FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention relate to thermal conditioning or heating technologies and more particularly to a heating element for an electrical heating system, and an electrical heating system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Thermal conditioning, such as heating of a closed space, has been one of the most common requirements globally, especially in cold countries. Traditional wood, coal, or other organic and petroleum products are used for heating applications like cooking, air conditioning, metallurgy, moulding, boiling, and other commercial, industrial, medical and consumer applications. While these conventional methods have very low calorific value and are associated with environmental issues such as pollution and smoke. It is also challenging to handle large quantities of such fuel near or at the work area. It also consumes large amount of energy of various forms.
These days a cleaner, efficient and cheaper option of electrical energy is used for heating applications. The most crucial component of a system for heating is a heating element that heats a heat carrier such as air, water, sodium, or liquid argon by electrically heated materials. And then the heat carrier delivers the heat to the desired area or space.
But, at high-temperature metals and their alloys used for heating element s suffer from poor ductility and brittleness, especially at their operating temperature range. During heat-up and cool-down cycles, rapid change in temperature for a significant amount of time, along with other factors like hardness in water, air pollution, and interaction with other chemicals in the surroundings lead to cracks in the elements. Additionally, as well known in the art, all the existing electrical heating systems/apparatuses consume a lot of energy during operation, and therefore neither energy efficient or economical for the users. Besides, they are also less reliable and durable as explained above.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the for a heating element for an electrical heating system, and an electrical heating system, that can overcome the aforesaid problems and is also energy efficient.
OBJECT OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a heating element for an electrical heating system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical heating system including the heating element.
Yet another object of the present invention is to utilise carbon-based heating element for sustainable electrical heating element with rapid change in temperature in adverse conditions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to utilise one or more sensors to enable the self-adjustment of the automated electrical heating system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein.
According to first aspect of the present invention, there is provided heating element for an electrical heating system. An electrical heating element comprises, but not limited to, a thermally conducting base layer, a second layer on top of the first layer, which is electrically insulating and thermally conducting, and a heating circuit disposed on the second layer. The heating circuit comprises a plurality of electrodes on the second layer connected with an electrical power supply and a carbon-based heating material selected from carbon and graphene, connected between the plurality of electrodes in a form of lines in a series arrangement, parallel arrangement or a combination thereof. The plurality of electrodes are configured to receive electrical power supply and the electrical power supply generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes, leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material. As a result of the total impedance or resistance offered by the carbon-based heating material, a flow of charges is transduced from electrical power into heat by the material.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first layer of the heating element and the second layer are provided with a plurality of holes, when used in a convection based electrical heating element requiring a blower. The plurality of holes are adapted to allow the air to pass through the heating element, thereby facilitating heat transfer and convey heat from the heating element to ambient.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the base layer of the heating element comprises is made of a material selected from a metal such as aluminium, copper, iron, tin, gold, silver, titanium, zinc, ceramic, or an alloy, or other composite materials. The base layer is configured to provide mechanical strength to the heating element and heat dissipation.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the second of the heating element, is made of an electrically insulating thermally conducting material selected from epoxy, Magnesium oxide, silicon carbide, Beryllium Oxide, tungsten carbide or other ceramic materials.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of electrodes of the heating element is made of copper, silver or any electrically conducting metal or alloy.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the heating element comprises a protective layer at a top of the heating circuit, wherein the protective layer is made of a material selected from polyamide, polyester, dielectric ink, glass or Teflon.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical heating system. The electrical heating element comprises, but not limited to, a power supply selected from a transduced power supply from a renewable energy source or an electrical alternating or direct current source with a power conditioning circuit, a one or more sensors, a control unit, one or more heating elements, each heating element comprising a thermally conducting base layer, a second layer disposed on the first layer, wherein the second layer is electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer; and a heating circuit disposed on the second layer. The heating circuit comprises a plurality of electrodes on the second layer connected with an electrical power supply and a carbon-based heating material selected from carbon and graphene, connected between the plurality of electrodes in a form of lines in a series arrangement, a parallel arrangement or a combination thereof, wherein the control unit configured to regulate power supply through one or more switches to the one or more sensors and the heating element. The electrical power supply generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes, leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material. The flow of charges resisted by total impedance or resistance offered by the carbon-based heating material is configured to transduce the electrical power supply to heat. Additionally, the one or more sensors are configured to sense and provide input to the control unit regarding the ambient parameters such as temperature and moisture level. The control unit is configured to automatically maintain predetermined ambient parameters based on inputs from the one or more sensors.