forte capacité inertielle

12:20 Dec 4, 2013 

Thanks to everyone for your healthy debate and drink suggestions!

16:14 Dec 3, 2013 

references to the marvellous properties of steatite: http://geology.com/rocks/soapstone.shtml... I kind of assume that this is a storage heater rather than a water heater. This website also refers to "whisky stones" for those strange people who like their tipple freezing cold. More importantly, it also implies that the material has both high heat capacity and low thermal diffusivity.

16:10 Dec 3, 2013 

I doubt it; steatite-clad heating elements are common in immersion-heater type water heaters, and it looks as though they are simply re-purposing the idea for (what we assume) is some kind of room heater. But 'corps de chauffe' is SUCH a common term, I really feel that's what it was meant to be.

16:04 Dec 3, 2013 

"coeur" is probably OK: the core (of the heater) is steatite. Most stone materials have roughly the same specific heat, but I guess steatite is easy to work with or perhaps it has a lower thermal diffusivity. The older storage heaters just used blocks of refractory concrete. Engineers or physicists might refer to "thermal inertia" but "heat retention" is more appropriate for marketing blurb. More info: http://www.tulikivi.com/en/fireplaces/Soapstone_Properties_o...

15:58 Dec 3, 2013 

I think you're right: it is normally a 'corps de chauffe'.

I'd go for 'high thermal inertia'; I think 'heat capacity' might be unwise, as it might be confused with 'heating capacity'.

This is one of those typical marketing terms, making a 'feature' out of an inherent characteristic; in point of fact, with something like a water-heater, the thermal inertia of the heating element is pretty much insignificant compared to the much greater thermal inertia of the mass of water; in fact, the main effect is likely to be marginally slower heating up from cold; but again, so tiny as to be insignificant.