GB1580009A - Heating apparatus for rooms - Google Patents

Description

(54) HEATING APPARATUS FOR ROOMS.

(71) We, STAMICARBON B.V., a Netherlands Limited Liability Company of P.O. Box 10, Geleen, the Netherlands, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to heating apparatus for controllably heating two or more rooms in a building wherein a set of air outlets is provided in each room and a stream of heated air is passed through a first duct to one air outlet and a stream of unheated air is passed through a second duct to the other air outlet; and wherein regulating means are provided whereby the total rate of introduction of air into a room is regulated to a substantially constant value independently of the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated air into the said room.

The invention provides apparatus as hereinbefore referred to characterized in that all the said first and second ducts are connected to a common air distribution box and wherein streams of heated and unheated air are supplied to the said first and second ducts from said air distribution box, said air distribution box comprising means for introducing therein an initial supply of unheated air, a heat exchanger extending across the interior of the said air distribution box and across a stream of unheated air introduced therein, the said heat exchanger being adapted to allow a substantially unimpeded flow of air thereacross, two or more heated air take-off apertures in a wall of the said air distribution box disposed downstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said first ducts and two or more unheated air take-off apertures disposed upstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said second ducts.

Preferably the said means for introducing unheated air into the air distributuion box is a powerdriven fan. A plurality of such air distribution boxes may be provided, separate fans of which may be driven by a single electric motor. A heating system provided with at least two air distribution boxes can effect different temperature levels in different separate parts of the building to be heated (for example a living room and bedroom of a dwellinghouse, or the rooms on the sunny and shadowy sides of a building), namely by having the sets of ducts for heated and unheated air leaving each separate air distribution box connect that air distribution box with room to be heated, which together form a separate part of the building to be heated.

Heating apparatus according to the invention may be provided with thermostatic control means to control the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated air supplied to each individual room to be heated. The said regulating means ensure that the total rate of introduction of air discharged into a room is regulated to a substantially constant value.

Such regulating means may be an adjustable double linear valve or slider, one part of which controls the air flow in the unheated air duct and the other part controls the air flow in the heated air duct, to a particular room in such a way that when one air flow is increased the other air flow is reduced by approximately the same amount. It is important that the air resistance of the heat exchanger in the air distribution box to the air stream flowing across it should be sufficiently small that the ratio control is not appreciably affected by it.

Thermostatic control means may be provided to control the rate of heating fluid to the said heat exchanger of the or each air distribution box e.g. located in a said first main duct associated with an air distribution box. By this means separate parts of the building can be maintained at different temperatures when serviced by separate air distribution boxes.

The invention is hereinafter particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are schematic representations of one embodiment of a heating system according to the invention, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section along I - I in Figure 2; Figure 2 is a vertical section along II - II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a top view of the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, an initial supply duct 1 for unheated air is connected to a supply box 2 for unheated air. The said supply box 2 contains an air filter 3 disposed across the inlet side of main duct 1, and an electric motor 4 adapted to drive two fans 5,6, disposed to transmit unheated air into air distribution boxes 7, 8 respectively. The said air distribution boxes 7, 8 are each divided by a heat exchanger 9, 12 respectively, adapted to operate by hot water flowing therethrough and which are freely permeable to air flowing thereacross. The heat exchanger 9 divides the air distribution box 7 into a cold air zone 10 and a warm air zone 11, and the heat exchanger 12 similarly divides the air distribution box 8 into cold air zone 13 and a warm air zone 14.

Cold air take-off apertures connected to ducts 101, 102, and 103 are disposed in a wall of the cold air zone 10 upstream of the said heat exchanger 10 and heated air takeoff apertures connected to ducts 111, 112 and 113 are disposed in the wall downstream of the heat exchanger for conveying unheated and heated air respectively to the rooms to be heated. Corresponding apertures connected to ducts 131-134 and 141-144 are provided in the air distribution box 8.

The associated set of ducts 101 + 111 may for example be connected to the living room of a dwelling-house to be heated, set 102 + 112 to the kitchen and set 103 + 113 to the staircase, together forming a separate part of the dwelling. The set of ducts 131 + 141 may for example be connected to the bathroom and sets 132 + 142, 133 + 143 and 134 + 144 to three bedrooms, together forming another separate part of the dwelling. In the drawings the indicated outgoing ducts conveying heated and unheated air are all fitted to one side wall of the air distribution box.

Similar ducts can also be fitted to the other side wall(s). The dimensions of the air box shown may for example be 90 x 30 x 60 cm.

so that the unit can be accommodated centrally in the dwellinghouse, for example in a cupboard, without any difficulty.

The water to be supplied to the heat exchangers may be heated by any suitable type of stoking or heating apparatus, such as a conventional central-heating boiler or a hot water boiler. It is however advantageous to connect the heat exchangers of a heating system according to the invention to the hot water pipe network of a heat source situated outside the dwellinghouse, such as a block, district or town heating system, so that the financial and economic advantage of the larger heating system is attractively combined with the comfort of hot air heating.

