ewarnerusa wrote:
Question: what would happen if it was a 500 watt element for 24V DC?
500 watt 24V DC cartridge heater 1/2 inch NPT
The output will drop by the square of the voltage.
24 x 24 = 576
12 x 12 = 144
So with a 24 volt element running at 12 volts the wattage would be 1/4 of 500 watts, i.e. 125 watts.
If you could find a 24 volt element that was 2000 watts @ 24 volts and run it at 12 volts then the output would be 500 watts.
I expect you would find you need the element called "unobtainium" to get the results you are hoping for.
