GB2375815A - Underfloor heating and cooling for a raised access floor - Google Patents
Underfloor heating and cooling for a raised access floor Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2375815A GB2375815A GB0104639A GB0104639A GB2375815A GB 2375815 A GB2375815 A GB 2375815A GB 0104639 A GB0104639 A GB 0104639A GB 0104639 A GB0104639 A GB 0104639A GB 2375815 A GB2375815 A GB 2375815A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- heating
- cooling
- panels
- floor
- raised access
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 91
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 83
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 239000011800 void material Substances 0.000 abstract description 5
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000005030 aluminium foil Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 229920002223 polystyrene Polymers 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000000498 cooling water Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000008236 heating water Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 7
- 238000004378 air conditioning Methods 0.000 description 5
- NJPPVKZQTLUDBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N novaluron Chemical compound C1=C(Cl)C(OC(F)(F)C(OC(F)(F)F)F)=CC=C1NC(=O)NC(=O)C1=C(F)C=CC=C1F NJPPVKZQTLUDBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 238000009408 flooring Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 244000052616 bacterial pathogen Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000007812 deficiency Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920002457 flexible plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000037361 pathway Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
- F24D3/00—Hot-water central heating systems
- F24D3/12—Tube and panel arrangements for ceiling, wall, or underfloor heating
- F24D3/14—Tube and panel arrangements for ceiling, wall, or underfloor heating incorporated in a ceiling, wall or floor
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B30/00—Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Steam Or Hot-Water Central Heating Systems (AREA)
- Floor Finish (AREA)
Abstract
Heating or cooling panels are supported by brackets fixed by screwing or clamping to the pillars of a raised floor such that the upper side of the heating or cooling panels are in contact with the underside of the floor panels. Each panel is formed from rigid polystyrene and has a groove in it's upper surface to locate a pipe carrying heating or cooling water. The surface of the groove and the top surface of the panel are covered with aluminium foil to improve the heat conduction between the pipe and the floor panel. The air in the void beneath the floor is also heated or cooled by the water pipes and this air may be admitted via vents to the room to provide additional heating or cooling. The panels may be narrower than the tiles of the access floor to permit continued access.
Description
<Desc/Clms Page number 1>
UNDERFLOOR HEATING/COOLING SYSTEMS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to underfloor heating/cooling systems and is specifically concerned with the provision of underfloor heating and cooling of room spaces that are being or have previously been fitted with raised access floors.
Raised access floors are generally constructed from square panels that are supported at each corner on levelled pillars in such a way that a void is formed beneath the floor deck of the same depth as the height of the pillars, so that electrical and mechanical services can be sited in this void.
The present invention has been developed to facilitate the installation of heating and/or cooling means into raised access floors, either as they are being constructed or into floors that have previously been constructed.
<Desc/Clms Page number 2>
Background to the invention
As national governments seek to honour their commitments under the Kyoto Convention, there is a move towards making heating and cooling systems more energy-efficient. Surface heating and cooling can warm or cool a space without using conventional radiators or air-conditioning and this technology has many comfort and space-saving advantages as compared with either radiators or air-conditioning.
The most common forms of surface heating and cooling systems are underfloor heating and chilled ceilings. Both are examples of what is referred to as low temperature heating and high temperature cooling and can offer significant energy-efficiency improvements relative to other types of heating and airconditioning.
Studies have shown that personnel working in offices that are heated by underfloor heating are more productive than when they are working in offices heated by radiators. There is also a general concern that air-conditioning systems recycle a high proportion of air-borne dust particles and germs within an office environment and that this is unhealthy.
In the United Kingdom, the draft amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations, the first Part A of which are due to become effective in October 2001, specifically discourage the use of airconditioning as a means of cooling buildings, placing responsibility
<Desc/Clms Page number 3>
on architects to so design future buildings that, as far as possible, there is minimal or no requirement for cooling.
As the effects of these changes become effective, the cooling loads for buildings will be reduced to power levels that can be satisfied entirely by surface cooling. The heating loads of offices can already be satisfied by surface heating, i. e. by underfloor heating.
