Radiator Heat Cost Allocator Using Flow and Temperature Sensors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining heat output at radiators are either inaccurate due to lack of proportionality with consumption or cause damage and aesthetic issues with modern radiators, and equipping every radiator with a heat meter is costly and technically challenging.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that calculate heat output using the heating medium temperature and a variable representing flow, with a predetermined degree of cooling between flow and return sides, and an assumed or measured room temperature, eliminating the need for direct flow measurement and integrating sensors into the radiator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If heating cost allocators are installed on radiators to determine heat emission, then heat consumption can be recorded, but the installation impairs the appearance and causes permanent damage to the radiator surface
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement function is extracted from the radiator itself and placed in the hydraulic circuit (flow or return line). The heat cost allocator device is removed from the radiator surface and installed in the fluid pathway, allowing heat consumption measurement without contacting or damaging the radiator surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating medium (water) serves as an intermediary carrier to transmit thermal energy information from the radiator to the measurement device. By measuring flow rate and temperature of the water in the hydraulic circuit, the system indirectly determines radiator heat output without direct contact with the radiator surface.
2Measurement precision
If conventional heat meters are installed to measure flow rate and temperature difference, then heat balance can be achieved, but equipping every radiator with a heat meter involves high costs and technical difficulty due to low flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement device is designed to function as a universal heat cost allocator that can be installed in the hydraulic circuit of any radiator system. The device performs multiple functions: measuring flow rate, measuring temperature, and calculating heat output, eliminating the need for separate measurement instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to operate accurately at low flow rates typical of individual radiator circuits, unlike conventional heat meters optimized for higher flow rates. The measurement parameters (flow rate range, temperature differential) are specifically adapted to radiator application conditions.
3Measurement precision
If flow and return temperature sensors are installed to measure heat output, then heat consumption can be determined, but the installation involves a lot of effort and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The flow rate sensor and temperature sensor are merged into a single integrated measurement device that is installed in one location within the hydraulic circuit. This unified device simultaneously measures both flow rate and temperature, eliminating the need for separate sensor installations and simplifying the overall installation 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
Enables precise and simple determination of heat consumption with reduced installation complexity and cost, while maintaining accuracy by using a control valve with integrated sensors and a calculation rule that accounts for the degree of cooling and room temperature.
Implementation Method 1
the heating medium temperature and a variable representing the flow of the heating medium are recorded only in the flow or only in the return of the radiator
Implementation Method 2
the heat emission from heating surfaces e.g. for the purpose of a heating cost billing is usually determined with the help of so-called heating cost allocators
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The method involves detecting a heating medium temperature and a parameter representing the discharge of the heating medium in the flow or in the recirculation of the heating body. The heat dissipation is determined from the parameters and room temperature, and the mathematical data stored in the heating body is detected. An average fixed room temperature is assumed as the room temperature. The concrete room temperature is detected metrologically as room temperature. An independent claim is included for a device for determining heat dissipation in a heating body.