Hybrid system for floor, ceiling or wall heating for residential or office spaces

Abstract

Hybrid floor, ceiling or wall heating system for living or office environments, comprising a hydraulic circuit formed by a set of hydraulic pipes (I) extending under such floor (P) or inside the walls or ceiling of such living environment, supplied with heated liquid provided by heating means (R). Such system comprises at least one transmitting electrical conductor (CT) capable of generating magnetic induction, associated with such set of hydraulic pipes (I) extending under the floor, or wall, or ceiling, and a receiving electrical conductor (CR) capable of receiving such magnetic induction generated by the transmitting conductor, inserted in the floor, in the walls, or in the ceiling. Such transmitting conductor, being supplied by an electric current that varies over time, obtained by means of a special generator (G), so as to create the magnetic induction.

Description

[0001] HYBRID SYSTEM FOR FLOOR, CEILING OR WALL HEATING FOR RESIDENTIAL OR OFFICE SPACES

[0002] The present invention refers to a hybrid system for floor, ceiling, or wall heating for residential or office spaces.

[0003] In particular, the invention relates to a system for floor, ceiling, or wall heating of residential spaces, in which a traditional hydronic system is integrated with a magnetic induction system.

[0004] The technical field of the invention relates to hydronic heating plants for floor, wall, or ceiling. Known-type hydronic systems, installed in modem residential or office buildings, operate based on the principle of radiation, guided, in the case of floor heating systems, by the temperature increase in the tubes of the hydronic system placed under the floor itself. The temperature of the water is raised by heat pumps or condensing boilers, properly powered. For example, in modern homes, the power supply can come from environmentally friendly technologies such as photovoltaic panels.

[0005] The main technical limit of known hydronic floor heating plants lies in the inability to adequately and promptly control the temperature (for example at floor level), since the characteristic times of the system, for example startup times, are particularly long.

[0006] Magnetic induction heating for domestic environments is based on a material-heating technique used in industrial processes. With this technology, the basic mechanism uses the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction: current is passed through a coil, which will heat the electrical conductor placed nearby. Indeed, in induction heating plants, an electrical generator is installed, which does not use methane or gas. In fact, the proposed technology mirrors that already used in induction cooktops, employed in modem domestic kitchens. It is a highly efficient system, as it almost completely prevents heat losses and heats the environments in a very short time. US4649249A, proposed in the context of plastic material processing, uses magnetic induction for quickly heating a metal plate, in order to directly transfer heat to the workpiece placed thereon. There is no reference to floor heating context in combination with the hydronic plant.

[0007] Patent US4878332 proposes a floor heating with the use of an electrical resistance, which, when heated, transfers heat by conduction.

[0008] Patent CN105605655 describes a magnetic induction heating system for floor heating.

[0009] Patent CN210532510 also proposes the principle of magnetic induction for heating a metal plate placed under the floor.

[0010] In the cited prior art documents, the presence of a hydronic system is not foreseen. Heating occurs solely by means of magnetic induction between the buried current wire and the conductive sheet placed under the floor.

[0011] The present invention proposes a heating system in which the induction plant is used in combination with the hydronic one, using the advantages of both. The integration provides for the introduction, into a hydronic system, of elements that allow the floor, the ceiling, or the walls to be heated through magnetic induction. Such elements essentially relate to the introduction of a sheet (for example, a layer or a mesh) made of metal, or in general of an electrically and thermally conductive material (for example, aluminium), associated with the floor, the ceiling, or alternatively the walls. Furthermore, electrical conductors supplied by a time- varying current, which are capable of inducing a current to the nearby conductive sheet, are associated to the ducts that transport the fluid (i.e., water) of the hydronic system under the floor or in the walls; in this way, the sheet is heated by Joule effect and transfers heat to the floor by conduction.

[0012] An aspect of the present invention relates to a hybrid system for floor, ceiling, or wall heating for residential or office spaces, having the features of claim 1.

[0013] Further features of the present invention are contained in the dependent claims. The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of a possible exemplary and nonlimiting embodiment of the invention, referred to the attached schematic drawings, in which:

[0014] • Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a hybrid plant according to the present invention;

[0015] • Figure 2 illustrates a section of the flooring illustrated in Figure 1 ;

[0016] • Figure 3 illustrates a section of a floor provided with the system of the invention in which suitable dimensional parameters are highlighted,

[0017] • Figure 4 illustrates two graphs comparing the average floor temperature for a traditional hydronic system and with a system according to the present invention,

[0018] • Figure 5 illustrates two graphs comparing the average room temperature for a traditional hydronic system and with a system according to the present invention.

[0019] With reference to the above-mentioned figures, the hybrid heating system for residential spaces according to the present invention comprises a hydraulic circuit comprising a set of hydraulic pipes I extending under the floor P or inside the walls or ceiling of a living environment, supplied with heated liquid (for example, water) provided by heating means R, such as for example a heat pump or a condensing boiler.

