Radiator design

The radiator consists of two thermal circuits. In one circuit passes the coolant circulating in the heating system of the building (hot water). The second circuit is a plate of polymeric material, which contains a small amount of another coolant at reduced pressure. Heat from the first circuit is transferred to the second one through specially shaped heat exchangers. The second coolant evaporates in the rarefied atmosphere of the secondary circuit. Steam evenly warms up the surface of the plate, condenses on its walls and flows down (thermosiphon principle). Thus, in the design of the radiator, the first circuit provides resistance to high pressure, and the second circuit provides efficient heat transfer.

The energy efficiency of the radiator is provided by an additional design element. To do this, an additional chamber is introduced into the plate of the second circuit, which does not have contacts with heat exchangers that supply heat from the first circuit. When a certain temperature is reached in the secondary circuit, the vapor pressure displaces part of the liquid into the free chamber. As a result, the evaporation rate and thus the heat output of the radiator are progressively reduced (thermostat principle). By adjusting the size of the chamber, you can adjust the radiator in such a way that it maintains a constant set temperature in the visit. Due to this, there is no need to open windows to cool an overheated room (measurement results show that at least 30% of the heat entering the premises goes through open windows).

What are the benefits

Low cost
The cost of a plastic radiator is 2-4 times less than any metal radiator. This allows you to radically reduce the costs of consumers for the creation and repair of heating systems and at the same time provide a high margin for distributors of these products - everyone wins!

Durability
The heat transfer of metal radiators decreases within 5-10 years by 50-80% due to silting and corrosion. Plastic radiators are not subject to corrosion; their design eliminates the possibility of accumulation of deposits, since in the first circuit the coolant passes under high pressure, and the second circuit is completely isolated and filled with a small amount of a special, easily evaporating coolant in a rarefied atmosphere.

Aesthetics
Polymeric material allows you to create products of the most diverse shapes and colors, use lighting effects, create picturesque wall thermal panels - this is a godsend for interior designers. At the same time, a wide range of products for different tastes can be created for the mass consumer.

Energy efficiency
The efficiency of a plastic radiator is ensured by the following factors:

• The radiator gives off heat evenly over the entire surface, while metal radiators heat up unevenly, especially in areas prone to corrosion or clogged deposits. This results in a higher heat transfer.
• The radiator can provide space heating at a low coolant temperature by increasing the radiator surface. Such thermal panels can have an attractive design and low cost compared to metal heaters.
• Additional structural elements of the radiator make it possible to effectively distribute heat flows throughout the room (the authors of the invention do not disclose the design details yet).
• The design of the radiator can be supplemented with an electronic regulator that controls heat transfer. "Smart radiator" increases the amount of heat in the presence of people in the room and reduces when the room is empty.

Together, these factors provide up to 30 percent energy savings for space heating.

Ease of use
The plastic radiator is installed in any water heating system. When repairing a building, it can be installed instead of a metal radiator by connecting to an existing pipeline through which the coolant circulates.

Ease of production
The production of plastic radiators without significant capital investments can be mastered by any enterprise that produces products from polymeric materials. The radiator can be produced on standard extrusion equipment.

System solution

A radiator is one of the elements of a home heating system. The use of a "smart radiator" will make it possible to create effective building heating control systems in the "smart home" concept. The authors of the project have developed standard solutions for building such systems.

Market

The annual sales volume of heating radiators in the world market is about 7 billion USD. Experts predict an annual market growth of at least 9% and reach 13 billion USD in 2028.
There is a tendency to replace traditional heat sources (boilers, boilers) with low-temperature, alternative ones: heat pumps, solar panels, which require large, compared to steel, heat-releasing panels with less inertia; the best solution for this are plastic radiators.
Global trend: metal and wood are being replaced by polymeric materials. The polymer revolution spans all industries. In the construction of cars and aircraft, polymers are replacing metal. Instead of wooden windows - plastic, instead of metal kettles - plastic, instead of metal pipes in heating systems - plastic. It's time for the radiators.
The absolute advantages of a polymer radiator over metal counterparts in terms of economic and technical characteristics will ensure its unconditional success in the market. Within 10 -15 years, the new product will have a superior market share, as happened with plastic windows. An example of success: the company Profin (Germany), the world's first company producing plastic windows. In 2007, a controlling stake was bought out by an Arab fund for 1.03 billion USD.

What's to be done

The authors of the project intend to conduct further activities in one of the countries of Europe. The following steps are planned:

• Create a laboratory, test bench and pilot production (up to 1000 radiators per month). Carry out the development of industrial samples of the radiator.
• Issue patents in EU countries.
• Establish production at a pilot plant. Debug the design of industrial products and production technology.
• Certify products.
• Launch a number of pilot projects, work out the design of the product, get feedback from consumers.
• Pick up a production site, start mass production.
• Establish distribution channels.
• Scale production and distribution.

The aim of the project is to create a European company worth
more than 1 billion EUR.

Investments

To date, investments in the project amounted to 240 thousand EUR.
The authors of the project are interested in attracting partners with business experience in European countries and the possibility of financing the project.
The funding requirement before the start of serial production is EUR 4.6 million.

Prospects

Heating radiators are just one of the application areas for the technologies developed during the project. Their distribution will lead to revolutionary changes in heat exchange devices: their efficiency will increase radically, cost will decrease, noise will be eliminated, and the mass of devices will be significantly reduced. Here are just a few applications of innovation:

The launch of an innovative heating radiator on the market will be the first stage in the renewal of heat exchangers. It will be followed by innovations in new directions, each of which opens huge opportunities for business.