A considerable amount of energy is used nationally to heat and to cool the office workplace and yet there are currently no satisfactory products available to provide surface heating and cooling in offices that have raised access floors.
It is accordingly a specific object of the present invention to remedy this deficiency.
As mentioned above, raised access floors are generally formed by a matrix of square panels that are supported at each corner by pillars that can be adjusted for height. The top of each panel has a special plate that is designed to locate and support a corner of each of four panels. The panels themselves are typically formed from thick timber particle-board that has been entirely encased in galvanised steel sheet.
The primary reason for creating floors in this way is to create a void beneath the floor deck that can be used to house the various electrical and mechanical services that are needed for the space
<Desc/Clms Page number 4>
above the floor deck - for example, electrical or lighting cables, computer cables, telephone cables and water pipes.
By removing one or more of the square floor panels, these services can be easily accessed at any time. By virtue of this easy access, it is a simple matter to add or remove services, or to move them around to suit any change of use of the space above the floor deck.
A further access of the present invention is to provide an improved method of installing heating/cooling in a raised access floor.
Summary of the Invention
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a raised access floor which includes heating/cooling panels attached to the pillars which support the floor panels, the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels being formed with grooves in which water pipe is fitted, and the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating cooling panels being maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an underfloor heating/cooling system for a room space having a raised access floor, said underfloor heating/cooling system comprising heating/cooling panels the upwardly presented surfaces
<Desc/Clms Page number 5>
of which are formed with grooves in which water pipe is fitted, and means for mounting the heating/cooling panels in such manner that the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels are maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing heating/cooling in a raised access floor, said method comprising providing a plurality of heating/cooling panels the upwardly presented surfaces of which are formed with grooves, mounting the heating/cooling panels in such manner that the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels are maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels, and fitting water pipe in the grooves prior to fixing of the floor panels in position.
Other preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 shows the fixing of two heating/cooling panels to a pillar or pedestal,
Figure 2 shows the two heating/cooling panels fixed to the pedestal and a floor deck on top of the pillar or pedestal, and
<Desc/Clms Page number 6>
Figures 3,4 and 5 show alternative patterns for the fitting of the plastic pipe in the grooves in the heating/cooling panels.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
As shown in Figures 1 and 2 specially formed supporting brackets are attached to each pillar and pre-formed heating/cooling panels are supported by the brackets such that their upper surfaces are substantially flush with the top surfaces of the pillars. Pipe channels are formed in the upwardly presented surfaces of the panels and, once the heating/cooling panels have been installed on site, lengths of flexible plastic water pipe are pressed into the channels. Floor panels are then laid on top of the heating/cooling panels.
The heating/cooling panels are kept pressed against the undersides of the floor panels by the supporting brackets and provide heating when warm water is circulated through the pipes and cooling when chilled water is circulated through the pipes.
Each heating/cooling panel is formed from rigid polystyrene with a pipe channel formed in its upper surface. The pipe channel and the top surface of each panel is covered with thick soft-temper aluminium foil. The purpose of the foil is to provide a conductive pathway for the transfer of heat energy between the pipe and the underside of the floor panel. In this way, the temperature of each floor panel can be raised or lowered depending on whether heating or cooling is required.
<Desc/Clms Page number 7>
The heating/cooling panels are made in lengths to correspond with the sizes of the floor panels. For example, if the floor panels are 600 mm. X 600 mm., heating/cooling panels would be used in the following lengths : - a) 2,400 mm. , b) 1,200 mm., and c) 600 mm.
As the heating/cooling panels are constructed from rigid polystyrene and soft-temper aluminium foil, a 2,400 mm. long heating/cooling panel can easily be cut to length on site to 1,800 mm. or 1,200 mm. or 600 mm.
The primary heating or cooling effect is by direct radiant transfer between the top surfaces of the floor panels, as they warm and cool, and the room space above the floor. As an underfloor heating system or as an underfloor cooling system, this effect is able to produce approximately 10 to 11 W/m2 of heating per C of difference between the temperature of the floor top surface and the temperature of the room space. The rate of heat transfer can be increased by encouraging natural, low-velocity movement of air across the upper surface of the floor.