[0020] According to the present invention, the system further comprises at least one magnetic induction transmitting electrical conductor CT associated with said set of hydraulic pipes I extending under the floor, or the wall, or the ceiling, and a receiving conductor CR for such magnetic induction generated by the transmitting conductor.

[0021] The transmitting conductor CT is preferably a conductive wire inserted inside at least one pipe of such pipe assembly of the hydronic plant.

[0022] Preferably, each pipe of the pipe assembly comprises a conductive wire therein. Such transmitting conductor is supplied by an electric current / (t) that varies over time, obtained by means of a special generator G, so as to create magnetic induction.

[0023] Therefore, a pipe capable of operating in the hybrid system of the present invention comprises a tubular element capable of transporting heated liquid and capable of transmitting heat to the surrounding environment, characterized by further comprising a metal wire therein, capable of being supplied by an electric current I(t) that varies over time.

[0024] Alternatively, the pipe I of the hydronic plant can itself be made of conductive material and serve as the transmitting conductor.

[0025] The transmitting conductor immersed within the pipe of the hydronic plant is preferably made of a specific copper wire configuration called Litz- The peculiarity of these wires, compared to standard copper cables, lies in the twist winding method, which allows losses to be significantly reduced. This typology of cable is also widely used in modem wireless charging systems for automobiles and in the field of electrical motors, making it readily available on the market.

[0026] The receiving conductor CR is preferably made in the form of a thin metal sheet (for example, made of aluminium), immersed in the floor or in the wall of the environment to be heated, in proximity to the set of hydraulic pipes. In such sheet, heat dissipation generated by the Joule effect occurs, transferring heat to the floor by conduction.

[0027] Such sheet preferably has dimensions corresponding to those of the wall, the floor, or the ceiling in which it is immersed.

[0028] Advantageously, both the liquid heating means R and the generator G are powered by one or more photovoltaic panels P.

[0029] Figure 3 illustrates a section of a flooring provided with the system of the invention, in which suitable dimensional parameters are highlighted. In particular, for an environment having a floor area of 16 m2and a height of 3 m, with a thickness of screed M of about 7 cm, a suitable thickness of the aluminium sheet is about 5 pm. Furthermore, for a pipe of the hydraulic circuit I having a radius of 8 mm, a suitable radius of the transmitting conductor CT is about 1.4 mm.

[0030] The main advantage of the proposed invention lies in the significant reduction of the time required to bring the floor temperature (in the case of radiant floor systems) to the desired value. This feature allows a comfortable environment to be created in less time. Furthermore, due to the rapid control capability of the inductive plant, it is possible to define Al (Artificial Intelligence)-based ambient temperature control systems, for forecasting the presence of occupants in different rooms of the home or office, in order to better localize heating in the areas of interest.

[0031] According to regulations, a proper floor temperature for adequately heating an environment is 29 °C, but such value is indicative and depends on the area of the residence to be heated (for example, living room, bathroom, kitchen, etc.).

[0032] The graph in Figure 4 illustrates two scenarios, wherein in the first, only the heat pump supplies power to the heat transfer fluid (standard situation). In the second, instead, the induction system is also turned on, while keeping the pump operational.

[0033] In the simulations which determined the graphs in Figure 4, it was assumed that the heat pump delivers P = 3.5 kW of power. It can be observed that the time required to reach the steady-state condition (29 °C) for the floor is significantly lower in the hybrid system, with a 75% percentage decrease. The time t to reach the temperature T = 29 °C in the case without induction is about 13 hours, whereas in the case of the hybrid system of the invention, the time is reduced to about 3.3 hours.

[0034] The trend of the average room temperature is instead illustrated in the graphs of Figure 5. They result in improved performance also in terms of room temperature; for example, 11 °C is reached in half the time when using the hybrid system.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Hybrid floor, ceiling or wall heating system for living or office environments comprising a hydraulic circuit formed by a set of hydraulic pipes (I) that extend under such floor (P) or inside the walls or ceiling of such living environment, supplied with heated liquid provided by heating means (R) characterised in that• such system comprises at least one transmitting electrical conductor (CT) capable of generating magnetic induction associated with such set of hydraulic pipes (I) extending under the floor, or wall, or ceiling and a receiving electrical conductor (CR) capable of receiving such magnetic induction generated by the transmitting conductor, inserted in the floor or in the walls or in the ceiling,• such transmitting conductor, being supplied by an electric current that varies over time, obtained by means of a special generator (G), so as to create the magnetic induction.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting conductor (CT) is a conductive wire inserted inside at least one pipe of such pipe assembly.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting conductor (CT) is constituted by at least one pipe of such pipe assembly made of an electrically conductive material.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting conductor is made with a copper wire configuration called “Litz”.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein the receiving conductor (CR) is made in the form of a thin metal sheet immersed in the floor or in the wall or in the ceiling of the environment to be heated in proximity to the hydraulic pipe assembly.

6. System according to claim 5, wherein such metal sheet is made of aluminium.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein both the liquid heating means (R) and the generator (G) are powered by one or more photovoltaic panels (P).

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