Fan heaters. Varieties. Fields of application.

Fan heaters are included in the group of heating equipment that heats the room not with the help of convection, but with the help of mechanical air circulation through the heating element. Fan heaters are domestic and industrial, and this article will be about industrial fan heaters.

Industrial fan heaters are most often used in heating warehouses, hangars, service stations, some industrial premises, sports halls, etc. This popularity is due to several factors:

- relatively low cost of equipment (in comparison with classical heating systems);

- high speed of heating the room, due to the continuous circulation of air in large volumes;

- big power in the compact case;

- ease of installation and maintenance.

Industrial fan heaters are divided into several types, depending on the type of heater that are installed in them:

- electrical. The air is heated by an electric heater. The most prominent representative of this class are heat guns. Due to the consumption of a large amount of electricity, this is not the most commonly used type of fan heaters. They are most often used in small rooms (up to 300 sq.m.) and very rarely have a power of more than 30 kW.

- water. Heating is carried out using a radiator, which is supplied with hot water from a central or individual heating system. Considered a classic. When it comes to a fan heater, this type of equipment is primarily meant. Most manufacturers, as a rule, have a maximum power in the model range of about 70 kW. Therefore, in rooms with a large area, several of them are mounted so that the air flows of each fan heater do not intersect with each other.

- gas heaters. This equipment runs on natural or liquefied gas. Such a fan heater has a power range of up to 1 MW or more, and due to the higher air heating temperature, it is used not only for heating, but also for production processes (for example, grain drying).

Another representative of this class of equipment that operates without a heater, but can significantly reduce the cost of heating buildings with a high roof – destratifiers.

In appearance, it is very similar to a conventional fan heater, only it implies installation directly on the ceiling. The main task of the destratifier is warm air, which, according to the laws of physics, rises, moves from the sub-ceiling zone to the zone where people are, that is, down, which leads to a decrease in heating costs.

Also, to reduce heating costs and prevent cold air from entering through doors, gates or other openings, there are thermal curtains. Their main task is to «cut off» cold air in the winter season, and warm air and dust in the summer.

Thermal curtains come with or without a heating element. As in fan heaters, the heating element is electric or water.

The equipment in the «Air heating» category is not complicated, but it will be difficult for a person without experience to choose the right equipment on their own. When selecting, it is necessary to take into account many factors that can significantly affect the final result of the equipment.