Investigation of Novel approach to progress the Radiant baseboards heating by eliminating the conductive thermal bridge - An experimental study

This paper presents a new, low-cost, and unsophisticated method to increase the thermal power of conventional baseboard radiator systems. A new design was achieved by separating the go and return paths of the fluid and eliminating the conductive thermal bridge between them. The experimental tests as per the National Iranian INSO 360-2 standard revealed the expected improvement in thermal power. The comparison of the new design’s thermal power with that of the conventional methods in the industry shows 72% and 42% increases versus the two designs reviewed in the authors’ previous works. This research showed that higher thermal power could be accomplished with no need to increase the feeding temperature, the height of the baseboard profile, and the flow rate of the working fluid, which would result in saving in energy consumption and increasing the capability of coping with cold weather and providing more thermal comfort for residents. This thermal power enhancement will be more important when there are constraints on increasing the length of baseboard radiating systems inside the home space.