Radiant heat is similar to the warmth felt by the sun on a cool winter day. It’s the heat that warms people and objects, not the air. The ‘radiant efficiency’ or ‘radiant factor’of a gas radiant overhead heater is determined by the percentage of fuel energy transformed into radiant energy from the combustion process. More simply put, the radiant factor is the measure of the radiant component of the total heat output.

The higher the radiant factor, the more heat will be directed to the desired area.

A higher radiant factor can mean that:

• Not as many heaters need to be installed, which results in savings of both capital and running costs
• Heaters do not need to run for as long to be able to maintain a comfortable temperature

Additional running cost savings are also achieved when 2-Stage or preferably the Full Modulation control option is included.

Radiant energy is a function of 3 factors:

• The surface temperature of the emitting body
• The surface area of the emitting body
• The ’emissivity’ factor of the emitting body

Radiant energy is emitted by any ‘body’ that is warmer than its surroundings.

An excellent example of a product with a high radiant factor is the Schwank Gas Radiant Overhead Tube Heater.

The calorSchwank is an example of an overhead gas radiant tube heating system with a very high radiant factor of up to 72.7%, followed by the infraSchwank – up to 60.2% and the novoSchwank – up to 52%.

For example, the calorSchwank’s extremely high radiant factor is attributed to its innovative burner technology, its high-quality ceramic reflector insulation as well as the combination of the most varied materials, increasing the radiant characteristic of the tubes and reflection properties of the reflector. This tube heater minimises the amount of convection heat thus increasing the radiant factor and improving the efficiency as heat that accumulates below the ceiling is considered a waste of energy.

Similarly, the infraSchwank also has a high radiant efficiency resulting from optimised environmentally friendly combustion from the ceramic burner tile and the state-of-the-art design of the tubes and reflectors.

Schwank gas radiant overhead tube heaters are designed and manufactured based on the science of radiant heat. Radiant factor certificates are available on a number of models and are backed by independent laboratory testing by DVGW laboratory according to DIN EN 416-2.

Reference: http://www.schwankusa.com/infrared-heaters/ir-efficiency/

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