PROTECTED INFRARED WALL SURFACE HEATING WITH FLEXIBLE HEATING FABRIC

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a drywall element as an infrared wall surface heating system with flexible heating fabric according to claim 1. It relates to the field of electrothermal energy, in particular an infrared wall surface heating system with flexible heating fabric that simultaneously meets the human requirements for thermal comfort as well as aesthetics.

[0002] Wall heating systems are primarily used as infrared heaters in living spaces, industrial buildings, and similar facilities. They can be retrofitted at any time and are characterized by their ability to emit heat primarily through radiation. Electrically powered, they are not necessarily dependent on fossil fuels. This is a significant advantage, as the increasing likelihood of a decline in oil and gas consumption due to rapidly progressing climate change is growing. If the electricity to power the wall heating system is generated by wind, hydropower, or solar panels, the heating system produces no harmful CO₂ emissions.

[0003] Patent DE102010008449A1 discloses a protected wall-mounted heating system with flexible heating fabric, based on a novel flexible infrared heating material and extremely lightweight due to the use of predominantly non-metallic materials. A heating panel measuring approximately 1.4 m² weighs only 0.8 kg. No special requirements are placed on the wall, which can also be used for hanging pictures.

[0004] The wall-mounted heating system emits infrared radiation immediately after being switched on. It has very low thermal mass, resulting in a very short warm-up time. A temperature of 60°C is reached in just five minutes. The user feels the pleasant radiant heat almost instantly.

[0005] Furthermore, the radiation directly warms the person. The heat does not need to be transported to the person via air as a heat transfer medium. Therefore, the air temperature can be significantly lower than in predominantly convective systems, resulting in noticeable energy savings.

[0006] There are various infrared heating systems that can achieve this. Reference is made to DE202006017492U1, DE202008007359U1, DE202009009228U1, DE10336427A1, DE102007039473A1, and DE 2445334A1. With underfloor, wall, or ceiling heating systems, hot water pipes are integrated into the respective room surfaces. The heat is then transferred directly to the surrounding air (15-30%) via convection. Compared to standard radiators, where the hot water is usually generated by an oil or gas boiler or a heat pump, convection and thus air movement in the room are significantly lower with infrared heating systems. However, the use of such heating systems should be considered during the building planning phase. While retrofitting these systems is not impossible, it involves considerable construction work.

[0007] Wall-mounted infrared heaters offer a very good alternative to the aforementioned systems. Any type of room can be retrofitted with them at any time. However, these infrared heaters have the disadvantage of being very heavy, inflexible, and, above all, expensive due to their construction. This high weight is mainly due to the use of materials such as steel plates or solid structures, for example, steel containers filled with sand. Such infrared heaters weigh up to 20 kg, and correspondingly load-bearing walls are required. Furthermore, the production of these heaters is characterized by numerous work steps and manual labor.

[0008] Known flexible composition heaters have significant shortcomings, a short lifespan, or the manufacturing process is too complicated or too expensive.

[0009] Heated wallpapers, which can be heated by electricity, are known through German patents DE9215471U1 and DE20008737U1. Metallic resistors are used. Large wall areas of up to 10-15 m² are required, with the heating elements connected to DC power supplies of up to 42 V. This necessitates very bulky transformers. Installing the heating elements and transformers is labor-intensive. Furthermore, the use of transformers results in high levels of electromagnetic radiation, which can lead to health problems, and can result in higher maintenance and repair costs.

[0010] FR2171335 describes a heating method in which the heating element is made of non-metallic material (e.g., graphite) and the composite material consists of, for example, a thermoactive resin. In particular, the uncontrolled and uneven contact of the metallic electrical conductors with the graphite can lead to voltage spikes, which ultimately destroy the flexible composite heater. It essentially burns out. This flaw in this method can only be addressed through complex sewing and targeted compression of the conductor strips. This ultimately makes the flexible composite heater expensive.

[0011] Similar disadvantages arise with a composite heater known from RU2046552. In this composite heater, the resistance element consists of an insulating material (paper, fabric, or similar) with embossed carbon fibers. During the pressing of the individual layers, some carbon fibers can break, resulting in an uneven temperature distribution. The heating output varies for each flexible composite heater manufactured using this method. Furthermore, the contact between the metallic electrical conductors and the fabric is rather poor due to the fabric's unevenness. Air inclusions cannot be ruled out, which can later lead to blistering on the surface of the flexible composite heater. The RU2046552 process also requires manual labor.Furthermore, different working surface temperatures result for carbon fibers (nonwoven fabric) and metallic conductors (copper), which lead to air inclusions and then to short circuits.

[0012] Although the disadvantage of poor contact between the metallic electrical conductors and the flexible composition heater was solved according to RU2088049 by electroplating the electrical conductors onto the resistance element, this process is extremely complex. Common materials, such as non-woven carbon papers, cannot be used as resistance elements because they are damaged during the electroplating process.

[0013] In summary, it can be stated that the flexible composition heaters described above have significant disadvantages.

