WO2017212418A1

WO2017212418A1 - Heating device

Info

Publication number: WO2017212418A1
Application number: PCT/IB2017/053360
Authority: WO
Inventors: Orlando NIBOLI
Original assignee: Fondital S.P.A.
Priority date: 2016-06-07
Filing date: 2017-06-07
Publication date: 2017-12-14
Also published as: ITUA20164174A1

Abstract

A heating device (1) has a body (2) made of a heat conductive material, for example aluminium, comprising an inner chamber (3) crossed by a heating liquid; connections (16) communicating with the chamber (3) and extending from the body (2); and a first heat exchange plate (4) having an outer face (9) facing in use the environment to be heated and defining a first heat exchange surface (10) of the device (1), and an inner face (8), opposite to the outer face (9) and directed toward the chamber (3); the plate (4) is joined to the chamber (3) by a rod (29) having a depth, measured between the inner face (8) of the plate (4) and an outer surface (29a) of the chamber (3) facing the inner face (8) of the plate (4), smaller than 10 mm along at least a longitudinal portion (29b) of the rod (29).

Description

"HEATING DEVICE" TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a heating device, in particular of the type with liquid circulation and comprising one or more elements in battery.

BACKGROUND ART

A common heating system of interiors consists of radiators in which a heating liquid (typically hot water) circulates. The radiators used in these systems may be made of various metal materials and are often formed by batteries of radiator elements individually manufactured and then joined together .

A typical radiator element has a substantially tubular body provided with an inner chamber for the passage of water (water chamber) and with hydraulic connections for the connection to other similar radiator elements and/or to a hydraulic circuit and arranged at opposite ends of the element; two opposite baffles extend along a central plane of the element from the water chamber, said baffles respectively supporting a front plate and a rear plate; a plurality of heat exchange fins extend from the tubular body .

Radiators made of this type of elements are generally considered to be fully satisfactory, having reached maximum performance limits, surpassable only in the slightest degree, especially in terms of specific power per unit of weight, i.e. the ratio between the thermal power emitted by the radiator element and transferred to the environment (measured according to special norms, for example EN 442) and the weight of the element (which is the fundamental parameter that directly affects production costs) .

However, the inventors of the present invention have verified that the known solutions still have significant margins for improvement in terms of efficiency and thermal performance .

On the other hand, it is a common opinion that a possible solution to the problem of increasing the power of a radiator is increasing the amount of water flowing through the radiator.

Vice versa, the inventors of the present invention have found that the water actually used in the thermal exchange is only the one that touches the walls of the water chamber so that an increase of contained water (i.e. of volume of the water chamber) does not necessarily provide an increase of thermal power.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a heating device, in particular made of aluminium, which can also be used in place of conventional radiators or radiator elements and which provides a high thermal performance while having a high mechanical strength and internal pressure resistance.

The present invention therefore relates to a heating device as essentially defined in the appended claim 1 and, in its additional favourite features, in the dependent claims. The heating device of the invention is particularly efficient, allowing in particular a full exploitation of the heat of the heating liquid, and being at the same time adequately strong from a structural point of view.

The heating device of the present invention thus solves the technical problem of providing a heating device with high efficiency and high power.

Unlike the traditional approach, which simply increases the water amount, the present invention solves this technical problem thanks to a different distribution of the heating liquid and a different shape of the heat exchange surfaces.

The inventors of the present invention have indeed realized that for increasing the power and the general efficiency it is not so essential increasing the water amount but suitably distributing the water on the available exchange surfaces .

According to the invention, the water chamber substantially extends until directly wetting, at least partially, the heat exchange plate (typically, the front plate of the device) provided with the heat exchange surface directly facing the environment to be heated; or extends until being quite close to said plate, to which it is joined by a rod having a depth smaller than a predetermined threshold.

In this way, the heat exchange surface on the plate fully exploits the heat of the heating liquid.

In a preferred embodiment, the device takes the form of a radiator element usable in battery to form a radiator of desired size; and the water chamber extends at least partially up to a front plate and even preferably, at least partially, up to a rear plate of the device.

For constructional reasons, therefore depending from the manufacturing process used to make the body of the device, it may be necessary to connect the front plate and/or the rear plate to the chamber through a longitudinal rod, perpendicular to the plates.

