Method and configuration for heating buildings with an infrared heater

Abstract

A building is heated using an infrared heater with a radiant tube. A heated gas is fed to the radiant tube at a first end and the tube is further fluidically connected at its second end to a heat exchanger. A portion of the thermal energy contained in the heated gas is conveyed to a buffer storage tank, from which the energy can be removed in particular to heat up industrial water or to heat a second part of a building thermally isolated from the first building, or a second building. There is also provided a solar collector. The feed and/or return of the heat exchanger and/or the feed and/or return of the buffer storage tank can be fluidically connected to the feed and/or return of a thermal solar collector via pipes and switchable valves.

1 . A method of heating buildings, the method comprising:
 providing an infrared heater with a radiant tube disposed in a first building;   feeding a gas, heated by a burner, into the radiant tube and from the radiant tube to a heat exchanger fluidically connected to the radiant tube;   extracting thermal energy from the heated gas in the heat exchanger and conveying part of the thermal energy extracted from the heated gas to a buffer storage tank, wherein the heat exchanger and the buffer storage tank are connected by way of a feed line and a return line; and   selectively connecting, by way of switchable valves, at least one of a feed of the heat exchanger, a return of the heat exchanger, the feed line of the buffer storage tank, or the return line of the buffer storage tank, to one or both of a feed or return of a thermal solar collector; and   making available energy from the buffer storage tank for heating up service water or for heating a second part of a building that is thermally insulated from the first building, or for heating a second building.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , which comprises increasing a temperature of water warmed by and emerging from the solar collector when there is little sunlight or low ambient temperatures, by mixing the water emerging from the solar collector with water that was heated in the heat exchanger when the infrared heater was operating, before feeding the water into the buffer storage tank. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , which comprises, in order to increase a temperature of the water heated by the solar collector, fluidically connecting the feed of the solar collector via a branch piece to the feed of the heat exchanger, and providing a solar pump and a sensor recording an intensity of the solar radiation, enabling a flow of water to the return of the solar collector to be altered. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , which comprises connecting the feed of the solar collector via a T-piece or a Y-piece to the feed of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , which comprises connecting a cold water outlet of the buffer storage tank to the return of the heat exchanger and the return of the solar collector via a further branch piece. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the further branch piece is a T-piece or a Y-piece. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , which comprises fluidically connecting the return of the solar collector to a cold water outlet of the buffer storage tank to heat the solar collector, if needed, in order to thaw ice on a surface of the solar collector or to remove dew formed inside the collector. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , which comprises fluidically connecting the feed of the solar collector to the cold water inlet of the buffer storage tank in order to selectively feed cold water into the cold water inlet of the buffer storage tank when thawing the collector. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , which comprises feeding the cold water into the cold water inlet of the buffer via a three-way valve. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , which comprises selectively connecting the feed of the solar collector to the feed of the heat exchanger in order to additionally increase a temperature of the water heated in the solar collector before feeding the water into the buffer storage tank. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , which comprises selectively connecting the feed of the solar collector to the feed of the heat exchanger via a branch piece. 
     
     
         12 . A configuration for heating buildings, comprising:
 an infrared heater disposed in a first building and having a radiant tube receiving, at a first end thereof, a gas, heated by a burner, and conveying the gas through a second end thereof and through a fluidic connection to a heat exchanger;   a heat exchanger fluidically connected to the second end of said radiant tube for receiving from said radiant tube heated gas, said heat exchanger having a secondary side with a feed and a return;   a buffer storage tank fluidically connected to said heat exchanger via a feed and a return and receiving from said heat exchanger part of a thermal energy contained in the heated gas received from said radiant tube;   a thermal solar collector having a feed and a return fluidically connected with pipes and switchable valves configured to enable selective fluidic connection of the solar collector to one or more of the feed and/or return of the heat exchanger and/or the feed and/or return of the buffer storage tank; and   wherein said buffer storage tank is connected to enable a removal of energy therefrom for heating up industrial water or to heat a second part of a building thermally isolated from the first building, or a second building.   
     
     
         13 . The configuration according to  claim 12 , configured for carrying out the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         14 . The configuration according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 said buffer storage tank is a stratified storage tank;   said feed of said solar collector is selectively connectable by a three-way valve and via a supply pipe to the return of said heat exchanger or via a supply pipe and a branch piece to the feed of said heat exchanger; and   said branch piece is selectively connectable, by a supply pipe and a downstream further three-way valve, to a hot water inlet in an upper part of said buffer storage tank or to a cold water inlet in a lower part of said buffer storage tank.   
     
     
         15 . The configuration according to  claim 14 , wherein the cold water outlet of said buffer storage tank is connectable to the return of said solar collector and to the return of said heat exchanger via a supply pipe and a further branch piece, and wherein the feed of said solar collector is connectable to the return of said heat exchanger via a pipe and a branch piece. 
     
     
         16 . The configuration according to  claim 15 , wherein said further branch piece is a T-piece or a Y-piece.