IR heating for humans –the fundamentals
13 September, 2012
It’s been said here many times before; that humanity is only beginning to unlock the secrets of the electromagnetic spectrum – the infrared part of it in particular. Over one hundred years have elapsed since Marie Curie made her discoveries and in some ways the world has been slow to absorb and catch up with the implications. 
It’s partly what makes the Ceramicx partnership with Trinity College Dublin so valuable and exciting. It seems clear to me that Infrared heating research still remains a wide and open field. Our current edition of HeatWorks magazine, for example, contains some pioneering work from Michelle Tannam under the supervision of Dr Tony Robinson. The topic is the complex nature of the human thermoregulatory response to IR radiant heating. One fascinating outcome from Michelle’s research is the revelation of the role of the human hands in the human body's thermoregulatory activities. The Trinity study makes it clear from the analysis of the four human test subjects that the heating behaviour of the body differs widely between individuals. However, the principle of heat regulation through the hands is a key principle and finding. The study noted that 'because the hand area is not directly exposed to a heat source during the IR on Face and IR on hand tests this temperature increase must come from within the body, i.e. though the process of thermoregulation.' This factor alone might be worth a separate and follow on piece of work: It also appears to open up a useful role for IR technology in mapping a determining a person’s heat metabolism and state of health generally. In brief and in general, the study shows that the human thermoregulatory system has the ability to redistribute IR heat effectively around the body: This is shown by the IR on Face and IR on Hand test, where sizeable temperature increases were recorded within the 10min period and despite the fact that the monitored hand is not exposed directly to a heat source. 
The study also showed that human thermal comfort applications require relatively low temperatures in order to avoid excessive heating. This has large implications in energy heating and useage for the built environment for humans. An appropriate range of temperatures can be provided by IR heating for any given requirement by careful choice of heater and installation position. Ceramicx is now looking forward to playing a full and further part with Trinity in the next phase of its IR heating research. HeatWorks magazine carries a report on the research thus far and the Winter edition will report further on the next joint project.
13 September, 2012
It’s been said here many times before; that humanity is only beginning to unlock the secrets of the electromagnetic spectrum – the infrared part of it in particular. Over one hundred years have elapsed since Marie Curie made her discoveries and in some ways the world has been slow to absorb and catch up with the implications. It’s partly what makes the Ceramicx partnership with Trinity College Dublin so valuable and exciting. It seems clear to me that Infrared heating research still remains a wide and open field. Our current edition of HeatWorks magazine, for example, contains some pioneering work from Michelle Tannam under the supervision of Dr Tony Robinson. The topic is the complex nature of the human thermoregulatory response to IR radiant heating. One fascinating outcome from Michelle’s research is the revelation of the role of the human hands in the human body's thermoregulatory activities. The Trinity study makes it clear from the analysis of the four human test subjects that the heating behaviour of the body differs widely between individuals. However, the principle of heat regulation through the hands is a key principle and finding. The study noted that 'because the hand area is not directly exposed to a heat source during the IR on Face and IR on hand tests this temperature increase must come from within the body, i.e. though the process of thermoregulation.' This factor alone might be worth a separate and follow on piece of work: It also appears to open up a useful role for IR technology in mapping a determining a person’s heat metabolism and state of health generally. In brief and in general, the study shows that the human thermoregulatory system has the ability to redistribute IR heat effectively around the body: This is shown by the IR on Face and IR on Hand test, where sizeable temperature increases were recorded within the 10min period and despite the fact that the monitored hand is not exposed directly to a heat source. The study also showed that human thermal comfort applications require relatively low temperatures in order to avoid excessive heating. This has large implications in energy heating and useage for the built environment for humans. An appropriate range of temperatures can be provided by IR heating for any given requirement by careful choice of heater and installation position. Ceramicx is now looking forward to playing a full and further part with Trinity in the next phase of its IR heating research. HeatWorks magazine carries a report on the research thus far and the Winter edition will report further on the next joint project.