In each case, according to the invention, the rod has a transverse dimension or depth smaller than a predetermined threshold, which in any case allows an effective transfer of the heat to the plate.

The invention thus provides a radiator element substantially free of traditional baffles connecting, in known radiator elements, the front plate and the rear plate to the water chamber. These baffles are completely eliminated or replaced by small rods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the following non-limiting examples of embodiments with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein :

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heating device according to the invention;

- Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a longitudinal section view and a cross sectional view of the heating device of

Figure 1 ;

- Figure 4 is a cross section view of a variant of the heating device of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 indicates as a whole with the reference number 1 a heating device (for heating internal environments of buildings) with liquid circulation (for example, hot water) . In particular, the device 1 can be used as a radiator element, i.e. as a modular element to form a battery of adjacent radiator elements.

The device 1 comprises a body 2 made of a heat conductive material, for example (but not necessarily) a metallic material, in particular aluminium (meaning by this term also aluminium alloys, i.e. aluminium-containing alloys) and for example die-cast aluminium (i.e. manufactured through an aluminium or an aluminium-containing alloy die- casting process) . It is clear that the body 2 may be made of another material, provided that it is suitable for the heat transmission (such as ceramic materials, polymeric materials, composites, etc.), and by means of other manufacturing techniques (for example, by extrusion processes) .

With further reference to Figures 2 and 3, the body 2 is a hollow body and is provided with an inner chamber 3 (water chamber) crossed in use by a heating liquid (for example, hot water) .

The body 2 has such a configuration to be used instead of a conventional radiator element to form a battery of adjacent radiator elements.

The chamber 3 extends along a longitudinal axis A, vertical in use, and a transverse axis B, horizontal in use, respectively defining the height and width of the chamber 3; and along a third axis C, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and to the transverse axis B and defining the thickness of the chamber 3.

The body 2 comprises a front heat exchange plate 4 and a rear heat exchange plate 5, arranged at respective opposite ends of the body 2 (more precisely, with reference to the normal use position of the device 1, a front end and a rear end) and substantially facing each other. In the example shown in Figures 1-3, the plates 4 and 5 have a substantially quadrangular shape (e.g. being substantially rectangular) , but it is clear that the plates 4, 5 may have a different shape.

One or both plates 4, 5 comprise wall portions 14 delimiting the chamber 3 and are directly wet by the heating liquid.

In particular, the plate 4 and the plate 5 comprise at least respective wall portions 14 directly delimiting the chamber 3 and therefore in direct contact, in use, with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3 through the respective surface portions 15 of the respective inner faces 8, 11.

In greater detail, the front plate 4 has an inner face 8 facing the chamber 3 and wet by the heating liquid and that therefore exchanges heat with the heating liquid in the chamber 3 (receiving heat from the heating liquid) ; and an outer face 9, opposite to the inner face 8 and defining a first heat exchange surface 10, in particular a main front heat exchange surface of the device 1, facing in use the environment to be heated and that exchanges heat with the air of the environment where the device 1 is installed (giving heat to the air) , besides transferring heat to the environment by irradiation.

Analogously, the rear plate 5 has an inner face 11 facing the chamber 3 and wet by the heating liquid and that therefore exchanges heat with the heating liquid in the chamber 3 (receiving heat from the heating liquid) ; and an outer face 12, opposite the inner face 11 and defining a second heat exchange surface 13, facing in use a support wall W to which the device 1 is fastened by means of fastening members (known and not shown for simplicity's sake) and that exchanges heat with the air of the environment where the device 1 is installed (giving heat to the air) .

In the shown example, the front plate 4 and the rear plate 5 are both substantially flat and parallel; it is clear that the front plate 4 and/or the rear plate 5, as well as their faces, may have a different shape, for example curved, wavy, etc.

In the embodiment of Figures 1-3, the chamber 3 extends between the two plates 4, 5 and is in direct contact with at least respective surface portions 15 of both plates 4, 5.

Both plates 4, 5 extend directly, at least in part, from the chamber 3 and comprise at least respective wall portions 14 that delimit directly the chamber 3 and are entirely or at least partially in direct contact, in use, with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3 through respective surface portions 15. The plates 4 and 5 have then at least respective wall portions 14 that delimit the chamber 3 and are in direct contact, in use, with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3. In this way, the plate 4 and/or the plate 5 are so-called "wet fins".

