IES20190170A2 - Radiator assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

radiator assembly, comprising at least one electrical heating element and a radiator body. The radiator body contains a fluid, the electrical heating element is disposed within the radiator body such that said electrical heating element is in contact with the fluid. The quantity of fluid contained within the radiator body is predetermined such that the radiator body emits one or more pre-determined output levels of heat when the fluid is exposed to one or more electrical power outputs from the electrical heating element.

Description

Field of the Invention This invention relates to a radiator assembly and in particular to a radiator assembly comprising an electrical heating element.

Background to the Invention The cost of heating homes and businesses has increased significantly due to the ever rising price of fossil fuels, in particular natural gas and oil. This price increase can be a particularly significant cost for many people. Further the heating arrangements provided in many homes and commercial premises are typically legacy type fixed boiler fed radiator systems which are inefficient to meet the energy efficiency requirements of most homes. A common problem with many radiator arrangements, in particular panel radiators, is retaining heat once the supply is turned off.

In recent times the manufacturers of radiators, in Europe, have been subject to a number of EU directives towards manufacturing radiators which meet specific requirements in terms of energy efficiency and safety amongst other criteria. For example EU Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC (specific information for the local space heater product range in Regulation 2015/1188), as of 1 January 2018, requires that in order to put electrical local space heaters into operation certain requirements must have been met with regard to the regulation/control of said space heater. The aim of this Regulation, amongst others in more recent times, is to save energy as part of environmental protection. In this context, a distinction is made between output, portable or fixed heaters, and application. Under the terms of the Regulation, each of these criteria has different requirements with regard to the regulation/control of the radiator.

Therefore there exists a desire for a radiator, in particular a local space heater, which meets EU directives, is energy efficient and produces adequate heat.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly an aspect of the present invention provides a radiator assembly, comprising: at least one electrical heating element; a radiator body. Wherein said radiator body contains a fluid. Wherein said electrical heating element is disposed within said radiator body such that said electrical heating element is in contact with said fluid; and wherein the quantity of fluid contained within said radiator body is pre—determined such that the radiator body emits one or more pre—determined output levels of heat when the fluid is exposed to one or more electrical power outputs from the electrical heating element.

Ideally, the radiator body comprises a plurality of columns which are arranged in a parallel and spaced apart arrangement with respect to one another.

Preferably, each of said columns comprises an interior chamber for said fluid.

Ideally, the interior chambers of each of said columns are in fluid communication with respect to one another.

Preferably, the electrical heating element is disposed within one or more of the plurality of columns Ideally, the electrical heating element is disposed, at least in part, within each of the plurality of columns.

Preferably, the one or more output levels of heat correspond to one more temperatures of the fluid respectively.

Ideally, the electrical heating element comprises an elongate electrical heating element.

Preferably, the electrical heating element is connectable to a mains power supply.

Ideally, the electrical heating element comprises a thermostatic control arrangement.

Preferably, the thermostatic control arrangement is configured to alter and/or maintain the radiator body at the one or more output levels of heat. ldeally, said thermostatic control arrangement comprises a controller which is located upon the exterior of the radiator body which is configured to control the amount of electrical power supplied to the electrical heating element.

Ideally, the thermostatic control arrangement comprises one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor the temperature of the environment in which the radiator assembly is located in—use, wherein if the temperature of the environment falls below a pre—set level the thermostatic control arrangement is configured to Preferably, said controller comprises wireless communication means which is operable to communicate with a remote control. ldeally, said fluid comprises water, inhibitor, coolant and anti—freeze.

Preferably the fluid comprises 90% water with the remainder of the fluid comprising a combination of inhibitor, cooland and anti—freeze. ldeally, said radiator body is made of cast iron.

Preferably, said electrical heating element is made of stainless steel.

Preferably, said radiator body is coated, at least in part, in a thermal coating.

Ideally, the electrical heating element is operable to produce electrical power in the range of 100 to 900 W.