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit in the electrical heating element includes an internal protection circuit to prevent overheating of components of the system and the heating element.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the electrical heating element further comprises a blower connected with the control unit and respective air vents, in case the system is a convection based electrical heating system. The first layer and the second layer of each of the heating element are provided with a plurality of holes wherein the plurality of holes are adapted to allow the air to pass through the heating element, thereby facilitating heat transfer and convey the heat from the heating element to ambient.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the electrical heating element further comprises the one or more sensors are selected from temperature sensors, photo-diodes, photo-transistors, Infrared sensors, moisture sensors, and smoke sensors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may have been referred by embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. These and other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
Fig. 1A illustrates a heating element for an electrical heating system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 1B illustrates different layers of the heating system for the electrical heating element in an exploded view, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 illustrates another design for the heating element, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram representation for an electrical heating system housing the heating element, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 illustrates a circuit diagram with an AC power supply for showing an implementation of the electrical heating system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 5 illustrates a circuit diagram with a DC power supply for showing an implementation of the electrical heating system, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the description.
While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim. As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes.
In general, an electrical heating element may be understood as a system that supports process in which electrical energy is transduced or converted to heat. Common applications include residential, commercial, medical and public buildings air conditioning, cooking, industrial, medical processes and research. The most important component for any electrical heating element is a heating element such as an electric resistor, magnetron (electron tube) or inductive coils. Heat can be provided by the heating element used in various applications. These include convectors in or on the walls, under windows, or as baseboard radiation in part or all of a room. Even ceilings and floors can be fitted with heating element s or wires for radiating low-temperature heat.Therefore, the present invention primarily aims to provide a novel and inventive heating element that is highly reliable, energy saving as well as highly durable and self-regulating. The present invention will now be described with the help of reference drawings:
Figure 1A illustrates a heating element (100) for an electrical heating element (100) (hereinafter referred to as the “system”). The system comprises, but not limited to, a thermally conducting base layer (110), a second layer (104), and a heating circuit (106) disposed on the second layer (104). The same can be understood better by referring to Figure 1B.
Figure 1B illustrates different layers of the heating element (100) for an electrical heating system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 1A-1B, the thermally conducting base layer (110) is made of a material selected from, but not limited to, a metal such as aluminium, copper, iron, tin, gold, silver, titanium, zinc, or an alloy or composite like ceramic. It provides mechanical strength to the heating element (100) and helps in heat dissipation. The shape of the base layer (110) may be selected from any of, but not limited to, cuboidal, cubical, cylindrical or the like depending upon the application. So, dimensions of may not have impact on the functioning of the heating element (100), as they easily be increased or decreased.
Further, as shown in figure 1B, the second layer (104) is disposed on the base layer (110). The second layer (104) is electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer. In that sense, the second layer (104) may be made of a material selected from, but not limited to, Epoxy, Magnesium Oxide, Silicon Carbide, Beryllium Oxide, Ceramic and Tungsten Carbide placed on the thermally conducting base layer (110). Just like the base layer (110), the shape of the second layer (104) may be selected from any of, but not limited to, cuboidal, cubical, cylindrical or the like depending upon the shape of base layer (110). So, dimensions of may not have impact on the functioning of the heating element (100), as they easily be increased or decreased.
