| 20110110652 | Active air heater - An active air heater is constructed to produce heat and to transfer heat to an air flow for heating a building. The active air heater comprises spaced apart fins; adjacent elements between the fins; and an electrical source directing an electrical current through the fins and the adjacent elements for heating the fins and the adjacent elements and the air flowing through the air flow passageways formed by the adjacent elements. The adjacent elements are porous, semi-conductor material having a roughness in its surfaces for enhancing the convective heat transfer between the material and the air flow. The active air heater may be rectangular or cylindrical. The porous, semi-conductor material includes carbon foams, ceramic foams, high temperature polymer foams, and low conductance alloy foams and the aforementioned materials in nano-material format. | 05-12-2011 |