Where the term hot water is herein used it is to be understood that any suitable hot fluid may be used instead of hot water. This hot fluid may be supplied from the hot part of a heat-pump circuit.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Heating apparatus for controllably heating two or more rooms in a building wherein a set of air outlets is provided in each room and a stream of heated air is passed through a first duct to one air outlet and a stream of unheated air is passed through a second duct to the other air outlet; and wherein regulating means are provided whereby the total rate of introduction of air into a room is regulated to a substantially constant value independently of the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated air into the said room; characterized in that all the said first and second ducts are connected to a common air distribution box and wherein streams of heated and unheated air are supplied to the said first and second ducts from said air distribution box, said air distribution box comprising means for introducing therein an initial supply of unheated air, a heat exchanger extending across the interior of the said air distribution box and across a stream of unheated air introduced therein, the said heat exchanger being adapted to allow a substantially unimpeded flow of air thereacross, two or more heated air take-off apertures in a wall of the said air distribution box disposed downstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said first ducts and two or more unheated air take-off apertures disposed upstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said second ducts.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the said means for introducing unheated air into the said air distribution box comprises a power-driven fan.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a plurality of said air distribution boxes are provided.

4. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein thermostatic control means are provided to control the rate of flow of heating fluid to the said heat exchanger of the or each air distribution box.

5. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a room is provided with thermostatic control means to control the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated stream therein.

6. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the said heat exchanger(s)

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The invention is hereinafter particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are schematic representations of one embodiment of a heating system according to the invention, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section along I - I in Figure 2; Figure 2 is a vertical section along II - II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a top view of the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2. Referring to the drawings, an initial supply duct 1 for unheated air is connected to a supply box 2 for unheated air. The said supply box 2 contains an air filter 3 disposed across the inlet side of main duct 1, and an electric motor 4 adapted to drive two fans 5,6, disposed to transmit unheated air into air distribution boxes 7, 8 respectively. The said air distribution boxes 7, 8 are each divided by a heat exchanger 9, 12 respectively, adapted to operate by hot water flowing therethrough and which are freely permeable to air flowing thereacross. The heat exchanger 9 divides the air distribution box 7 into a cold air zone 10 and a warm air zone 11, and the heat exchanger 12 similarly divides the air distribution box 8 into cold air zone 13 and a warm air zone 14. Cold air take-off apertures connected to ducts 101, 102, and 103 are disposed in a wall of the cold air zone 10 upstream of the said heat exchanger 10 and heated air takeoff apertures connected to ducts 111, 112 and 113 are disposed in the wall downstream of the heat exchanger for conveying unheated and heated air respectively to the rooms to be heated. Corresponding apertures connected to ducts 131-134 and 141-144 are provided in the air distribution box 8. The associated set of ducts 101 + 111 may for example be connected to the living room of a dwelling-house to be heated, set 102 + 112 to the kitchen and set 103 + 113 to the staircase, together forming a separate part of the dwelling. The set of ducts 131 + 141 may for example be connected to the bathroom and sets 132 + 142, 133 + 143 and 134 + 144 to three bedrooms, together forming another separate part of the dwelling. In the drawings the indicated outgoing ducts conveying heated and unheated air are all fitted to one side wall of the air distribution box. Similar ducts can also be fitted to the other side wall(s). The dimensions of the air box shown may for example be 90 x 30 x 60 cm. so that the unit can be accommodated centrally in the dwellinghouse, for example in a cupboard, without any difficulty. The water to be supplied to the heat exchangers may be heated by any suitable type of stoking or heating apparatus, such as a conventional central-heating boiler or a hot water boiler. It is however advantageous to connect the heat exchangers of a heating system according to the invention to the hot water pipe network of a heat source situated outside the dwellinghouse, such as a block, district or town heating system, so that the financial and economic advantage of the larger heating system is attractively combined with the comfort of hot air heating. Where the term hot water is herein used it is to be understood that any suitable hot fluid may be used instead of hot water. This hot fluid may be supplied from the hot part of a heat-pump circuit. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Heating apparatus for controllably heating two or more rooms in a building wherein a set of air outlets is provided in each room and a stream of heated air is passed through a first duct to one air outlet and a stream of unheated air is passed through a second duct to the other air outlet; and wherein regulating means are provided whereby the total rate of introduction of air into a room is regulated to a substantially constant value independently of the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated air into the said room; characterized in that all the said first and second ducts are connected to a common air distribution box and wherein streams of heated and unheated air are supplied to the said first and second ducts from said air distribution box, said air distribution box comprising means for introducing therein an initial supply of unheated air, a heat exchanger extending across the interior of the said air distribution box and across a stream of unheated air introduced therein, the said heat exchanger being adapted to allow a substantially unimpeded flow of air thereacross, two or more heated air take-off apertures in a wall of the said air distribution box disposed downstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said first ducts and two or more unheated air take-off apertures disposed upstream of the said heat exchanger and each connected to one of the said second ducts.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the said means for introducing unheated air into the said air distribution box comprises a power-driven fan.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a plurality of said air distribution boxes are provided.

4. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein thermostatic control means are provided to control the rate of flow of heating fluid to the said heat exchanger of the or each air distribution box.

5. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a room is provided with thermostatic control means to control the ratio of the rates of flow of heated and unheated stream therein.

6. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the said heat exchanger(s)

form part of a heat-pump circuit whereby heating fluid is supplied thereto from the hot part of the said heat-pump circuit.

7. Heating apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.