CFM 2019

Thermal Characterization of Commercial Electric Radiators through Thermal Image Analysis
Taimoor Asim  1@  , Karina Zala  2@  , Rakesh Mishra  2@  , Fiona Conor  3@  , Scott Conor  3@  , Naeem Mian  2@  , Blaise Nsom  4@  
1 : Robert Gordon University. School of Engineering
2 : University of Huddersfield
3 : Trust Electric Heating
4 : Université de Bretagne Occidentale. IUT de Brest. IRDL UMR CNRS 6027
Université de Bretagne Occidentale [UBO], Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO)

Electric radiators with a storage element are commonly used to provide heating in cold weather. The thermal performance of an electric radiator is dependent on a number of key design features such as the core material, shape of radiator's outer surfaces, gap between the core and the outer surfaces. The effectiveness of an electric radiator can be improved by optimally designing these key features. Researchers around the world have been working to achieve this using a range of different methodologies [1-5]. In the present study, two commercial electric radiator models have been considered for their thermal characterization during their individual heating and cooling cycles. This has been carried out in order to evaluate the thermal behavior of the two models. To achieve this aim, a purpose built test rig has been developed and the thermal testing has been carried out in a controlled environment. A thermal camera has been used to take thermal images of the front surfaces of the two models at every 5 minutes' interval enabling quantification of temperature field. It has been observed that the two electric radiator models considered depict different thermal characteristics. The model-1 heats-up from top to bottom while the model 2 heats-up from the middle, as shown in figure 1. The heat dissipation characteristics of both the models have also been noticed to be different to each other. The maximum front surface temperature attained in case of the model 1 is 44.4% lower than the model 2, as shown in figure 2, though it consumed 7.7% less power than model 2. Thus, model 1 electric radiator dissipates the thermal energy more efficiently than model 2. It can be concluded that for almost the same amount of heat input, the front surface temperature of the model 1 is lower than the model 2 making it more suitable for applications where there may be a possibility of direct contact with the radiator surface.


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