Audel HVAC Fundamentals
Volume 3: Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps and Distribution Systems
Chapter One
Radiant Heating
Heat is lost from the human body through radiation, convection,
and evaporation. Radiation heat loss represents the transfer of
energy by means of electromagnetic waves. The convection loss is
the heat carried away by the passage of air over the skin and clothing.
The evaporation loss is the heat used up in converting moisture
on the surface of the skin into vapor.
Heat transfer, whether by convection or radiation, follows the
same physical laws in the radiant heating system as in any other;
that is, heat flows from the warmer to the cooler exposure at a rate
directly proportional to the existing temperature difference.
The natural tendency of warmed air to rise makes it apparent
that this induced air current movement is greater at the cooler floor
and exterior walls of the average heated enclosure than at its ceiling.
It is through absorption by these air currents that the radiant ... read full excerpt from AudelTMÂ HVAC Fundamentals: Volume 3: Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps and Distribution Systems ebook
