EP1163477A1

EP1163477A1 - Method and arrangement to heat a floor by using an airborne floor heating system and to assure that moisture that may exist will be removed from the heat carrying air

Info

Publication number: EP1163477A1
Application number: EP99965709A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Göran BERNHARDSSON
Original assignee: Pluggit International NV
Current assignee: Pluggit International NV
Priority date: 1998-12-31
Filing date: 1999-12-31
Publication date: 2001-12-19
Also published as: WO2000040903A1; SE9804619D0; AU2139300A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement to heat a floor by using an airborne floor heating system and to assure that moisture that may exist will be removed from the heat carrying air. The method according to the invention is characterised in that air being circulated by one or several fan/convector units in a channel system, preferably of the type of parallel flow, in close connection to the upper side of the floor, that heat is transferred to the circulating air through a heating battery, and that moisture in the air, if any, is condensed by letting the air pass a cooling element in the channel system.

Description

Method and arrangement to heat a floor by us ing an airborn floor heating system and to as sure that moisture that may exis t will be removed from the heat carrying air .

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement to heat a floor by using an airborne floor heating system and to assure that moisture that may exist will be removed from the heat carrying air. More exactly the invention relates to a technique that will work together with big heat emitting surfaces, e.g. a floor or a wall heating system having a very small energy inertia.

Normally floor-heating systems have a high energy inertia, which means that the swiftness in a delicate temperature control throughout the twenty-four hours is poor and rather unprofitable. Low temperatures in the floor and in the walls will be preserved too long and despite a proportionately high air temperature the room will be experienced as cold and uncomfortable.

Another problem existing in modern buildings built on ground based plates is that they sooner or later run the risk of being damaged by moisture unless the drainage measures in connection to the construction of the building are rigorous. Moisture and heat will provide favourable conditions for development of microorganisms, which in turn can be the cause of the development of toxic compounds. Since the energy crisis in the seventies making the buildings more tight and more energy efficient has reduced energy consumption. An abandon from natural and traditional building materials, and substituting these by modern, often synthetic materials, e.g. different types of floating putty and colours will both increase the conditions for and the risks of creating toxic and/or for the human new compounds by the influence from moisture and heat. Often imperfect ventilation will increase the concentrations of harmful and in most cases directly unhealthy substances indoors.

To already from the very beginning use a technique removing moisture that may remain in the ground plate of a new building, and/or which continuously removes the moisture being transferred from the ground and the bottom plate to the house is an important step in preventing the appearance of e.g. mould. When the dehumidification technique according to the invention is combined with an airborne floor heating system having low energy inertia the benefits will be several.

Thus the main object of the present invention is to obtain a technique making sure that that moisture, if any, in or in connection to a floor system of joists is effectively removed by a dehumidification technique forming part of an airborne floor heating system. Yet another object of the present invention is to obtain a technique allowing in a simple way an appropriate integration of said technique in a floor structure to minimise the laying of conduits. This also includes a low propelling force to circulate the air in the floor heating system at the same time as it is possible to speed up the heating without neither the input temperature, the propelling force nor the sound level of the floor heating system need to be significantly increased. The invention also has the possibility of a reduced heating being obtained in a very simple way seen from the technical control point of view.

The above mentioned objects of the invention are obtained by the characterising clauses mentioned in the following claims.

By having heated air circulated by one or several fan/convector units in a channel system of the type of parallel flow integrated in the floor, humid air, if any, in connection to the channel system will be collected by said heated air and removed by letting the air pass a condensing unit forming part of the channel system.

Thus by having channel systems for the heated air in close connection to the upper surface of the finished floor said channel system will work as a floor heating system. In this context also heating batteries are arranged to emit heat to the air circulating in the channel system. The heat released when the moisture in the air is condensed e.g. over an expansion element forming part of a closed refrigerant circuit with compressor and condensing element, will in fact be transferred to said refrigerant being circulated in a closed refrigerant circuit. Thus this arrangement will act both as a heat pump and a dehumidifier and is preferably activated only when needed for dehumidifying the air being circulated in the floor, e.g. when the humidity of the air has reached a certain predetermined level. Instead of an expansion element forming part of a heat pump system the condensation of the humidity in the air can take place by using a heat exchanger battery, through which cold water to water heater is transferred.

Suitably the system is controlled by thermostat valves in the same way as in a radiator and a change of speed of the fan or fans circulating the air in the closed channel system will give a possibility of a simple modification of the power output from the floor heating system.