It will be appreciated by a skilled addressee that more number of layers of the same material or different materials may be further added to the heating element depending on the requirements of the application, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In one embodiment where the heating element (100) is to be used in a convection based electrical heating element (100) that requires air to be blown through the heating element (100), the base layer (110) and the second layer (104) may be provided with a plurality of holes (1042). The plurality of holes (1042) are adapted to allow the air to pass through the heating element (100). This facilitates heat transfer between the heating element (100) and the air passing through the holes. As the heated air from the plurality of holes (1042) is spread inside the closed space to be heated, the heat from the heating element (100) is thereby conveyed to the ambient. The shape of holes may be circular, polygonal or a slot-shaped (as shown in figure 1A-1B). It should be noted that although shown in the figures, the plurality of holes (1042) are optional and only required for applications where air is to be blown through the heating element (100). In case application requires only a conduction based-heating that does not require fluid flow through the heating element (100), there would be no requirements for having holes.
Next, the heating element (100) comprises the heating circuit (106). The heating comprises a plurality of electrodes (1063) is placed or fabricated on the second layer (104). The second layer (104) being electrically insulating, protects the heating circuit (106) from any short circuit situation due to electrically conducting base layer (110). The plurality of electrodes (1063) may be made of, but not limited to, copper, silver or any electrically conducting metal or alloy. In the exemplary embodiment shown, there are two electrodes (1063) connected with an electrical power supply (102). The electrical power supply (102) can be selected from an alternating current or direct current type power supply (102) from a power source, a battery, fuel cells or from a renewable energy sources like solar PV cells or solar panels.
In addition, there is provided a carbon-based heating material selected from carbon and graphene, connected between the plurality of electrodes (1063). Preferably, the carbon-based heating material is graphene, and it is disposed between the two electrodes (1063) in a form of lines (1064) in a parallel combination. The carbon-based heating material resists the flow of charges by transducing the electrical power supply (102) to heat energy. The heat (H) produced in the heating element (100) is proportional to the total impedance (Z) offered by the heating element (100) and to the time internal (t), current of charges applied across the electrodes (1063). The total impedance is dependent on the resistance and reactance offered by the heating element (100).
H=I^2 Z t,where, Z^2=R^(2 )+X^2; and t is time interval
In some cases, reactance (X) can be neglected by assuming reactance to be negligible, so in that case heat will be directly proportional to resistance:
H=I^2 Rt
Consider an example for heating element (100) for the sake of understanding, For an electrical heating element (100) of 200 Watt with temperature range of the order 250-300 degrees C, the heating element (100) may have an aluminium base layer (110) of say, but not limited to, 2 mm thickness and a ceramic based-second layer (104) of say, but not limited to, 2 mm thickness. Additionally, the Graphene based heating material is provided in a form of say, 2 mm wide lines (1064) and having a thickness of say, 15 microns between the copper electrodes (1063), with gaps of at least 3mm in between the consecutive lines (1064). The copper electrodes (1063) may be 5 mm wide with, say 35 microns thickness. It will understood by a skilled addressee that the above-mentioned dimensions are only exemplary and not to be considered in limiting sense. Any variation in the above-mentioned dimensions for suiting different applications, would still be within the scope of the present invention.
It will well understood to a person skilled in the art, that for any electrical heating system, it is essential for the heating material of the element to have high resistance, high melting point, positive temperature coefficient of resistance, low-temperature coefficient of resistance, and high oxidation temperature. But the present available heating elements (100) are made up of metals and alloys like copper, iron, nickel, nichrome, and silver. These suffer issues with robustness as these are venerable to environmental degradation and corrosion, especially with salts, minerals, and reactive elements present in the surroundings of the heating element (100). At high-temperature metals and their alloys used for heating element (100) also suffer from poor ductility and brittleness, leading to cracks in the elements.
Therefore, in order to overcome the above issues, the present invention uses a carbon-based heating material such as, but not limited to, graphene. In recent years, the interest in research for carbon allotropes and other alternatives leads to a starting point from where graphene powder dispersed in a liquid for the synthesis of macroscopic graphene layers. Fibres or films are derived from such a dispersion by special processing such as wet spinning or filtration. Appropriate doping and tunings of parameters like lateral size, overlap area, and contact resistance of graphene will outperform all metal-based the electrical conductivity can vary from app. 1 MS/m up to app. 15 MS/m. This is still well below the 100 MS/m of a single graphene layer.
It should be noted that certain parameters such as melting point, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and temperature coefficient play an important role in selecting a heating material for a heating circuit (106). the melting point of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and nichrome (NiCr) is of the order 1,085 °C, 961.8 °C, 1400 °C, respectively and the thermal conductivity of copper, silver, and nichrome is of the order 386 W/mK, 419 W/mK, 13.0 W/m-K respectively, while the electrical conductivity of copper, silver, and nichrome is of the order 5.96 10 7 /Om, 6.29 10 107 /Om, 0.10 107 /Om, respectively. The temperature coefficient of resistance at 20°C of copper, silver, and nichrome alloy is of the order 0.004041, 0.0038, and 0.00017 respectively. Whereas the carbon-based material such as graphene has physical parameters like melting point at 3652° C, electrical conductivity 0.1 107 /Om and thermal coefficient 11-17 W/mk. These are highly impressive in combination with the ductility and response to the electrical supply (102), thereby becoming an ideal choice for the heating material for the heating circuit (106).
