External Heater Pad Design for Renewable-Powered Fluid Storage Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing external fluid storage tank heaters suffer from inefficiency and overheating, and are unable to be effectively powered by renewable energy sources like solar panels due to high power requirements and heat loss, making them environmentally unsustainable.
Innovation Solution
A heater pad with a flexible thermally insulating foam base, featuring four parallel electrical rails with individually controlled thermostats, utilizing low voltage power and conductive silver-loaded ink for efficient heat distribution, allowing for independent heating zones and easy installation on storage tanks, with the option to connect to solar cells or mains power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single heating zone is used in external tank heaters, then the structure is simple, but the heater overheats and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is divided into two independent heating zones separated by a central insulation barrier, allowing each zone to be controlled independently by its own thermostat. This segmentation prevents overheating in any single zone while maintaining overall heating efficiency.
2Productivity
If high power electrical heaters are used, then rapid heating is achieved, but the power requirement cannot be sustained by renewable energy sources
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is designed to operate at low voltage (12V or 24V DC) with correspondingly adjusted power levels that are compatible with renewable energy sources like solar panels. The low voltage operation reduces power consumption while maintaining effective heating capability through optimized heating element design and insulation.
3Power
If electrical rails are positioned close together, then the heating effect is concentrated, but heat builds up in the gap between them causing rails to burn out
Solution Approach 1:
A central insulation barrier is positioned between the two heating zones, preventing heat buildup in the gap between electrical rails. This intermediary insulation layer allows the rails to be positioned close together for concentrated heating effect while protecting them from thermal damage that would cause burnout.
4Ease of manufacture
If externally applied heating units are used on storage tanks, then installation is simple, but the heaters overheat and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The external heating unit is divided into two independently controlled heating zones, each with its own thermostat. This segmentation allows each zone to regulate its own temperature, preventing overheating while maintaining the simple external application design that ensures easy installation.
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 provides efficient and sustainable heating of fluid storage tanks, reducing energy consumption and overheating risks, enabling rapid temperature achievement using renewable energy during daylight hours and backup power at night, with built-in redundancy for continuous operation.
Implementation Method 1
electrical connection at a respective one end of each rail to a low voltage source of power... the rails are configured to create two independent heating zones within the pad
Implementation Method 2
said pad comprising an outer layer of insulation material with an inner layer of heatable material secured to the outer layer of the insulation material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3(a)~3(e)
AI summary
The invention relates to a heater for a fluid storage tank and has for its objective the use of a renewable energy source as its primary source of power. The use of such as solar cells to power e.g. an immersion heater in a water storage tank has not hitherto been practical. The object of the invention is to enable effective use to be made from a low power renewable energy source to heat a fluid storage tank, an objective that is met by a heater pad (3) to cover a part at least of the height and periphery of the storage tank exterior, characterised in that said pad (3) comprises an outer layer (5) of insulation material with an inner layer (8) of heatable material secured thereto and a facing (9) of an appropriate adhesive material on the heatable material, said heatable material (8) being formed from a carbon polymer product, there being at least four transverse and parallel rails (10, 11, 12, 13), with an electrical connection (14, 15, 16, 17) at a respective one end of each rail to a low voltage source of power, one electrical rail (10) being disposed along one outer edge of the heatable material (8) on the pad and another rail (13) being disposed along the opposite edge of the heatable material, the other two electrical rails (11, 12) being disposed in close parallel relationship generally centrally of the heatable material, the rails (10, 13) at the outer edges of the heatable material having the same polarity, and the two generally centrally disposed rails (11, 12) having the opposite polarity.