An important secondary heating or cooling effect is achieved as a consequence of the undersides of the floor panels themselves heating or cooling the air within the plenum or void beneath the floor. This air, which will become slightly warmer or cooler than the
<Desc/Clms Page number 8>
air above the floor deck, can then be admitted by natural ventilation into the room space above the floor via grilles that are incorporated in the floor panels at various points in the floor.
The combination of the primary and secondary heating or cooling effects can be sufficient in themselves to heat or cool a modern, well-insulated room space. If additional heating or cooling effect is required, separate heating/cooling pipework may be incorporated in the ceiling.
The heating/cooling system uses the heating/cooling panels to warm/cool both the floor deck of the raised access floor and also the naturally ventilated air that passes through the plenum beneath the floor. It might be expected that the concrete slabs that support the pillars themselves would need to be insulated in order to retain the warmed or cooled air within the plenum. In practice, the supporting slabs are left uninsulated in order that their mass can be warmed or cooled overnight, so that they can also contribute to the heating/cooling effect during the following day.
The heating/cooling panels are supported from the tops of the pillars by, as mentioned above, supporting brackets which ensure that the upper surface of each heating/cooling panel is in direct contact with the underside of the floor deck. When the heating/cooling panels have been fixed in place in the brackets, plastic pipe is pressed into routed channels and either connected to a main flow and return header using plastic push-fit fittings (using Method A as shown in Figure 3) or run in continuos pipe back to the
<Desc/Clms Page number 9>
manifold site (using Method B or Method C as shown in Figures 4 and 5). The flow and return temperatures can be varied based on weather conditions. The design flow water temperatures may be 650 C. flow (with 550 C. return) for heating and 100 C. flow for the cooling mode.
Figures 3,4 and 5 illustrate the way in which the widths of the heating/cooling panels are kept small in comparison with the widths of the floor panels. For example, if the floor panels are 600 mm. X 600 mm. , the heating/cooling panel width is 100 mm. In this way, the heating/cooling panels only minimally impair access to the space below the floor deck.
A typical installation procedure includes the following steps :- a) the supporting brackets are fitted on each pedestal, wherever a panel is to pass. The brackets may be fixed to the pedestals either by screwing a bracket to the pedestal head or by using a clamp to fix the bracket to the stand, b) when the brackets have been fitted and are secured, the heating/cooling panels are placed in position. The end of each heating/cooling panel rests on the centre-line of the bracket, i. e. the ends of two heating/cooling panels are supported on a single bracket. All the heating/cooling panels are fitted in such a way that the top surface of each of the panels is in firm contact with the underside of the floor deck once fitted,
<Desc/Clms Page number 10>
c) plastic pipe is then pressed into the routed grooves in accordance with one of the patterns shown in Figures 3 to 5. The pipe is pressed fully into the grooves so that none of the of the pipe is above the presented surface of the heating/cooling panel, d) where connections are to be made to the pipe, or in installations where there is no alternative but to have long runs of flow and return pipework, the supply pipe can be run to and from the heating/cooling panels through conduit which is itself fixed to the bottom of the plenum, alongside other service, and e) the floor panels are fitted in position.
<Desc/Clms Page number 11>
Key to Figure 2 10-15mm PB Pipe 11 - Heating Panel 12-Clip 13-Bracket supporting underfloor heating module 14-Pedestals supporting flooring panels Key to Figure 3 15-22mm PB pipe. Flow 14-Pedestals supporting flooring panels 10-15mm PBpipe 13-Bracket supporting underfloor heating module 17-22mm PB pipe. Return 18 - Flooring panels 11 - Heating panel
Claims (9)
1. A raised access floor which includes heating/cooling panels attached to pillars which support the floor panels, the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels being formed with grooves in which a water pipe or pipes is or are fitted, and the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating cooling panels being maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels.
2. A raised access floor construction having any new and useful combination of the features of the specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A raised access floor construction as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings
4. An underfloor heating/cooling system for a room space having a raised access floor, said underfloor heating/cooling system comprising heating/cooling panels the upwardly presented surfaces of which are formed with grooves in which a water pipe or pipes is or are fitted, and means for mounting the heating/cooling panels in such manner that the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels are maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels.
