Fan Heating Systems for Churches
The problem of heating in buildings used for religious worship is particularly felt and important, as it involves the need to obtain some special characteristics that are necessary in order to get the result in the best possible way. The characteristics that such a system must have can be summed up in these points:
- 1. As the buildings have remarkable heights, it is essential that the heating system is such as to prevent the stratification of hot air on the upper areas, to the detriment of the most interesting part, where the believers are.
- 2. Given the irregularity of the services, and as the heating is consequently discontinuous, the system will have to reach full capacity very rapidly.
- 3. Due to the large volumes, there will be need for a system that allows a very cost-efficient management.
- 4. Since many of these buildings are national monuments because of their architecture, and are thus subject to planning restrictions by the Fine Arts Office, the system must absolutely not spoil the architecture and decorations, while it must be hidden as much as possible.
- 5. Due to the special nature of the place, the system operation has to be extremely silent.
It is possible to demonstrate that, to obtain the best results for each of the points above, the only possible system is that of fan heating and, more precisely, a system with a multiple zone fan heater. We immediately explain why this preference is necessary: Using only one fan heater would require a considerable installation of main and secondary canalizations for air delivery, with various branches, plus canalizations for air recovery. All of this would entail the use of space, difficulties of implementation, and furthermore it would require the use of powerful (and therefore noisy) fans to push the air in these conduits.
Having made this premise, we will explain how the Aerferrisi system with multiple mobile units satisfies the different requirements:
- 1. since air recovery always takes place at floor level, we have a short range circulation between delivery and return that concerns the lower part of the building. An extremely limited thermal gradient between floor and ceiling is obtained, enormously different from that of a static system;
- 2. a fan heating system with multiple mobile units allows to reach capacity almost immediately, and thus with an extremely short pre-heating time. Being very small, the heat accumulator allows to heat in the right, desired measure and cuts any possible waste, helped by the thermostatic control of the environment that prevents temperature excesses; moreover, as there is no thermal inertia, as soon as the system stops, also the heat supply and consumption stops. We would like to point out that no other type of system enjoys these characteristics, and also that the fan heating systems with an air canalization network would have to heat the whole canalization;
- 3. the Aerferrisi system with multiple mobile units has a more cost-efficient operation and installation, since, besides a thermostatic control, it is possible to partially insert fan heaters according to the interested areas. But the most significant savings factor consists of the adjustment of the system to all external conditions by means of the speed regulator. This graduates the air flow according to 5 positions, adjusting it in an almost micrometric manner. Also, this 5 position control panel is extremely simple to use and has intuitive characteristics, as it corresponds to some sort of heat accelerator: low speed is equal to low heat supply, high speed is equal to high heat supply;
- 4. the fan heating system is the only one that can concentrate into a very small volume a great heat potential, thus permitting to supply heat to great volumes, while occupying a small space.
The functioning of Aerferrisi machines is famous for its extreme silence, obtained by dimensioning the ventilation groups, made with materials that have such characteristics as to allow to muffle any noise, and so shaped as to make them statically and dynamically balanced under any work conditions. Aerferrisi fans consist of a motor with double shaft sticking out from both sides, to which the impellers are splined. The whole system of motors-shafts-impellers has an elastic, threedimensional support; thus, all possible vibrations are absorbed, though they are extremely low to begin with, due to the natural balance and axiality of the rotating components. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that the special Aerferrisi patent for 5 speed rotating motors not only allows to adjust the system to the actual heating needs, but it also allows to let the machines work at a faster speed during the short pre-heating periods, reducing then the number of revolutions to the minimum during services. We also wish to recall some of the main characteristics of our machinery, and specifically the split-ring motor in F class, absolutely reliable and long-lasting, as it can also sustain tropical temperatures. As it is equipped with bushing supports and built-in lubrication with tank and felt, maintenance is practically inexistent, at least during the first 10 years. The radiant coils, made of copper and aluminum, have a wide surface and very small resistance to the passage of air, allowing an extremely long operation time without need for cleaning and with no loss of yield, thanks mainly to the wide fin spacing that prevents the accumulation of dust. Each machine is complete with an electrical control device, safety and regulation devices, made according to the most recent legal requirements and always designed for simple and easy application.