I am pretty sure these "endcaps" are just mechanical supports for the hot tube in the middle. They are large alumina outer rings that have been filled with a cast-able refractory insulation such as a Vitcast 1200 INS or Vitcast 1400 INS-H. They insulate the mounting apparatus from the hot radiating tube. They serve no other function. The wires don't go through these and they do not seal the ends. They are just supports.
On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 11:32 PM, Eric Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 9:24 AM, Bob Higgins <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I believe the large tubes on the end to be thermally insulating supports >> for the hot central 2 cm tube. > > > A question that came to me was whether the alumina endcaps could be > replaced with metal endcaps of a suitable alloy in the context of a larger > array of devices, in order to provide a suitable path out for the heat to > be used to generate steam. Another question I have is how much thermal > load one of these devices can handle. > > Eric > >
