Ecopan radiant panels

A continuous technical research and many years of experience have led ECOPAN to be in the condition to achieve excellence in products with innovating solutions.
 
The main features qualifying our product are the following:
· the special profile pressed on metal sheets
· the easy positioning of insulation
· the wide range of models with ½" and ¾" pipes
· the special submersion painting
· the joint covers, adherent to pipes
· the special care for dilations between pipe and sheet
· the easy installation.

Profile of metal sheets

The surface temperature of metal sheet of panels is of basic importance in radiant heating. The emitted thermal output changes by the fourth power of the sheet metal temperature (Stefan-Boltzmann’s law). Increasing the medium temperature of the surface of sheet metal of two or three degrees, means increasing the radiant output of about 10%. As described in the figure, in ECOPAN panels, the pipe, being the warmest part of the panel, is completely turned downwards and is wrapped by 70% of its surface by metal plate.
 

Pipes, completely prominent under plates, create air cushions that reduce convective flows and increase radiance (partially replacing the effect of anti-convective skirts). Thanks to the special profile, ECOPAN panels release by radiance a very high quantity of energy. Not only thermal outputs of ECOPAN panels, certified in compliance with the EN 14037 norm, are higher than those of competitors, but also the surface temperature of the plate is higher. In some cases the output of ECOPAN panels, even less one pipe, is higher than the similar product of competitors. One pipe less means less weldings in the building site and a lighter weight to handle, in simple words, lower costs.

Easy positioning of insulation

Insulation material covering the upper surface of ECOPAN panel is a mineral wool mat, 40 mm thick, having conductivity 0,048 W/mK at 40°C and density 14 Kg/m3, covered on the top by an aluminium foil. The thermal resistance of this material is slightly higher than that of insulation used in laboratory tests.
During this testing in credited laboratories, the insulation mat is homogeneously and regularly positioned on the upper surface of the panel. Panels available in the market do not always allow positioning the insulation at construction site with the same accuracy as ECOPAN ones. Bracketing of other panels, fastened to the top of the panel itself, makes this operation difficult and discontinuous.

 

ECOPAN, after a careful analysis, has chosen hanging brackets with rectangular cross section, whose height is particularly reduced. This solution allows placing the insulation mats quickly and homogeneously, making the glasswool adhere perfectly to the metal sheet. This adherence is even improved by the use of fastening rods on the top. In order to contain at sides and hide the insulation mat, side edges of ECOPAN panels are obtained from the same radiant plate. They also make laying the insulation faster and more precise.

Wide range of models with ½” and ¾” pipes

In order to satisfy any need, the range of ECOPAN products is quite wide and includes models with different distances between pipes (111 mm and 150 mm) and pipes with different diameters (½² and ¾²). Pipes themselves can be electro-welded or without welding, according to the temperature and pressure of the heating fluid. Each panel is connected to the hot water supply network by means of headers.
Panels can be produced with headers having connections on opposite sides, where water inlet is on one side and outlet on the other one, as shown in the following picture:



or with headers having connections on the same side, where water inlet and outlet is on the same side.


 
Normally water supply pipelines are installed at the ceiling level and this process requires the use of scaffoldings or aerial lift platforms. Panels with connections on the same side have paired supply and return pipelines. This allows using the same brackets and scaffoldings for both pipelines, with the consequent reduction of installation costs. Buildings that need to be heated have various sizes and thermal features, therefore it is necessary to consider and evaluate all factors, in order to install a good heating system. The wide range of ECOPAN panels with different pipe diameter and distance offers the designer many possible choices. According to the plate temperature, it is possible to choose panels with pipe spacing of 111 mm or 150 mm, according to the water flow, panels with ½” or ¾” pipes and, to obtain an homogeneous heat distribution inside the room, models wide from 300 up to 1200 mm.
When designing an installation with radiant panels, it is always recommended to consider the
Stefan-Boltzmann formula and consequently, compatibly with the installation height, the highest possible average temperature of the fluid, because the highest it is, the highest is also the average temperature of the plate. The radiant thermal output increases by the fourth power of this temperature.