Referring back to the drawings, it will be appreciated by a skilled addressee that the heating material between the plurality of electrodes (1063) can be arranged in different patterns according to the system requirements. In figures 1A-1B, the heating material is provided in a form of parallel lines (1064) which are perpendicular to the 2 electrodes (1063). Whereas Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, where the heating material is arranged in the form of parallel lines (1064) which is slanted with respect to the two electrodes (1063). Accordingly, the holes provided on the heating element (100) are also slanted and parallel to the lines (1064) of the heating material.
In operation, the plurality of electrodes (1063) are configured to receive electrical power supply (102). The electrical power supply (102) generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes (1063), leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material. Now, the flow of charges resisted by total impedance offered by the carbon-based heating material is configured to transduce the electrical power supply (102) to heat. This heat may then be conveyed to ambient by the electrical heating element (100) (either conduction-based or convention-based) in which the heating element (100) is being used.
In this manner, the present invention provides a highly reliable and durable heating element (100) that is also energy efficient and can save up to 40-70% energy as compared to conventional electrical heaters. It will be appreciated by a skilled addressee that the heating element (100) of the present invention can be used in any kind of electrical heating element (100) and with both the AC and DC power supplies, however, the present invention for the sake of explanation and further clarity, an exemplary electrical heating element (100) is disclosed below.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an exemplary electrical heating element (100) that houses one or more heating elements (100) of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a block diagram representation of an electrical heating system (300) (hereinafter referred to as “the system”), housing the heating element (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 3, the system (300) comprises an AC power supply (102) attached to an Output (106) unit comprising one or more heating elements (100) (as explained in Figure 1A, 1B), a blower (1068) (if required based on application) and a display unit (or an Indicator (1066)) through a Protection Circuit (114) and a Control Unit (112). In one embodiment, the system may be provided as an integrated device enclosing all the components in a box-like hollow structure. In that sense, there may be one or more air vents provided around the box to allow airflow. In another embodiment, the system (300) may be implemented as a centralised room heating system with vents, blower (1068) (fan (1068) unit) and heating element (100) distributed at different locations inside a closed space, and these components being controlled a centralised Control Unit (112). Each of the one or more heating elements (100) placed proximal to a fan (1068) or blower (1068) unit and an open vent may comprise a plurality of holes (1042), so as to allow air to pass through the heating element (100) via the plurality of holes (1042).
As mentioned above, there may be one or more than heating elements (100) disposed adjacent to the blower (1068) or fan (1068) unit, depending on the application requirements. The blower (1068) or fan (1068) unit may have one or more motors selected from servo motors, stepper motors and permanent magnet DC motors.
The implementation of the system (300) can further be illustrated by two exemplary circuit diagrams (400), (500) shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. The graphene-based heating element (100) may have self-regulating properties, which will facilitate automatic temperature adjustment in a circuit.
Figure 4 depicts an exemplary AC circuit (400) with an AC power supply (102) with a transformer to step-up or step-down AC voltage level with a main switch (1022). The main switch (1022) can trip the whole circuit on the occurrence of any irregularities like electrical faults, fire, very high air density or smoke. The main switch (1022) can also be assisted by bimetallic, electronic relays or other mechanical switches. The electrical supply (102) may be further filtered by different Filter Circuits (116) schemes, for operating an Output (106) circuit. The Filter Circuits (116) schemes can employ inductive, capacitive inductive elements and or feedback loop circuits. Further, the Control Unit (112), can have various switching schemes such as simple mechanical switch or a touch screen or one or more electronic switches with a display module.
The system (300) can also be implement using a DC power supply (102). Figure 5 depicts another exemplary DC circuit (500) with an DC power supply (102) with resistors R1, R2 diodes (2022) D1, D2 and switches S1 and S2 to control power Output (106), which is further filtered by a Filter Circuit (116) with capacitive element of reactance C and inductive element with reactance L and resistance R. The main switch (1022) proximal to the electrical power source. The main switch (1022) can trip the whole circuit on the occurrence of any irregularities like electrical faults, fire, very high air density because of harmful substances in the air or smoke. The Output (106) circuit involve a blower (1068), one or more heating elements (100) with control switches same as in embodiment of Figure 4.
The power supply (102) can be either controlled or semi controlled or directly connected to the heating element (100) via Protection Circuit (114). The control can be achieved by power electronic switch like diodes (2022), DIAC, TRIAC, transistors, thyristors, SCR, IGBT and MOSFET (2006) as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. The electrical power supply (102) generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes (1063), leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through a carbon-based heating material. By controlling diodes (2022) D1 and D2, the direction of the flow of charges in the power supply (102) can be controlled. In that sense, the diodes (2022) D1 and D2 may be, but not limited to, special purposes diode (2022) or Schottky diodes (2022).