Beside the plates 4, 5, the device 1 comprises further heat exchange surfaces defined by a plurality of heat exchange fins 17 extending out of the chamber 3 from the main walls 24, 25.

In the non-limiting example shown, the fins 17 are substantially perpendicular to the main walls 24, 25 parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis A (vertical in use) . It is clear that the fins 17 may be differently shaped and arranged.

Advantageously, all the fins 17 extend directly from the chamber 3, being directly joined to the wet walls 18 of the chamber 3, in this case defined by the main walls 24, 25 of the chamber 3, so that all the fins 17 are "wet fins".

In the non-limiting example shown, although not necessarily, the chamber 3 is delimited by a pair of facing main walls 24, 25 and by a perimeter edge 7 which joins the main walls 24, 25 and has a surface smaller than each of the main walls 24, 25.

It is clear that the shape of the chamber 3 may be different from what is described and shown here purely by way of example.

The main walls 24, 25 are substantially perpendicular to the main front heat exchange surface 10 of the device 1. In other words, with reference to the normal position of use of the device 1, the main walls 24, 25 define respective lateral sides of the device 1.

The surface 10 is formed by the outer face 9 of the front plate 4 that extends from the perimeter edge 7 of the chamber 3.

In particular, the plate 4 is joined to a front portion 28a of the perimeter edge 7 of the chamber 3.

The body 2 is further provided with connections 16 communicating with the chamber 3 and arranged in pairs at respective opposite longitudinal ends (arranged along the longitudinal axis (A) , which in use are respectively the upper and lower ends of the body 2.

More specifically, the connections 16 protrude from both walls 24, 25 and are substantially perpendicular to the walls 24, 25; the connections 16 arranged at the same longitudinal end are aligned parallel to the axis C.

The connections 16 are defined by respective sleeves, for example but not necessarily substantially cylindrical (but the sleeves may also have another shape) , for connecting the device 1 to an external hydraulic circuit (not shown) and/or for connecting the device 1 to other similar devices in order to achieve a battery of radiator elements.

Plugs (not shown) close the connections 16 that are not used for connecting the device 1 to another similar device or for connecting the device 1 to the external hydraulic circuit.

The chamber 3 optionally houses ties 33, i.e. projections which extend between the opposite walls 24, 25 of the chamber 3 and are integral (firmly joined to or integrally made in one piece) with the respective inner surfaces 26, 27 of both walls 24, 25.

In the variant of Figure 4, where any details similar or identical to those already described are indicated with the same reference numbers, the plate 4 is joined to the edge 7 by a longitudinal rod 29 (parallel to the longitudinal axis A and therefore perpendicular to the plates 4, 5) and extends on opposite sides of the rod 29.

The rod 29 has a transverse dimension or depth, measured on the rod 29 at right angles to the face 8 of the inner plate 4 between the inner face 8 of the plate 4 and an outer surface 29a of the chamber 3 directly facing the inner face 8 of the plate 4, smaller than or equal to 10 mm along at least a longitudinal portion 29b of the rod 29.

Preferably, the depth of the rod 29 is smaller than or equal to 5 mm or smaller than or equal to 3 mm at least along the portion 29b of the rod 29. In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the rod 29 is smaller than or equal to 10 mm, in particular comprised between 0 mm and 10 mm, and preferably 5 mm or 3 mm along the whole rod 29.

The rod 29 may be tapered along the longitudinal axis A, having a depth which is variable along the longitudinal axis A.

In one embodiment, the rod 29 is tapered so that the plate 4 comprises at least a wall portion 14 which directly delimits, by means of a portion 15 of the surface of the face 8, the chamber 3 and is in direct contact, in use, with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3 (as shown in Figure 3) .

The front portion 28a of the edge 7 is thus formed by the wall portion 14 of the plate 4, so that the plate 4 directly delimits the chamber 3 forming the front portion 28a of the edge 7, i.e. the plate 4 there extends directly from the chamber 3 and has an inner face 8 that is partly wet by the heating liquid circulating in the chamber 3. Optionally, the body 2 also comprises a rear plate 5, which extends from a rear portion 28b of the perimeter edge 7 of the chamber 3.

