Ceiling Thermal Panel Assembly With Compressed Tube-Plate Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceiling heating and cooling panel elements have suboptimal heat transfer performance, leading to inefficiencies in thermal energy transmission and increased weight and material costs.
Innovation Solution
A panel element design where a tube is surrounded by thermally conductive plates, ensuring complete circumference contact and compression for enhanced thermal coupling, combined with a deformable heat-conducting material like graphite, to increase heat transfer efficiency and reduce temperature gradients, while maintaining a compact and lightweight structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the tube is surrounded by heat-conducting plates with material displacement compression, then thermal coupling and heat transfer performance are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tube and heat-conducting plates into a single compressed composite structure through material displacement compression. The tube is embedded within the heat-conducting plate material, creating intimate thermal contact across the entire tube surface. This combining eliminates the need for separate mounting operations and thermal interface materials, resolving the contradiction between improved heat transfer and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies material displacement compression to change the physical state and density of the heat-conducting plate material around the tube. By compressing the material during manufacturing, the density and thermal contact are enhanced, creating optimal thermal coupling. This parameter change approach achieves superior heat transfer performance while integrating the assembly into a single manufacturing step.
2Loss of energy
If larger diameter tubes are used to increase thermal output, then heat transfer performance improves, but panel thickness and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction by embedding the tube within heat-conducting plate material through compression. This composite structure allows efficient heat transfer from the tube to the plate with minimal material thickness. The high thermal conductivity of the compressed heat-conducting material enables reduced panel thickness and weight while maintaining or increasing thermal output compared to larger diameter tubes in conventional constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal conductivity parameter of the heat-conducting plate material through material displacement compression. By increasing the density and thermal contact of the material around the tube, the effective thermal conductivity is enhanced, allowing smaller diameter tubes to achieve the same thermal output as larger tubes would provide in less efficient constructions, thereby reducing panel weight and thickness.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional tube embedding methods are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but thermal contact and heat transfer efficiency are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies material displacement compression to change the density and thermal contact parameters of the heat-conducting plate material. This compression process, while adding a step to manufacturing, creates superior thermal contact that dramatically improves heat transfer efficiency. The enhanced thermal coupling achieved through this parameter change compensates for the additional manufacturing step, delivering high heat transfer performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical mounting methods (such as clamps, adhesives, or loose fitting) with a material displacement compression system. Instead of relying on mechanical fastening, the tube is embedded within the compressed heat-conducting material, creating intimate thermal contact through the material itself. This substitution achieves superior heat transfer efficiency while integrating the assembly process.
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
This design significantly improves thermal transfer performance, allows for reduced tube diameter and panel thickness, and lowers material and weight costs, enabling efficient heating and cooling with faster thermal reaction times.
Implementation Method 1
the heat-conducting plate is formed in particular from a highly thermally conductive, deformable material, for example graphite, preferably expanded graphite
Implementation Method 2
the tube has been pressed in with material displacement, it is in good thermal contact with the material of the heat-conducting plates
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A tube (14) with a heat-transfer medium flowing through it links to a first board/plate (18) for conducting heat, which links to a second board/plate (20) for conducting heat in the form of a single interlinked piece. The tube is pressed in between the first and second boards/plates for conducting heat by squeezing material out. A heat-transmission element (22) has a thermotechnical link to a board element (10).