Additionally, the Control Unit (112) of the system (300) is configured to operate the switches, thereby controlling the blower (1068) and the heating element (100). The Control Unit (112) can further have a communication module supporting a short-range communication network and/or a long-range communication network, wired or wireless communication network for remote and wireless operations. The communication network may be selected from one of, but not limited to, Infrared, Bluetooth, radio frequency, internet, or WIFI network providing maximum coverage. In one embodiment, the Control Unit (112) may also comprise a processing module such as a microprocessor, or a microcontroller, that incorporates Artificial Intelligence in the system, thereby making a smart electrical heating system.
The system (300) may also include a display module (not shown) such as, but not limited to, an LED display, LCD display, OLED or a TFT display, capable of displaying information such as temperature, time, humidity, heating level etc., related to the electrical heating system.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the system (300) further includes an internal Protection Circuit (114) to prevent overheating of components of the system and the heating element (100). The internal Protection Circuit (114) may include bimetallic, electronic relays or other mechanical switches, configured to trip the circuit and turn off the system, in case of electrical faults, smoke detection, or overheating beyond a predetermined level.
In that sense, the system (300) further comprises one or more sensors disposed in and around the system connected with the Control Unit (112). The one or more sensors are selected from, but not limited to, temperature sensors, photo-diodes, photo-transistors, Infrared sensors, moisture sensors, and smoke sensors. The one or more sensors may be connected to the processing module of the Control Unit (112) to receive inputs regarding measured ambient parameters.
In operation, the electrical power supply (102) is received from the power supply (102) through the transformer (in case of AC supply (102)) or switches & diodes (2022) (in case of DC supply (102)) and the Filter Circuit (116) to the blower (1068), heating element (100) and the one or more sensors.
Additionally, the Control Unit (112) is configured to regulate the power supply (102) to the one or more sensors, blowers (1068) (in case they are present) and the heating element (100), through one or more switches. The electrical power supply (102) generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes (1063) of the one or more heating element (100) s, leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material i.e., preferably graphene. The flow of charges resisted by total impedance offered by the carbon-based heating material is configured to transduce or convert the electrical power supply (102) to heat, thereby generating the required heating effect for the system. This heat may convey to the ambient by a conduction-based or the convention-based heating system.
In case of conduction-based heating system, the heat is conveyed due to physical proximity of the object to be heated, with the heating element (100). For example, the system may be deployed underneath a surface (such as a table, conveyor etc.) and the objects to be heated may be kept over it.
In case of convention-based heating system, the heating element (100) is placed proximal to a fan (1068) or blower (1068) unit and an open vent. So, the surrounding air passes through the heating element (100) via the plurality of holes (1042). This allows the heat to be transferred from the heating element (100) to the passing air. The heat is then conveyed from the heating element (100) to ambient as the air is blown and circulated inside a closed space to be heated.
Additionally, the one or more sensors are configured to sense and provide input to the Control Unit (112) regarding the ambient parameters such as, but not limited to, temperature and moisture level. These may then be controlled via user interface and or remotely via a remote control or connected smart devices. The user interface may have buttons and a display or a touch enabled display module for providing user input to a Control Unit (112) and displaying the current electrical heating element (100) settings. The buttons proximal to the heating element (100) or via a remote system with communication module can manually regulate the paraments of the surroundings. While automatic adjustment can be carried out using different inbuilt or custom profits for the paraments. Further, the communication module is configured to connect the system to one or more devices like remotes or mobile devices, over a communication network and the one or more devices may send one or more instructions to be displayed on the display module.
The present invention offers a number of advantages. The present invention provides a highly reliable and durable heating element that is also energy efficient and can save up to 40-70% energy as compared to conventional electrical heaters. The present invention is able to achieve the above, and overcome the issues of the prior art by utilising a carbon-based heating material such as graphene etc. The graphene shows excellent physical parameters important for a heating material, such as melting point, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and temperature coefficient, when compared with those of prior art. Accordingly, it results in high ductility and quicker response to the electrical supply (102), thereby becoming an ideal choice for the heating material for the heating circuit/element.
In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device.
Further, while one or more operations have been described as being performed by or otherwise related to certain modules, devices or entities, the operations may be performed by or otherwise related to any module, device or entity. As such, any function or operation that has been described as being performed by a module could alternatively be performed by a different server, by the cloud computing platform, or a combination thereof.
Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

