Answer to Question #256761 in Mechanical Engineering for Jnl

Question

A steam radiator with enveloping radiating surface 60-in long by 26-in high by 12-in deep is supported above the floor of a large room. If the radiator surface, painted with lacquer containing 10 percent aluminum, is at a temperature of 200 °F and the room surfaces are at 70 °F, what is the rate of radiant-heat exchange between the radiator and the surfaces of the room?

Answer 1

In practice, the term radiator refers to any of a number of devices in which a fluid circulates through exposed pipes (often with fins or other means of increasing surface area), notwithstanding that such devices tend to transfer heat mainly by convectionand might logically be called convectors.

The terms convection heater and convector refer to a class of devices in which the source of heat is not directly exposed. As domestic safety and the supply from water heaters keep temperatures relatively low, radiation is inefficient in comparison to convection. Convection heaters also work differently from electric radiators in that they disperse heat differently.