Question

Explain :

a) the working principle of Passive Heating system with suitable example and advantages

b)the working principle of Active Heating system with suitable example and advantages

Answer 1

a.) Passive heating is nothing but to harness the energy of sun. By combining good design with effective insulation, we can collect and store the sun's energy to provide our home with warmth day and night, throughout most of the year depending upon the geographical location.

The two key aspects of passive heating are to capture the right amount of sunlight or sun’s energy through your windows and then to manage that free heat in ways that it keeps our home at a comfortable temperature throughout the day and night. This can be achieved by using a combination of smart design, good insulation and features that prevent overheating.

Using the sun’s energy to heat our home can slash our heating costs, reduce condensation and dampness, and make our home healthier and much more comfortable.

Passive heating can be incorporated into new homes, renovations or existing homes of all types. However, implementation is much easier and more cost-effective to incorporate at the early design and planning stages of a new building. In some homes, passive heating alone can be able to maintain stable temperatures year-round without any need for supplementary heating in our building. Others may need additional heating only in winter – this supplementary heating will be far more effective in a home that uses passive heating principles.

As well as reducing the heating costs, passive heating is by far the most environmentally friendly way to heat our home. Other forms of heating such as gas and electricity usually generate greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions when produced by burning fossil fuels.

Passive heating could be part of an overall approach to passive design. Depending on our situation (climate, house style, personal preferences, etc.) it is most effective if we incorporate the principles of both passive heating and passive cooling.

b.) Active heating systems again use solar energy to heat a fluid, either liquid or air, and then transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space or to a storage system for later use. The solar energy here is indirectly used here. If the solar system is unable to provide adequate space heating, an auxiliary or back-up system provides the additional heat that is required by the system. Liquid systems are usually often used when storage is included, and are well suited for radiant heating systems, boilers with hot water radiators, and even absorption heat pumps and coolers. Both liquid and air systems can supplement forced air systems.

Liquid systems store solar heat energy in tanks of water or in the masonry mass of a radiant slab system. In tank type storage systems, solar heat from the working fluid transfers energy to a distribution fluid in a heat exchanger exterior to or within the tank.

Solar air heating systems again use air as the working fluid for absorbing and transferring solar energy for further utilization.

Active solar heating systems are usually most cost-effective in cold climates with good solar resources. Here they are replacing the more expensive heating fuels available as a supplement, such as electricity, Natural gas, and oil. Some countries offer sales tax exemptions, income tax credits or deductions, and property tax exemptions or deductions for utilization of solar energy systems.