We Claim

1. A heating element (100) for an electrical heating system, the method comprising:
a thermally conducting base layer (110); and
a second layer (104) disposed on the base layer (110), wherein the second layer (104) is electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer;
a heating circuit (106) disposed on the second layer (104);
wherein the heating circuit (106) comprises:
a plurality of electrodes (1063) on the second layer (104) connected with a electrical power supply (102); and
a carbon-based heating material selected from carbon and graphene, connected between the plurality of electrodes (1063) in a form of lines (1064) in a series arrangement or parallel arrangement or combination thereof;
wherein the plurality of electrodes (1063) are configured to receive electrical power supply (102);
wherein the electrical power supply (102) generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes (1063), leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material;
wherein the flow of charges resisted by total impedance or resistance offered by the carbon-based heating material is configured to transduce the electrical power supply (102) to heat.

2. The heating element (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base layer (110) and the second layer (104) are provided with a plurality of holes (1042), when used in a convection based electrical heating element (100) requiring a blower (1068);
wherein the plurality of holes (1042) are adapted to allow the air to pass through the heating element (100), thereby facilitating heat transfer and convey heat from the heating element (100) to ambient.

3. The heating element (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base layer (110) comprises is made of a material selected from a metal such as aluminium, copper, iron, tin, gold, silver, titanium, zinc, ceramic, or an alloy, or composite materials;
wherein the base layer (110) is configured to provide mechanical strength to the heating element (100) and heat dissipation.

4. The heating element (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second is made of an electrically insulating thermally conducting material selected from epoxy, Magnesium oxide, silicon carbide, Beryllium Oxide, tungsten carbide or other ceramic materials.

5. The heating element (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes (1063) is made of copper, silver or any electrically conducting metal or alloy.

6. The heating element (100) as claimed in claim 1, the heating element (100) comprises a protective layer (108) at a top of the heating circuit (106), wherein the protective layer (108) is made of a material selected from polyamide, polyester, dielectric ink and glass or Teflon.

7. An electrical heating system (300), the system (300) comprising:
a power supply (102) selected from a transduced power supply (102) from a renewable energy source or an electrical alternating or direct current source with a power conditioning circuit;
a one or more sensors;
a control Unit (112);
one or more heating element (100) s, each heating element (100) comprising:
a thermally conducting base layer (110);
a second layer (104) disposed on the base layer (110), wherein the second layer (104) is electrically insulating and thermally conducting layer; and
a heating circuit (106) disposed on the second layer (104);
wherein the heating circuit (106) comprises:
a plurality of electrodes (1063) on the second layer (104) connected with an electrical power supply (102); and
a carbon-based heating material selected from carbon and graphene, connected between the plurality of electrodes (1063) in a form of lines (1064) in a series arrangement, parallel arrangement or a combination thereof;
wherein the control Unit (112) configured to regulate power supply (102) through one or more switches to the one or more sensors and the heating element (100);
wherein the electrical power supply (102) generates a potential difference between the plurality of electrodes (1063), leading to a flow of charges from one electrode to another through the carbon-based heating material;
wherein the flow of charges resisted by total impedance or resistance offered by the carbon-based heating material is configured to transduce the electrical power supply (102) to heat;
the one or more sensors are configured to sense and provide input to the control Unit (112) regarding the ambient parameters such as temperature and moisture level;
wherein the control Unit (112) is configured to automatically maintain predetermined ambient parameters based on inputs from the one or more sensors.

8. The system (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control Unit (112) includes an internal Protection Circuit (114) to prevent overheating of components of the system (300) and the heating element (100).

9. The system (300) as claimed in claim 7, further comprises a blower (1068) connected with the control Unit (112) and respective air vents, in case the system (300) is a convection based electrical heating system (300);
wherein the base layer (110) and the second layer (104) of each of the heating element (100) are provided with a plurality of holes (1042);
wherein the plurality of holes (1042) are adapted to allow the air to pass through the heating element (100), thereby facilitating heat transfer and convey the heat from the heating element (100) to ambient.

10. The system (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors are selected from temperature sensors, photo-diodes, photo-transistors, Infrared sensors, moisture sensors, and smoke sensors.