The plate 5, like the plate 4, can be joined to the edge 7 by a longitudinal rod 29 (parallel to the longitudinal axis (A), or departing directly from the chamber 3, having a wall portion 14 which forms the rear portion 28b of the edge 7 and is then directly wet by the heating liquid circulating in the chamber 3.

Preferably, as described above, the plate 4 and/or the plate 5 extend directly, at least in part, from the chamber 3 and are wholly or at least partially in direct contact with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3, i.e. have at least respective wall portions 14 that delimit the chamber 3 and are in direct contact, in use, with the heating liquid contained in the chamber 3. In this way, the plate 4 and/or the plate 5 are so-called "wet fins" too. In general, the chamber 3 extends between the plates 4 and 5 and is in direct contact with at least respective portions 15 of the surface of both plates 4, 5 for at least 50% of the overall height, measured along the longitudinal axis A (vertical in use) of the chamber 3.

In particular, the wall portions 14 form respective portions of the edge 7 of the chamber 3.

Also in this variant, beside the plates 4, 5, the device 1 comprises further heat exchange surfaces defined by a plurality of heat exchange fins 17, which extend out of the chamber 3 from the main walls 24, 25.

Preferably, also in this case, all the fins 17 extend directly from the chamber 3, being directly joined to the wet walls 18 of the chamber 3, in this case defined by the main walls 24, 25 of the chamber 3, so that all the fins 17 are "wet fins " .

The body 2 is advantageously (but not necessarily) formed by two monolithic parts, each comprising one of the main walls 24, 25 and a respective perimeter edge 6.

The perimeter edges 6 are shaped so that they are coupled to each other to form the perimeter edge 7 of the chamber 3.

The parts comprising the main walls 24, 25 and the respective perimeter edges 6 are formed, for example, by an aluminium die-casting process and are advantageously united by means of a thermoelectric melting process along their respective perimeter edges 6 to provide a mechanical and fluid-tight junction.

Finally, it is clear that further modifications and variations that do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims may be made to the heating device here described and shown.

Claims

1. A heating device (1), in particular a modular element heating device, having at least one body (2) made of a heat conductive material and comprising an inner chamber (3) in which a heating liquid circulates; connections (16) communicating with the chamber (3) and extending from the body (2); and a first heat exchange plate (4), having an outer face (9) facing in use the space to heat and defining a first heat exchange surface (10) of the device (1), and an inner face (8), opposite to the outer face (9) and facing the chamber (3); the device (1) being characterized in that said first plate (4) is connected to the chamber

(3) by a rod (29) having a depth, measured between the inner face (8) of the plate (4) and an outer surface (29a) of the chamber (3) facing the inner face (8) of the plate

(4) , smaller than or equal to 10 mm along at least a longitudinal portion (29b) of the rod (29) .

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the rod (29) is smaller than or equal to 10 mm along the whole rod (29) .

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the depth of the rod (29) is smaller than or equal to 5 mm and preferably smaller than or equal to 3 mm along at least a portion of the rod (29) .

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the depth of the rod (29) ranges between 0 mm and 10 mm along the whole rod (29) .

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate (4) comprises at least a wall portion (14) which directly delimits the chamber (3) and directly contacts, in use, the heating liquid contained in the chamber (3) .

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (2) comprises also a second heat exchange plate (5), the first and second plates (4, 5) being arranged at respective opposite ends of the body (2); and the chamber (3) extends between the first and the second plate (4, 5) and directly contacts at least respective surface portions (15) of both plates (4, 5) for at least 50% of the total height, measured along a longitudinal axis (A), vertical in use, of the chamber (3) .

7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chamber (3) is delimited by a pair of main walls (24, 25) substantially facing each other and by a perimeter edge (7) connecting the main walls (24, 25); and the plate (4) projects from a front portion (28a) of the perimeter edge (7) of the chamber (3) .

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein inside the chamber (3) there are ties (33) which extend between at least one pair of opposite walls (24, 25) of the chamber (3) and are integral with respective surfaces (26, 27) of both said walls (24, 25) .