The invention will now be described in connection to embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view from above of a floor having equipment according to the invention arranged between a system of joists; Fig. 2 is section along line 2 - 2 in the system of joists of the floor according to fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic section through a system of joists of a floor, a channel system and through a fan convector including a heat battery and a condense battery; and wherein

Fig. 4 is a section through a floor laid directly onto a ground plate of concrete using the technique according to the invention.

In fig. 1 a diagrammatic view from above of a floor 1 having equipment according to the invention arranged between a system of joists 3 is shown. A unit of a fan/convector - generally designated 2 - has a fan device 2A and a heat battery 2 B of the flowing through type as convector element. The channel system with an over pressure part Al, A2 and an under pressure part B l, B2 are formed by flowing channels 4, here shown adapted in the upper floor plate (see also fig. 2 and 4).

In fig. 2 is shown how the fan/convector unit 2 is arranged between the joists 3 in a system of joist of the floor, and can in this way be built in and isolated in said system of joists. To create an air flow through said channels in connection to the upper floor plate these channels are preferably divided in several parallel flow channels with the view of lowering the flowing resistance and allow a forced flow of air through said channels in an increased need of heating. To facilitate an even distribution of an air flow through said channels these are arranged in connection to distributing (C, E) and collecting (E, D) larger channels.

While the fan/convector unit 2 has been shown built-in between the joists in the system of joists in the embodiment according to fig. 1 and 2 it is instead placed outside the system of joists in the embodiment according to fig. 3. In fig. 3 the channels are shown in direct connection to an upper floor plate. Here a heat exchanging battery 2C is shown in the main channel for the airflow. This exchanging battery can be used for condensing humidity in the circulating air, in one way by using cold water (e.g. for warm water heating) or a refrigerant (e.g. forming a part flow of an expansion circuit of a heat pump).

At the embodiment according to fig. 4 the channels have been integrated in the upper floor plate 5. In fig. 4 a folio 6 is also shown which has been laid between the upper plate 5 and an underlying insulation 7. The insulation 7 in turn is placed above a layer of sand 8 covering the moulded ground plate 9. The folio 6 will let moisture pass to the circulating heated air, and when needed i.e. when the moisture content of the air exceeds a predetermined value (e.g. 50 % relative humidity) this is indicated by detecting means in connection to the fan/convector unit, a dehumidification arrangement 2 C is connected to the fan/convector unit (or to some other suitable location in the main flow) to dry the circulating air. The dehumidification can takes place continously or when needed.

Advantageously this dehumidification arrangement can form part of a (part) flow of a refrigerant circuit of a heat pump passing inside a heat exchanger and over which the air is outwardly flowing to be cooled as the refrigerant circuit in this case constitutes the colder expansion side of the heat pump. By arranging the refrigerant reversibly in the heat pump the same heat exchanger can be used as the condensing side of the heat pump, i.e. to add heat to the air circulating in the floor channels.

The invention is not restricted to the above-referred embodiments, but modifications can be made within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method to heat a floor by using an airborne floor heating system and to assure that moisture will be removed from the heat carrying air, characterised i n that air being circulated by one or several fan/convector units in a channel system, preferably of the type of parallel flow, in close connection to the upper side of the floor, that heat is transferred the circulating air through a heating battery, and that moisture in the air, if any, is condensed by passing the air through a cooling element in the channel system.

2. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the air is circulated in a channel system in connection to the upper surface of a floor having possible low energy inertia.

3. Arrangement to heat a floor by an air borne floor heating system and to assure that moisture will be removed from the heat carrying air in the floor heating system and indirectly from a system of joists of a floor/lower floor, and to perform the method according to claim 1 , characterised i n a channel system, preferably of a parallel flow type, integrated in the floor where air is circulated by one or several fan/convector units, a heating battery to add heat to the circulating air, and in a dehumidifying unit forming part of the channel system, whereby moisture in the circulating air is removed when passing through said dehumidifying unit.

4. Arrangement according to claim 3, characterised i n that a fan/convector unit is located between two floor joists in the middle of a floor plane, that the fluid channels for the circulating air is divided into two circuits.

5. Arrangement according to claim 3 and 4 characterised i n that the refrigerant circuit of a heat pump form part of the arrangement.

6. Arrangement according to any of the claims 3 to 5, characterised i n that at least one filter is arranged to filtrate micro organisms and/or bad smells from the circulating air.

7. Arrangement according to one or several of the claims 3 to 6, characterised i n that the joint against the wall in the wall arranged channel system is tightened to stop micro organisms and bad smells from penetrating.