Painting

A stainless steel, aluminium or zinc sheet panel without painting does not radiate. If the panel is painted in smoke black colour, the emissivity degree is 1. Painting is a very important phase in the production of radiant panels, both to gain a good radiation degree and to protect the panel from corrosion. ECOPAN panels, after a washing and degreasing process, undergo a phosphatizing treatment and are then completely submerged for some minutes in a tub with a water soluble enamel, composed by epoxy resins, without harmful substances. This paint can reach all points, even those under corners or not visible. It adheres perfectly and homogeneously to the metal sheet, remaining unchanged in time. After submersion in the tub, the panel proceeds to the kiln for paint fixing. This painting system is highly reliable, even after 20 years coating results still perfect. The painting, covering the metal surface, resists without changes up to a temperature of 170°C in water systems and 140°C in steam systems. Thickness, opacity and high emissivity of coating allow reaching the best radiation conditions. In case of painting in different colours from the standard one, after washing, phosphatizing and degreasing, panels are powder painted.
 

Joint covers

Radiant panels are composed of 4 and/or 6 metres modules and different lengths are therefore obtained
by welding the pipes of each modular element (instead of welding, installers often use pressfitting sleeves). To complete this operation without damaging painted plates, pipes are left longer than plates themselves on both sides. When pipe coupling is complete, a joint cover is inserted between the plates, to cover the connection area. Joint covers have the same profile as main plates and laboratory tests confirm that the thermal output is exactly the same as the active plate of the panel where they are positioned. After paint finishes are completed on the welded pipes, joint covers are easily inserted from below between the plates and fastened with clips, so that installation times are reduced to the minimum level.
 

Dilations

Dilations are a basic aspect in the production of radiant panels.
A generic panel is composed by pipes and metal sheets joined to each other. In standard use conditions, pipes, when heating fluid (hot water, superheated water, steam, etc.) passes through them, reach a higher and different temperature from that of the plate to whom they transmit the heat. Each time the temperature of the fluid inside the pipe increases, the pipe rapidly reaches a temperature close to that one, while plate heats later. This situation may last for some minutes. Even when the system is working, there is a difference between the temperatures of pipe and plate. In other words, dilation times of pipe and plate are different.
 

 
This happens continuously during the life span of a radiant panel and may cause tensions and permanent deformations to the plate wrapping pipes. In steam systems, particular operations are necessary to bind plates and pipes together, due to the high temperatures and pressures, and this happens also for hot water systems. Radiant panels, as a natural feature, allow night and weekend setback, namely the shutdown of boilers during night and days off.
As an example, a borderline case can be considered, where water temperature in panels, at system
re-start, is + 3°C and in boiler it is 120°C. As a consequence of this temperature difference, a 6 metres module will undergo an extension of 0,012x(120-3°C) x 6 m = 8,4 mm. Heating times of pipe and plate are different and the groove housing the pipe undergoes a deformation, easy to understand when considering a dilation of 8,4 mm out of 6 metres. The majority of radiant panels systems are supplied with hot water at 85°C and with this temperature the pipe extension is about 6 mm for a 6 metres module and 4 mm for a 4 metres module. In the past, the system used to reach the operation temperature slowly and to keep it steady all day long. Nowadays all systems have an automatic regulation and the fluid temperature in panels changes continuously. Dilations may cause deformations in the plate wrapping pipes, reducing the contact surface with pipes themselves and consequently the thermal output of the panel. In order to reduce this thermal shock, experience has led ECOPAN to realize modules with 2 m long metal sheets, so that 4m modules are composed by 2 plates and 6m ones by 3 plates. Where the 2m plates are set side by side, a dilation joint is created. A welding point is present in the middle of each 2m sheet, therefore dilations on both sides are less than 1 mm. This grants that no deformation of the panel comes out during time. As a confirmation of this, ECOPAN supplies standard panels also for high-pressure steam systems (only painting changes, because this must resist to high temperatures). ECOPAN systems present perfect panels even after twenty years of operation, with plates adhering to pipes and without any deformation, therefore with thermal output unaltered in time. The choice of dividing a 6 m module in three parts has turned out to be successful and it qualifies ECOPAN panels in comparison to competitors.

Easy Installation

ECOPAN has researched the best production solutions to make operations at construction site easier, optimizing times and consequently reducing costs. Side edges shaped in the plate itself, easy to place insulation, head welding of perfectly lined pipes and easy positioning of joint covers make the reduction of installation time possible. With the same dimensional features (diameter, quantity and spacing of pipes, panel width) ECOPAN panels have a higher thermal output than other products in the market. This allows using a smaller quantity to cover the same required output, with consequent saving on material and installation. The wide range of models and accessories available allow ECOPAN to satisfy any planning, functional and aesthetic requirement.