Electric heat tracing is used for pipe insulation, which has a significant effect on the antifreeze insulation of the medium in the pipeline and has a long service life. In terms of structure, the structure of different specifications and models is different, but there is a common feature, that is, the tinned copper core must be equipped, and some users have questions about why the heating core is not using copper wire, but tinned copper wire.
In fact, the bus bar in the qualified electric cable core strip, both the wire in PTC, uses copper core wire.
However, copper oxidizes in air or humid environments to produce alkaline copper carbonate, which we often call patina. Copper oxide that reacts with oxygen turns black-brown. Oxidized copper conductors affect the lifetime and conductivity of the electric trace.
Therefore, the surface of the electric trace copper core conductor is tinned to prevent oxidation of the copper wire. The role of tin plating:
1. Prevent oxidation or corrosion of copper wire;
2. Tin plating can prevent copper from being exposed to the air and oxidized to form a film - patina! And patina has poor conductivity, which increases resistance
3. Tinned copper has good corrosion resistance, and has certain strength and hardness, good formability and easy welding.