Indoor climate is a key element of comfort for building users. It also has an impact on the quality of processes and workflows in industry and is responsible for the safety of product storage in warehousing spaces. Regardless of the type of premises, indoor climate is one of the most important factors. Today’s construction industry imposes a number of qualitative requirements on the technical infrastructure of buildings, including, in particular, their functional precision, high energy effectiveness, low noise emissions and appropriate aesthetics to fit modern interior design. In response to these challenges, the VTS Company, drawing on years of experience, has designed the new VOLCANO solution – an innovative fan heater, perfectly suitable for the heating of industrial, sports and other facilities of multiple use.

The new VOLCANO is designed to be eye-catching. It has a lustrous shell, light and elegant contours and is unobtrusive in the interior of any modern building. A high quality material with added anti-UV pigments guarantees the stability of its colour over time. The highest aesthetic standards are possible due to the application of special technology in production. The ‘click’-closed enclosure guarantees perfect fitting of its particular components.

The high-end enclosure of the VOLCANO heater is not its only attribute. Its interior hides state-of-the-art technology, confirmed in the carefully worked out details and guaranteeing excellent utility values. The most notable ones include an exceptionally high heating capacity, long heating range and the possibility of individual air stream width control, high energy effectiveness and low noise levels. Also noteworthy is the precise microprocessor control which, beside temperature control, may also carry out a number of additional functions. The controller has been adapted to support the external building management system (BMS).

Exceptionally high heating power

The easiest way to increase heating power is to use a heater with a higher number of rows. However, it usually results in higher air flow resistance, necessitating the use of a larger fan. Yet, the VOLCANO designers have achieved an exceptionally high heating power with a low capacity fan. A special diffusor has been designed, which connects the fan with the water heater and shapes the air stream flowing through the heater in a uniform manner, ensuring full use of its surface. The obtained uniform distribution of air flow speed has minimised flow resistance, enabling the use of heaters with larger heat exchanging surfaces without the need to increase fan power. The large heat exchange area and its full use result in high heating power, while the small flow resistance reduces electric energy consumption and acoustic power levels.

The above-mentioned solution renders VOLCANO compatible with low-temperature sources as well, for example, a heat pump. The heating factor temperature should be considered in the selection of a heating option, based either on the program or on catalogue data. A broad range of heating power, from 3kW to 70kW, allows the tailoring of heater size to the demands of any object.

The VOLCANO designers have also taken care of the durability of heaters, covering their lamelles with a special coating. The quality is also guaranteed by individual leak tests, performed in a helium chamber. 

Heated air range and speed profile

The air blades in the new VOLCANO solution, apart from their aesthetic values, form an important utility component, enabling an individual adjustment of blown air stream width and direction to object needs. A special shape of the air blades effectively enhances its structure, not causing any air flow chokes. The attachment of blades allows for their individual control and stable positioning.

VOLCANO heaters can be mounted in vertical and horizontal arrangements. Depending on product, the maximum air flow range varies from 8m to 12m in vertical and from 14m to 15m in horizontal configuration.

High effectiveness and low noise

The low electric power consumption and low noise levels of the new VOLCANO solution are due to many factors, starting from the low air flow resistance, requiring small air delivery power, through the special design of the fan to ensure high air delivery efficiency, up to the high motor performance and special heater operation optimising functions of the control system.

The high fan efficiency has been achieved through increased blade surfaces and their optimised shape. Much care has been taken of superb fit-and-finish of the rotor and the housing, minimising interior air losses and reducing turbulences within the blade range, which could affect the general fan performance.

The use of an energy-efficient electronically commutated (EC) motor guarantees high electric efficiency in the full range of performance control. Additional big savings of electric energy are possible with the automatic performance reduction function. It is activated in situations when it is only necessary to maintain preset temperature value in a given interior, without any demands for higher heating power.

Regarding simple applications, VOLCANO solutions are equipped with energy-saving, three-gear AC motors with coils adapted to different rotation speed levels and switched by external relays. The design of the motors enables greater performance control compared with competitive solutions. They are compatible with the simplest automatic control systems without speed controller. The motors are also characterised by a higher performance level at lower gear vs. the motors with speed control.

Precise control

Exercising of all the advantages of the VOLCANO solution would not be possible without an appropriate control system. The applied microprocessor controller ensures precise temperature control and executes many other functionalities. It facilitates the reading and easy optimisation of measured and preset parameters. It also enables controlling a group of devices heating one area, as well as remote monitoring and control of the VOLCANO heaters by means of external building management system (BMS).

Temperature control requires proper setting of the heater valve and automatic changes of fan performance depending on current demands. The user can also manually set the required speed level of the fan. The temperature is measured by a sensor in the controller. In the case when the controller is located outside of the heated room, it is possible to connect an external sensor installed in that room. The controller automatically identifies the sensor as superior.

The VOLCANO heater control is possible according to a preset time schedule, with distinction of working and weekend days. The HMI controller allows for the selection of additional temperatures, declared, for example, as maintenance temperature, beside the preset heating period, or as a minimum temperature for anti-freeze protection. Thermostats and potentiometric performance controls are available for simple applications, allowing for manual control settings. 

Destratification fans are the best way to heat high spaces

Heating of high spaces is characterised by natural warm air rising and creating zones of different temperatures at different heights. The use of destratification fans, “pushing down” the warm air into lower spaces, has become an effective solution of the problem. The VOLCANO destratification system is a variant of the VOLCANO fan heater with removed water heat exchanger. The resulting air flow resistance is even lower and provides for even greater range and higher effectiveness compared with the fan heater presented above. The applied fan design and the type of its drive system, the same as those in VOLCANO heaters, provides VTS destratification fans with exceptional ventilation features, when compared with competitive solutions.

Optimised mounting

VOLCANO fan heaters are mounted on walls or ceilings by means of special consoles. Their mounting requires holes to be drilled in the wall or ceiling in advance. In order to facilitate this task, a pattern with hole spacing and a line for levelling is provided on every delivered VOLCANO carton. It is only necessary to cut off the pattern from the carton, place it on the wall/ceiling in desired location and start drilling.

Summary

The outstanding design of the VOLCANO family of fan heaters is the result of years of experience of their design engineers and their determination to create an exceptional, silent, effective and energy-saving product, meeting the needs of every user at almost every object. Created with passion and professionalism, they combine excellent service and aesthetic values which have broadly been recognised and highly appreciated by many end-users.