an element, is included in all electrical types of heating equipment. When these electric are turned on after being plugged into an electrical outlet, their elements grow red-hot and emit heat. Several electric types of equipment include heating elements, including immersion heaters, irons, hotplates, electric kettles, geysers, and hair dryers.

Factors that influence the heating effect of current

There are two aspects that influence the heating impact of an electric current.
1. A wire's resistance: If two wires of the same length and thickness are subjected to the same amount of current for the same period of time, the one made of nichrome will heat up more than the copper wire because of the higher resistance of the nichrome wire. The reason for this is that nichrome wire has a higher resistance compared to copper wire.

Therefore, nichrome wire is used to create the heating component of electric heating equipment such as electric space heaters, electric irons, etc. The resistance of a wire is dependent on the wire's material, its length, and its thickness.

2. Quantity of current flowing across a specific wire: If the magnitude of current traveling through a certain wire is bigger, then the heat created in it will also be higher. For instance, if a regular amount of current runs through the copper wires of domestic electric wiring, the wires do not get very hot, but if a huge current flows in the same wiring by mistake, the wires become quite hot and a fire may be started.

How current heating effect of different elements can be applied?

The following are some significant uses of the heating effect of electric current:

⦁    In electric bulbs, the heating effect of electric current is employed for the creation of light.
⦁    The heating effect of electric current is employed by electrical heating equipment such as water heaters, electric room heaters, electric irons, etc.
⦁    The heating effect of electric current is exploited in the 'electric fuse' safety mechanism.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

 An electric bulb's primary function is to provtopicIde light, but it also emits heat, which is undesirable since a significant portion of the power required by the filament of a bulb is turned into heat, resulting in electricity waste. Therefore, this waste may be reduced by replacing bulbs with fluorescent tube lights or compact fluorescent lamps.

However, before buying bulbs, tubes, or CFLs, we must check the ISI mark. This is because the ISI (which stands for Bureau of Indian Standard) label indicates the capability of an electrical instrument. For example, certain ISI marks or labels indicate that the appliance is safe and produces little energy waste.

Electric Fuse

The fuse is a safety device that uses the heating effect of electricity to prevent electric fires or damage to electrical equipment caused by excessive current flow. This safety device comprises of a small length of a thin, tin-plated copper wire with a low melting point and substantially higher resistance than the remaining house's electrical wiring.

Consequently, if the current in the electrical wiring suddenly grows excessively, the fuse wire becomes hot, melts, and breaks the circuit, so stopping the flow of electricity in the home circuit. This avotopicIds home fires and damage to electrical items such as the refrigerator, fans, tube lights, television, etc. When a fuse blows (breaks), a replacement fuse must be installed in order to restore power to the home circuit.

When a significant current travels through a thick wire, its low resistance prevents it from reaching its melting point.

Reasons for High Current Flow in RestopicIdential Electrical Wiring

  Under two conditions, an exceptionally high current may flow through the domestic electric wire circuits, which overload in a circuit and short circuit. 

We may have read newspaper articles concerning fires caused by overloading and short circuits. Let's now examine these two terms may cause heating or even worse burning of a circuit.

Overloading

When an excessive number of electrical gadgets are plugged into a single outlet, they take an excessive quantity of electricity from the home circuit. It is possible to cause a fire if the copper wires of a home wiring are heated to a very high temperature by an excessive current flow.

Short circuit

Two insulated wires that run parallel to one another and connect each and every electrical equipment provtopicIde the home with electrical current. One insulated wire is known as the live wire, and the other is known as the neutral wire. Both of these wires are required for the operation of electrical equipment (say for a fan, geyser, or an electric iron).

Therefore, if the plastic insulation of the live wire and the neutral wire becomes worn due to deterioration, the two bare wires will contact. Therefore, this direct contact between live and neutral wires is known as a short circuit. This causes a big current to run through the home wiring, which may cause the wires to reach a potentially high temperature and cause a fire.

Always use fuses that have been specified for specific purposes and have the ISI mark. You should also never substitute any wire or metal strip for a fuse.

To know more about the heating effect of electric current, please check out out vtopicIdeos.