Enhanced Heat Exchange Electric Heater

[SkyWatcher]

Hi folks, was looking up a patent, then stumbled upon this particular incandescent electric heater patent.
The device is claimed to produce 11,000 btu's from 600 watts input.
I've built a small model using a regular 100 watt light bulb, though i'm using an aluminum cylinder which completely surrounds the bulb.
I drilled many 1/4" diameter holes in the cylinder and have a small fan blowing into the other end of the cylinder, with an exhaust hole in top of heater box.
So far it seems to be working ok, though it may need a little air flow tweaking.
Just wondering what you folks think of the claims of this heater.
Keep in mind, the typical space heater uses 1500 watts and gives around 5200 btu's for that input.
So this heater patent, seems to be at least 5 times more efficient.

Electric space heater

peace love light

[BroMikey]

Hi folks, was looking up a patent, then stumbled upon this particular incandescent electric heater patent.
The device is claimed to produce 11,000 btu's from 600 watts input.
I've built a small model using a regular 100 watt light bulb, though i'm using an aluminum cylinder which completely surrounds the bulb.
I drilled many 1/4" diameter holes in the cylinder and have a small fan blowing into the other end of the cylinder, with an exhaust hole in top of heater box.
So far it seems to be working ok, though it may need a little air flow tweaking.
Just wondering what you folks think of the claims of this heater.
Keep in mind, the typical space heater uses 1500 watts and gives around 5200 btu's for that input.
So this heater patent, seems to be at least 5 times more efficient.

Electric space heater

peace love light

So I could use my tanning bed lights? After reading I am not sure

of the claim. Is it claiming OU extracted from the room?

[dragon]

I've done a little research in this area, I glanced at the patent but haven't read through it yet...

The elements in the bulbs produce an infrared frequency which interacts with the metal - similar to induction heating. Copper is a much better absorption medium although aluminum does ok. You can purchase infrared bulbs ( heat lamps ) which work far better than ordinary incandescence . You can also purchase the infrared heating elements, the ones that are the best have the elements inside a quartz tube, some with a copper spiral.

There are quite a few different infrared heaters available and most are quite inexpensive, they are designed to heat items in the room not the air - they make you feel warm because the frequency is interacting with your clothing and skin. You can modify a cheap one using copper tubing which will heat the air indirectly.

The larger brand names, such as "Heat a lot" are based on patents similar to that. I doubt it is overunity in any way but they are extremely efficient while simply rewarming the warm air in the room. Another benefit to infrared - it kills airborne bacteria that is drawn into it through the fan.

The methods of driving the elements is still an open debate - lots of possibilities. As long as you can bring them to the proper level of excitement ( brilliant orange ), drive them with a pulse circuit thus using less energy over time for the same heat output. Another way I've found to be quite successful is using an LCR circuit thus converting a solely resistive load into an inductive recycling circuit.

Home heating and water heating is about the largest consumption of energy we have, especially in the northern states and countries.

Excellent thread to begin the quest....

[SkyWatcher]

Hi folks, thanks for information and interest.
The main points i read in the patent, were a heat absorbing spray he used inside, the heat source is a UV bulb element, and he used some high temperature insulation inside.
Also, the bulb is completely or almost surrounded, in close proximity to a perforated aluminum heat exchanger, which slows down the flow of air through the exchanger, to heat the air to a greater degree.
If we calculate the claimed efficiency, this device would be around 25,000 btu's for a 1500 watt input, compared to 5000-5600 btu's, for a 'heat a lot' type space heater.
My guess is for now, is that this patent device is able to elevate the incoming air much higher due to mainly, the heat exchanger design.
Which keeps the air interacting with the heat exchanger for a prolonged period of time.
The typical space heater, uses longer air pathways and undulating copper sheets, to prolong interaction time.
And most i have seen, do not completely surround the heating elements with the heat exchanger.
I'll be testing and tweaking this knock off i've made of his design and try and get closer to what he suggests.
peace love light

[BroMikey]

I've done a little research in this area, I glanced at the patent but haven't read through it yet...

The elements in the bulbs produce an infrared frequency which interacts with the metal - similar to induction heating. Copper is a much better absorption medium although aluminum does ok. You can purchase infrared bulbs ( heat lamps ) which work far better than ordinary incandescence . You can also purchase the infrared heating elements, the ones that are the best have the elements inside a quartz tube, some with a copper spiral.

There are quite a few different infrared heaters available and most are quite inexpensive, they are designed to heat items in the room not the air - they make you feel warm because the frequency is interacting with your clothing and skin. You can modify a cheap one using copper tubing which will heat the air indirectly.

The larger brand names, such as "Heat a lot" are based on patents similar to that. I doubt it is overunity in any way but they are extremely efficient while simply rewarming the warm air in the room. Another benefit to infrared - it kills airborne bacteria that is drawn into it through the fan.

The methods of driving the elements is still an open debate - lots of possibilities. As long as you can bring them to the proper level of excitement ( brilliant orange ), drive them with a pulse circuit thus using less energy over time for the same heat output. Another way I've found to be quite successful is using an LCR circuit thus converting a solely resistive load into an inductive recycling circuit.

Home heating and water heating is about the largest consumption of energy we have, especially in the northern states and countries.

Excellent thread to begin the quest....

Thanks so much

4 the good information. Air purification? Wow and all of the

added possibilities all in one device? Nice thought.

Then the pulsing makes so much sense. I would have to admit

I never thought of using UV light and heat this way.

The part I wonder about is how the patent can say 20X cop.

