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Western
HVAC News
Berner Receives Patent For the HVAC
Industry's Most Aerodynamically Efficient Electric Air
Curtain Heater.
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 Strategic
positioning of the VTH Venturi-style electric heater offers
up to 40-percent more aerodynamic efficiency by not
obstructing air curtains' discharge or laminar air pattern.
Berner International Corp., New Castle, Pa., the nation's
leading air curtain manufacturer and innovator, has received
a U.S. patent for a Venturi-style heater design that offers
the HVAC industry's most aerodynamic, electric heated air
curtain that improves air performance efficiencies by up to
40-percent versus other electric heating methods.
Developed by Berner's David Johnson, engineering manager,
and Phillip Thomas, project engineer, the VTH electric
heater combines a hemispherical heating element array with
an innovative mounting strategy at the blower inlet. Prior
to the VTH's development, an air curtain industry standard
was to place the heating elements on the intake of the
cabinet or in the airstream of discharge, which causes a
significantly inefficient disruption of the airstream's
velocity, volume and uniformity (VVU).
Instead, Berner's new patented design uses the Venturi
effect to draw air through the heating elements and into the
blower inlet before it enters the discharge airstream. Thus,
the airstream discharge velocity remains unobstructed in a
near 100-percent efficient heat transfer, laminar pattern of
optimum aerodynamic performance that creates a near perfect
environment-separating air seal across any open doorway
while providing auxiliary heat, as needed.
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"The idea for the
VTH wasn't an 'ah-ha' moment," said co-designer David Johnson.
"Instead, it was the result of a steady progression that was
developed over the last five years while we were researching
other air curtain innovations."
The VTH's innovative
four-bolt mounting design is combined with quick-disconnect
electrical terminals for easy maintenance or replacement
accessibility within five minutes.
Complementing the hemispherical design, the patent also covers a
single plane heating element array that's mounted entirely across
the blower's opposing inlet not obstructed by the blower or motor
shaft.
The VTH is available
in Berner's industrial VS Series and In-Ceiling Mount Series air
curtains. It comes in a range of 8kW to 70kW and voltages of 208V,
240V, 480V and 575V. Berner also offers optional natural gas, hot
water or steam coils for air curtain heating.
"In terms of energy
savings and airstream efficiency, the VTH is a game-changer for the
air curtain industry," said Georgia Berner, president, Berner
International.
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About Berner:
Berner International Corporation is a 57-year-old U.S.
manufacturer and a leader in the air door/air curtain equipment
manufacturing industry. Berner is the first air curtain manufacturer
to offer its product line in building information modeling (BIM).
Berner is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), The
Green Building Alliance (GBA), the Air Movement & Control
Association (AMCA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating &
Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and also a certified Women’s
Business Enterprise National Council member (WBENC). For more
information on Berner and its products, please call (724)-658-3551
x403 or visit
www.berner.com.
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