Question

A heating element using nichrome connected to a 230 V supply draws an initial current of 3.2 A which settles after a few seconds to a steady value of 2.8 A. What is the steady temperature of the heating element if the room temperature is 27.0 °C? Temperature coefficient of resistance of nichrome averaged over the temperature range involved is 1.70 × 10⁻⁴ °C ⁻¹.

Answer 1

Supply voltage, V = 230 V
Initial current drawn, I₁ = 3.2 A
Initial resistance = R₁, which is given by the relation,

Steady state value of the current, I₂ = 2.8 A
Resistance at the steady state = R_2, which is given as

Temperature co-efficient of nichrome, α = 1.70 × 10⁻⁴ °C ⁻¹
Initial temperature of nichrome, T1= 27.0°C
Study state temperature reached by nichrome = T₂ T₂ can be obtained by the relation for α,

Therefore, the steady temperature of the heating element is 867.5°C