[vidbid]

U.S. Patent #4,900,898

https://www.google.com/patents/US4900898

Abstract
An electric space heater includes an exterior case (10) which encloses an insulated heater core housing (12). Heat is generated in the heater core (14) by elongated incandescent ultraviolet lamps (64) mounted in a frame (60) inside the core housing (12). A porous aluminum sheet heat exchanger (68) surrounds the lamps (64) on three sides and extends the length of the lamps. A fan (34) mounted in an inlet opening (27) of a rear wall (22) of the case (10) forces air through an opening (52) in the core housing (12) through the heat exchanger (68) and around the lamps, and through outlet openings (28, 54) to the space to be heated. The core housing (12) is U-shaped with curved portions (46, 48) to laminate the air flow.

Well, at least, the patent is expired from what I can tell.

[interdesign21]

The elements in the bulbs produce an infrared frequency which interacts with the metal - similar to induction heating.

A bit confused here (me).
I thought that infrared frequency was at the opposite side of the spectrum of Ultra Violet ?
So the ultraviolet bulbs produce infrared frequency ? may you explain it pls.
regards
Alvaro

[dragon]

Most bulbs produce a wide spectrum of frequencies, below and above visible. Using those that are closest to the required task reaps the highest benefit (efficiency). For instance, using a wide spectrum of Ultraviolet frequencies for growing plants indoors - all visible light for lighting - then higher magnitudes for heating (Infrared up into the microwave regions).

Basic incandescent bulbs produce a wide range of frequencies so we end up with light, heat and other radiant losses - not real efficient. Tuning a device to produce the frequencies we want to perform a specific task is far more efficient.

Even the coils of an electric heater are consuming a large amount of energy (wasted) that is typically not doing anything directly to accomplish the task, we only need a small spectrum to interact with specific metals to produce the same heat.

So, it's very likely to have an appearance of high COP's, or proclaim overunity (comparing to known models ) when in reality we are simply using only what we need to accomplish a given task.

[BroMikey]

So, it's very likely to have an appearance of high COP's, or proclaim overunity (comparing to known models ) when in reality we are simply using only what we need to accomplish a given task.

So what it sounds like you are saying is that even if the UV freq

produces 10X heat generation for the same current using in resistive

heating calculations for that process may only show COP less than 1.

If that is found to be true all of our normal BTU standards might need

to be revisited. As we all know the numbers for BTU's with a given

amount of energy in to rise the water to X temp.

I never ran the calculation for a microwave oven, maybe it is

high cop? Compared to a wood burning stove.

[dragon]

I'm simply pointing out there may be better ways to accomplish the same task. Possibly a resonant structure that would focus on the primary frequency that excites the copper/aluminum exchanger instead of using a resistive element.

The microwave test might be invalid unless you could excite a metal cup there by heating the water as an indirect result of exciting the cup. Probably not something you'd want to try in a standard Oven....

[BroMikey]

I'm simply pointing out there may be better ways to accomplish the same task.

Better meaning less power in and more heat out? I would assume.

The microwave oven conversion efficiency is probably no better

than a 1200 B.C wood burning stove.

What we are talking about is a Patent that claims more.

Using UV wave lengths to reach a COP of 5X or 10X and

higher.


According to your line of reasoning this process is like all

processes and that is fine, your views are your business,

I respect that.


Is there any possibility that the Patent is right and a COP

of 5X could be reached? If not, and it does look like you are

saying that it is not happening, then what do you say

about their motivation for Patenting it?


I understand COP manipulations where the normal conversion

we will say is around a 25 percent utilization curve and then comes

the new device that reaches 99 percent.

COP of 4, right? And mistakenly people think this means that

4 times as much energy comes out than what was introduced.


That of course is incorrect.


I see what you mean.

[BroMikey]

A bit confused here (me).
I thought that infrared frequency was at the opposite side of the spectrum of Ultra Violet ?
So the ultraviolet bulbs produce infrared frequency ? may you explain it pls.
regards
Alvaro

I've done a little research in this area, I glanced at the patent but haven't read through it yet...

The elements in the bulbs produce an infrared frequency which interacts with the metal - similar to induction heating.


Excellent thread to begin the quest....

Maybe it was a typo?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum

[SkyWatcher]

Hi folks, great comments.
That is exactly what i assumed, that the typical space heaters we are allowed to use, are designed to not be so efficient.
Unlike this patent, which squeezes every ounce of btu it can.
I'm also going to assume, it uses a bulb similar to what's in most space heaters now.
It again just maximizes efficiency, with all the tricks he added, which they leave out of typical space heaters for whatever reasons.
I took some test data on my unit today, i am going to now make some changes and see how the results either improve or not.
I'm going to make the aluminum roof flashing heat exchanger into an accordion, then wrap it around the bulb like a flower, instead of the cylinder design I'm using now.
The model, as it is now, using a 100 watt bulb, reached 180 F. at the surface of the exhaust port, then when i turned the fan on, it stabilized at 130 F..
Without the fan running, the convection creates a decent airflow out the top exhaust port.
I will look around for a space heater to use the parts, maybe a garage sale might have one.
In meantime, going to try and maximize efficiency of this model.
peace love light

[dragon]

I had some time to skim the patent - my research was in infrared radiation, my apologies for confusing the topic. I should have read it before I jumped in... Similar topology and circuits different frequencies.

Edit: A quick search showed that the high intensity UV halogens might be applicable.

[BroMikey]

I had some time to skim the patent - my research was in infrared radiation, my apologies for confusing the topic. I should have read it before I jumped in... Similar topology and circuits different frequencies.

Thats what I figure and when you look at the visible light spectrum

we see the two are very near one another. Very interesting subject

never heard of it. The purification aspects of UV rays I have heard

of for making OZONE for swimming pools to disinfect water.

Tell me more.