Co-operation Profile

The company is the first manufacturer in Italy of high power density cartridge heaters and has more than 30 years of experience in developing and producing different kinds electrical heaters with low, medium and high power charge for the most demanding applications in high technology fields such as aerospace, automotive, railways, military navy, nuclear research, particles accelerator (CERN) and many others. Within the hydrogen technologies Rotfil is developing two different heaters. For the FC Auto project Rotfil is developing the Braking Heater for Hydrogen Panda. This heater has two functions: the first one is to dissipate the excess of electricity that is produced during the braking of the car by using the engine and the second is to heat the water of the fuel cells circulation at the starting of the engine. The small dimensions and the high power charge are the main characteristics of this heater. For the production of hydrogen Rotfil has performed a feasibility study regarding the pre-heating of methane. In order to realise the releasing of hydrogen at the level of the catalyst the methane must be heated up to 700-800 °C, besides the reactor itself must be kept in temperature by using an extra heating from outside. To carry out the first heating of the methane Rotfil has studied a special ceramic heater that can work up to 1.150 °C. This heater is protected by metal sheath and can be produced with a built in thermocouple. It is in direct contact with the methane, and electrically insulated so that no part under tension can get in touch with the methane. The heating of the reactor is obtained by using high temperature micro-tubular heaters that are put externally around the reactor which holds the catalyst.

We are interested in cooperate with producers of plants for hydrogen production to develope together the methane pre-heating system based on electical heaters. The same heating system can be needed also for the production of hydrogen from different souces like ethilic alcohol and others. We are producers of several different kind of electrical heaters and we can cooperate with all the factories or research centers that need any kind of electrical heating.