<Desc/Clms Page number 13>
5. An underfloor heating/cooling system having any new and useful combination of the features of the specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. An underfloor heating/cooling system as claimed in Claim 4 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
7. A method of installing heating/cooling in a raised access floor, said method comprising providing a plurality of heating/cooling panels the upwardly presented surfaces of which are formed with grooves, mounting the heating/cooling panels in such manner that the upwardly presented surfaces of the heating/cooling panels are maintained in contact with the downwardly presented surfaces of the floor panels, and fitting a water pipe or pipes in the grooves prior to fixing of the floor panels in position.
8. A method of installing heating/cooling in a raised access floor, said method including any new and useful combination of the features of the specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
9. A method of installing heating/cooling in a raised access floor as claimed in Claim 7 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0104639A GB2375815B (en) | 2001-02-24 | 2001-02-24 | Underfloor heating/cooling systems |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0104639A GB2375815B (en) | 2001-02-24 | 2001-02-24 | Underfloor heating/cooling systems |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0104639D0 GB0104639D0 (en) | 2001-04-11 |
| GB2375815A true GB2375815A (en) | 2002-11-27 |
| GB2375815B GB2375815B (en) | 2003-09-17 |
Family
ID=9909465
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0104639A Expired - Fee Related GB2375815B (en) | 2001-02-24 | 2001-02-24 | Underfloor heating/cooling systems |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2375815B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1835234A2 (en) * | 2006-03-15 | 2007-09-19 | Roberto Giampieri | Mat or floor heating system |
| EP3260626A1 (en) | 2016-06-21 | 2017-12-27 | Gsa Srl | Supporting frame for a raised floor, supporting system for the raised floor, and method for making the supporting system |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1982001058A1 (en) * | 1980-09-12 | 1982-04-01 | R Jacobsen | Device for use in plants for heating or cooling of room-limiting surfaces |
| GB2298914A (en) * | 1992-10-05 | 1996-09-18 | Rex Anthony Ingram | Heated floor/wall panel |
| JPH11190526A (en) * | 1997-12-26 | 1999-07-13 | Tokyo Gas Co Ltd | Floor heating panel |
| JPH11315629A (en) * | 1998-05-01 | 1999-11-16 | Sunpot Co Ltd | Raised floor |
| GB2349453A (en) * | 1999-03-11 | 2000-11-01 | Pipe2000 Limited | Ceiling or underfloor heating or cooling apparatus with heat conducting grooved panels |
-
2001
- 2001-02-24 GB GB0104639A patent/GB2375815B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1982001058A1 (en) * | 1980-09-12 | 1982-04-01 | R Jacobsen | Device for use in plants for heating or cooling of room-limiting surfaces |
| GB2298914A (en) * | 1992-10-05 | 1996-09-18 | Rex Anthony Ingram | Heated floor/wall panel |
| JPH11190526A (en) * | 1997-12-26 | 1999-07-13 | Tokyo Gas Co Ltd | Floor heating panel |
| JPH11315629A (en) * | 1998-05-01 | 1999-11-16 | Sunpot Co Ltd | Raised floor |
| GB2349453A (en) * | 1999-03-11 | 2000-11-01 | Pipe2000 Limited | Ceiling or underfloor heating or cooling apparatus with heat conducting grooved panels |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1835234A2 (en) * | 2006-03-15 | 2007-09-19 | Roberto Giampieri | Mat or floor heating system |
| EP1835234A3 (en) * | 2006-03-15 | 2012-08-08 | Roberto Giampieri | Mat or floor heating system |
| EP3260626A1 (en) | 2016-06-21 | 2017-12-27 | Gsa Srl | Supporting frame for a raised floor, supporting system for the raised floor, and method for making the supporting system |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB0104639D0 (en) | 2001-04-11 |
| GB2375815B (en) | 2003-09-17 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 732E | Amendments to the register in respect of changes of name or changes affecting rights (sect. 32/1977) |
Free format text: REGISTERED BETWEEN 20090917 AND 20090923 |
|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20190224 |