[0014] However, DE102007039473A1 already discloses a heating of surfaces on sandwich elements and composite materials, in which the heating of the surfaces is carried out using a special glass fiber fabric that is interwoven with carbon fibers as a heating fabric, and in which the carbon fibers are heated by supplying electricity.

[0015] DE202009003858A1 further discloses a heating fabric made of weft and warp threads, wherein a portion of the weft and / or warp threads consists of flexible conductive carbon fibers. Another portion of the weft and / or warp threads consists of flexible synthetic fibers that provide support within the fabric. For energy supply, a third portion of the weft and / or warp threads consists of metal threads coupled to a power source.

[0016] Furthermore, DE758724 discloses an electric heating element which consists of a fabric into which electric heating wires are inserted and in which the support of the wires consists of glass fibers.

[0017] Finally, infrared heaters are also known from DE202006017492U1, DE202008007358U1, DE202009009228U1, DE10336427A1 and DE2445334A1. For example, DE2006017492U1 describes an infrared wall-mounted surface heater according to the preamble of claim 1. However, this heater is installed in a frame that is mounted on a wall and is therefore susceptible to mechanical damage. Furthermore, it can only be operated at a voltage of up to 42 V according to DIN standards and therefore requires heavy transformers to reduce the voltage from the local power supply network.

[0018] DE 20 2005 006850 U1 discloses a wall structure for a building interior with electrically operated surface heating elements.

[0019] The object of the invention is to create a dry construction element that eliminates the disadvantages mentioned above and achieves, on the one hand, secure contact between the metal conductors and the carbon filaments, and on the other hand, effective protection of the heating element.

[0020] This problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0021] The heating element consists of a glass fiber fabric with interwoven carbon fibers, to which the metal conductors run transversely and which tightly encircle it. Furthermore, the heating element is electrically protected on both sides by at least two additional layers of insulating film. Additional layers of fleece and fabric are also provided, particularly for mechanical protection. The protection is designed in such a way that damage to the heating element is impossible when attempting to insert nails or screws. The additional layers are applied to both sides of the wall heating panels and, for example, bonded together with the other layers.

[0022] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the wall heating elements are directly connected to a 230 / 110 V power source and mounted on a wall or installed under plaster on a wall.

[0023] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the carbon threads consist of almost 100% carbon.

[0024] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the wavelength is in the range of 10 µm. This fulfills the best conditions for heat absorption and comfort. This wavelength is the decisive factor for the removal of perceptible heat.

[0025] The invention discloses a new type of heating: the heating element is invisible, space-saving, cost-effective, and produces no CO2 emissions. The heating panel with the integrated infrared heating element can be installed like a standard plasterboard panel. The heating element / wall surface heating system according to the invention is therefore designed as a drywall element and is referred to as such according to the present invention. Such a wall element can also incorporate a corresponding wall surface heating system according to the invention. In its installed state, this system is preferably flush with the surface of adjacent plasterboard or other building materials forming the wall surface.

[0026] According to the invention, the drywall element has plaster, composite blocks, or ferrous fiberboards on its surface, which do not impair the functionality of the wall heating system. Thus, the wall heating system can be integrated completely invisibly into a wall.

[0027] According to the invention, the drywall element forms an integral / structural part of a wall or its surface. For example, the wall element can subsequently form part of the (plastered) wall. Such a wall element can also be referred to as a wall surface heating system according to the present invention, or at least have such a system. According to the invention, such a wall element has areas that allow for conventional anchoring of the wall element. These can be, for example, gypsum areas or other structural anchoring areas. These can preferably be provided at the edge of the wall element and, for example, allow the wall element to be screwed to an underlying structure.

[0028] The wall element can be installed flush with the wall or ceiling, or with a minimal gap of approximately 5 mm from the wall. All heating elements are identical.

[0029] Since an insulating film is preferably located behind the heating element, the heater experiences no losses through rear radiation and emits a high proportion of radiation almost exclusively forward, thus achieving maximum efficiency and minimal convection at full power. The heating element can be divided into multiple sections. This can help prevent damage to the heater if someone penetrates it with a screw or nail, thus preventing the person from receiving an electric shock. The thickness of the carbon filaments (non-metallic resistors) is preferably between 35 and 200 tex. There is no electromagnetic smog.

[0030] A supporting structure can be provided between the panels, designed to securely attach the heating element, which can also be described as an infrared wall heating system, to an underlying structure, such as drywall sheathing or a support element, via screws. This structure can consist of a mesh and / or a solid building material such as gypsum.

[0031] Plasterboard or wood panels with minimal thermal expansion can preferably be used as the substrate. Not only glass fibers, but also stone fibers or similar materials with a temperature resistance of approximately 100°C can be used as the substrate. The working surface temperature is approximately 60–65°C, thus eliminating any risk of burns. These are the best conditions for comfort. The invention is unbeatable in terms of health and environmental aspects.