Brief Description of the Drawings The reference to the accompanying drawings in which: invention will now be described, by example, with Figure 1 is a cross—sectional view of a radiator assembly embodying an aspect of theinvenfion; Figure 2 is a front perspective view of a remote control for use with the radiator assembly; and Figure 3 is a front perspective view of a thermostatic controller arrangement.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring now to the drawings there is shown, generally indicated by the reference numeral 1, a radiator assembly embodying an aspect of the invention. The radiator assembly 1 comprises at least one electrical heating element 3 and a radiator body . The radiator body 5 contains a fluid, typically comprising at least water however it may alternatively comprise oil or any other suitable fluid. Preferably the fluid comprises water, inhibitor, coolant and anti—freeze. Further preferably the fluid comprises 90% water with the remainder of the fluid comprising a combination of inhibitor, cooland and anti—freeze. The electrical heating element 3 is disposed i.e. located within, the radiator body 5 such that the electrical heating element 3 is in contact with the fluid contained with the radiator body 5. The quantity of fluid contained within the radiator body 5 is pre—determined, typically by a manufacturer or installer or the like, such that the radiator body 5 emits one or more pre- determined output levels of heat when the fluid is exposed to heat produced by the electrical heating element 3, the heat produced by the electrical heating element 3 correspond to one or more electrical power outputs from the electrical heating element 3. The output levels of heat typically being measured in British Thermal Units (BTU). The output levels of heat correspond to one or more temperatures of the fluid contained within the radiator body 5.

The radiator body 5 typically comprises a plurality of columns 7 which are preferably arranged in a parallel and spaced apart arrangement with respect to one another.

Each column 7 being coupled to at least one other column 7, wherein the plurality of columns 7 are typically formed as a single integral piece. Each of said columns 7 are typically hollow defining an interior chamber therein for containing the fluid. In a preferred embodiment the radiator body 5 may comprise 3, 5, 8 or 10 columns however it may alternatively comprise any number of columns. Further each of the interior chambers of each column 7 are in fluid communication with respect to one another such that the fluid is operable to flow throughout each of the interior chambers. The electrical heating element 3 is disposed within one or more of the plurality of columns 7; preferably the electrical heating element 3 is disposed, at least in part, within each of the plurality of columns 7. To this end the electrical heating element is typically elongate in shape and is preferably disposed towards a first side, hereinafter referred to as the base, of the radiator body 5. The “base” of the radiator body 5 should be understood to comprise the side of the radiator body which is nearest to the ground surface upon which the radiator assembly 1 rests in- use. The electrical heating element 3 typically extends along an axis which is perpendicular to that of the plurality of columns 7 such that the electrical heating element 7 extends through the interior chambers of each of the columns 7, at least in part thereof.

The electrical heating element 3 is connectable to a mains power supply however it may additionally or alternatively connectable to any suitable power supply such as a battery or stand alone generator. The electrical heating element is typically configured to produce electrical power in the range approximately 100 to 900 W.

Preferably the electrical heating element may produce 300, 600 or 900 W. The electrical heating element 3 further comprises a thermostatic control arrangement 9, which it is electrically coupled thereto, which is configured to control the output level of heat produced by the radiator assembly 1. To this end the thermostatic control arrangement may be configured to control the amount of electrical power supplied to the electrical heating element 3. The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may be configured to alter and/or maintain the radiator body 5 at one or more of the output levels of heat. The thermostatic control arrangement 9 is located upon the exterior of the radiator body 5, typically at a location where it may be easily accessed by a user in—use. Preferably the thermostatic control arrangement 9 is located at at least one end of the radiator body 5, typically towards the base thereof as is shown in Figure 1.

The thermostatic control arrangement 9 shown at figure 3 typically comprises a display 11 which is operable to indicate the temperature of the fluid and/or the one or more output levels of heat of the radiator body 5. Either of these may be alternatively represented in a more simplified notation i.e. in a range of 1 to 10 with increments of a least 1, wherein 1 indicates a low temperature/heat output level and indicates a high temperature/heat output level. The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may further comprises one or more buttons with which the user may interact with the thermostatic control arrangement 9. For example the thermostatic control arrangement 9 may comprise a button configured to increase or decrease the temperature of the fluid and/or the one or more output levels of heat 13, 15. The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may further comprise a button configured to alter the operating state of the electrical heating element from an off state to an on state 17 and vice versa. The on state should be understood to mean where the electrical heating element produces heat by consuming electrical power such as to heat the fluid contained within the radiator body 5 and consequently the radiator body 5 itself such as to heat the environment within which the radiator assembly 1 is located. The off state should be understood to mean where the electrical heating element does not produce heat. Further the thermostatic control arrangement 9 may further comprise a button configured to alter the indication shown on the display 19.

