Chapter 5.3.4.2 - Optimal Use of Radiant Heaters

The concept of spot or area heating would be of importance to optimally utilize radiant
heaters for some practical applications such as warehouses and aircraft hangars.
It is especially suitable for a case in which heating is desired in only a certain area of
the whole space.The definition of spot heating is to maintain no net heat loss of an
individual surface by providing the heat that is equal to the surface heat loss of the
individual. The spot and area heating differ only by the size of area for which the
radiant intensity field is desired.The optimum location of the heater would depend
on the geometry of the reflector and the availability of the space to evaluate the size
of radiation intensity field (see Fig. 3.9).

High-temperature heater locations relative to glass must be carefully analyzed
because window glass is not completely opaque to the short-wavelength heater.
High-temperature heaters located close to outside windows will radiate a significant
amount of heat directly to the outside. Design analysis must factor in the impact of
high-temperature heater location on equipment sizing.