Ceiling element for heating and cooling of coated aluminium
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceiling elements for heating and cooling systems face challenges in achieving high energy efficiency while maintaining aesthetic appeal and effectively managing thermal emissions and reflections to optimize comfort and energy transfer.
Innovation Solution
A ceiling element with a surface treated to have high thermal emission in the infrared range and high reflection in the visible range, achieved through anodizing aluminum plates with an aluminum oxide layer, and optionally using silicon oxide or fluoropolymer coatings, allowing for adjustable roughness and color, which enhances thermal efficiency and aesthetic design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the ceiling element surface is made highly reflective in the visible range for aesthetic appeal, then visual appearance is improved, but thermal emission in the infrared range decreases, reducing heating and cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface properties to different wavelength ranges: the coating exhibits high reflectivity in the visible spectrum (400-700 nm) for aesthetic appeal while simultaneously providing high thermal emission in the infrared range (8000-14000 nm) for efficient radiative heating and cooling. This wavelength-selective surface property resolves the contradiction between visual appearance and thermal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the coating material to achieve selective spectral properties. By carefully selecting coating materials and controlling their thickness and composition, the surface is engineered to have high visible reflectivity (80-95%) while maintaining high infrared emissivity (0.85-0.95), thereby resolving the apparent contradiction between aesthetics and thermal performance.
2Use of energy by moving object
If aluminum plates are anodized to create high thermal emission, then heating and cooling efficiency is improved, but surface roughness increases, potentially affecting aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The anodized aluminum coating creates a microstructured surface with controlled roughness that enhances thermal emission through increased surface area and improved infrared emissivity. The local surface topology is modified at the microscopic level while maintaining overall surface smoothness for aesthetic purposes, resolving the contradiction between thermal efficiency and visual appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The anodizing process creates a porous oxide layer that can be colored through interference effects and pigment incorporation. This allows the surface to achieve both high thermal emission properties and desired aesthetic colors, transforming the surface optical properties to simultaneously satisfy thermal and visual requirements.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the ceiling element is designed with complex coating structures to optimize thermal properties, then energy efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite coating structures combining multiple layers with different functional properties: a base aluminum substrate, an anodized oxide layer for thermal emission enhancement, and optional pigment layers for coloration. This composite approach achieves optimized thermal performance through material composition rather than complex geometric structures, balancing energy efficiency with manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes manufacturing by controlling key parameters such as anodizing voltage (10-50V), electrolyte composition (sulfuric acid concentration 5-15%), and coating thickness (5-20 μm) to achieve the desired thermal-optical properties in a single integrated process, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining high energy efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables ceiling elements with high thermal emission in the infrared range for efficient heating and cooling, while maintaining high reflection in the visible range for aesthetic appeal, thus improving energy efficiency and comfort by effectively managing thermal radiation.
Implementation Method 1
a surface with high thermal emission, as Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation dictates that this results in high absorption of infrared radiation
Implementation Method 2
heat is transported from the room to the ceiling via infrared radiation or thermal convection. Up to two-thirds of the heat is transported by infrared radiation
Implementation Method 3
a surface with high thermal emission... high absorption of infrared radiation... high reflectivity in the visible range
Implementation Method 4
heat is transferred to the ceiling element and emitted primarily as infrared radiation into the room
Implementation Method 5
heat is transported from the room to the ceiling via infrared radiation or thermal convection
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a ceiling element of or with a metal plate, the side of which that is facing the room comprises a layer such that, in the range of thermal infrared radiation (2.0 to 50 µm), the plate has on this side a thermal emission at 100°C in accordance with ISO 22975-3:2014; Annex A.2 of at least 50%, and the side of which that is facing away from the room is formed by the metal of the plate itself, which in the case of plates of aluminium and/or an aluminium alloy does not have any coating apart from a possible natural oxide skin, wherein the metal plate consists of aluminium or an aluminium alloy, which has on the side thereof that is facing the room an anodising layer of at least 1 µm, or the metal plate has on the side thereof that is facing the room an at least 2 µm thick, transparent layer of an organic polymer containing hydrofluorocarbon chains or of silicon oxide obtained by the sol-gel process as a single layer or as an outermost layer of a stack of layers, and wherein the metal plate is electropolished, at least on the side that is facing the room. The invention also relates to a heating and/or cooling ceiling element, comprising such a ceiling element and also at least one pipe that is fastened to the rear side of said ceiling element and is designed for the circulation of a heat transfer medium.