The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may additionally comprise a programmable clock using which the user may program the times of the day and/or the days of the week they wish for the electrical heating element to adopt the on state or off state.

The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may additionally comprise one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor the temperature of the environment in which the radiator assembly is located in—use, wherein if the temperature of the environment falls below/ or increases above a pre—set level the thermostatic control arrangement 9 is configured to cause the electrical heating element to adopt the on or off operating state respectively. Additionally or alternatively the thermostatic control arrangement 9 may additionally comprise one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor the temperature of the fluid within the radiator body 5.

Wherein if the temperature of the fluid falls below or increases above a pre—set level (typically determined by the user) the thermostatic control arrangement 9 is configured to cause the electrical heating element 3 to adopt the on or off operating state respectively The thermostatic control arrangement 9 may further comprise a wireless communication means 20 using which it is operable to receive instructions to control the temperature and/or the heat output level of the radiator assembly 1. To this end the wireless communication means may comprise a Bluetooth®, Wi—Fi, NFC receiver/transceiver or any other suitable wireless communication means.

Preferably the wireless communication means comprises an lnfra—Red (IR) receiver which is operable to receive instructions from a corresponding remote control 21.

The remote control 21 is shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings. The remote control may comprise a display 23 which is configured to show the temperature of the fluid and/or the one or more output levels of heat of the radiator body 5. Further the remote control 21 may further comprise one or more buttons with which the user may interact with the thermostatic control arrangement 9. For example the remote control may comprise a button configured to increase or decrease the temperature of the fluid and/or the one or more output levels of heat , 27. The remote control 21 may further comprise a button configured to alter the operating state of the electrical heating element 3 from an off state to an on state 29 and vice versa. Further the remote control 21 may further comprise a button configured to alter the indication shown on the display 26. The controller may additionally comprise one or more buttons for controlling the timer arrangement of the thermostatic control arrangement 31. The remote control preferably includes an wireless communication means 33 using which it may communicate with the wireless communication means of the thermostatic control arrangement 9. the wireless communication means 33 may comprise a Bluetooth®, Wi—Fi, NFC receiver/transceiver or any other suitable wireless communication means.

Preferably the wireless communication means 33 comprises an IR transmitter or transceiver.

Preferably the radiator body is manufactured from cast—iron however it may alternatively be made from any other suitable metal or composite material.

Advantageously due to the inherent heat retaining properties of cast—iron combined with the low wattage electrical heating element of the present invention the radiator assembly is operable to retain the fluid contained therein at an increased temperature corresponding to one of the heat output levels for longer whilst requiring less power to do so thereby providing a highly energy efficient radiator assembly. Preferably the electrical heating element is made of stainless steel however it may alternatively be made of any other suitable electrically conductive material. Optionally the radiator body may be coated, at least in part, in a thermal coating configured to retain the heat of the fluid contained therein. Additionally or alternatively the radiator body may be coated in one or more paints or the like for decorative or protection purposes.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. A radiator assembly, comprising: At least one electrical heating element; A radiator body; Wherein said radiator body contains a fluid; Wherein said electrical heating element is disposed within said radiator body such that said electrical heating element is in contact with said fluid; and Wherein the quantity of fluid contained within said radiator body is pre- determined such that the radiator body emits one or more pre—determined output levels of heat when the fluid is heated by the electrical heating element.

2. The radiator assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical heating element comprises a thermostatic control arrangement, and/or wherein said thermostatic control arrangement is configured to alter and/or maintain the radiator body at the one or more output levels of heat.

3. The radiator assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein said fluid comprises water, inhibitor, coolant and anti—freeze, and/or, wherein the fluid comprises 90% water.

4. The radiator assembly of any preceding claim, wherein said radiator body is made of cast iron.

5. The radiator assembly of any preceding claim, wherein said radiator body is coated, at least in part, in a thermal coating.