[0032] The wall heating system can either be glued to the wall or hung using standard wall brackets. Due to the use of non-metallic materials, the wall heating system is extremely lightweight. A wall heating system with a surface area of ​​1.4 m² and a weight of 0.8 kg is preferred. The wall heating system is designed so that, due to its low thermal mass, it requires only five minutes to heat up to a temperature of 60°C.

[0033] Furthermore, only high-quality materials and components are used that are industrially available and can be processed by machine. Accordingly, the wall heating systems can be manufactured on an assembly line.

[0034] The invention will now be explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment. The single figure shows the structure (a cross-section) of an infrared wall surface heater. The heater preferably consists of four main layers stacked one above the other, of which the upper and lower layers are insulation layers 3 and 5, respectively, and the middle layer is a heating element layer 4. The insulation layers 3 and 5 are not shown in detail. Each of these layers contains three or more layers of insulating film, fabric, or nonwoven material.

[0035] In heating element level 4, a glass fiber fabric is used as the base material, into which carbon fibers are woven. Perpendicular to these carbon fibers, metallic electrical conductors in the form of metal threads are woven into the glass fiber fabric on both sides. The metal threads tightly encircle the carbon fibers. The metal threads are preferably connected at junctions to connecting leads, to which a connector 6 can be attached. A voltage of 230 / 110 V is supplied to the heating element via this connector. The metal threads, the carbon fibers, and the glass fiber fabric are constructed so loosely that total failure due to nails, etc., is not possible.

[0036] When the wall heating system is switched on, the infrared radiation is emitted immediately at an angle of preferably 180°, and the surface heats up to 60°C in less than five minutes because the wall heating system has a low thermal mass. The typical surface temperature is 65–70°C. The heat is emitted in the wavelength range of 8–10 µm. This provides optimal conditions for heat absorption and comfort. The user feels the pleasant radiant heat almost immediately.

[0037] Air pockets, localized stress peaks, and fluctuations in heating output are eliminated, as is the risk of the flexible infrared wall heating system burning out and the formation of blistering on the surface. Shrinkage of the heating fabric cannot occur because glass fibers are used as the base material.

[0038] Such a wall-mounted heating element typically measures only 1–1.4 m² and weighs less than 1 kg. It can be attached to a wall like a picture, for example, by being glued or hung. Alternatively, it can cover the entire wall, forming a single strip.

[0039] Preferably, the wall surface heating system according to the invention may have a surface area of ​​up to 2 m x 0.65 m, but preferably has a power consumption that is as low as that of commercially available surface heating systems with half the surface area (e.g. only 630 watts).

[0040] The wall surface heating system according to the invention can also be plastered into the wall without spacers or attached to the wall using various cover materials (especially fabric). A wall surface heating system designed without a gap to the wall is not previously known. This makes it possible, in particular, to ensure that the heating radiates only forwards without convection (or with minimal convection).

[0041] This is preferably achieved in particular by using thin carbon fibers (preferably between 20 and 75 tex, preferably less than 75 tex). The carbon fibers can exhibit particular robustness.

[0042] Furthermore, a number of silver threads may be incorporated into the fabric of the 3rd, 4th, and / or 5th level, the proportion of which to the total number of fibers in the layer is in the range of X%.

[0043] For full-surface heat radiation, it can be provided that (large) surface heating fields are arranged with heating conductors, which are divided into 2, 3, 4, 5 or more tracks. This can contribute to improved heat distribution.

[0044] A flexible film is particularly preferred, which can be designed to be electrically safe, especially as an insulator. This allows, for example, transformer-free operation of the wall heating system at, for example, 240 V / 110 V. The effect of the advantages of the invention is, for example, that direct wall mounting is possible and / or that larger areas with a heat demand of, for example, up to 20 watts / m² in new buildings and 40 watts / m² in existing buildings are less likely to be realized.

Claims

1. A dry construction wall element as an infrared wall surface heater with - a flexible heating fabric, wherein a glass thread fabric is provided as the heating fabric, into which carbon threads as a heating element and metallic electrical conductors are woven, wherein the metallic electrical conductors lie transversely to the carbon threads at both ends of the heating element and tightly wrap around the carbon threads and the heating element (4) is electrically protected on both sides by a layer of insulation film (3, 5) in each case, - at least two further layers (3, 5) of insulating film in each case and - an additional layer of fleece and fabric on both sides are provided in particular for the mechanical protection of the heating element, wherein the surface of the dry construction wall element has plaster, composite stones or ferment fibre board, - the dry construction wall element has structural anchoring areas, wherein the dry construction wall element is provided to form an integral structural part of a wall.

2. An infrared wall surface heater according to claim 1, characterised in that the wall heating elements are connected directly to a power source of 230 / 110 V and are installed on a wall, in particular under plaster.

3. An infrared wall surface heater according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the carbon threads consist of almost 100% carbon.

4. An infrared wall surface heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the wall surface heating element radiates in the range of a wavelength of 10 µm.