Bosnia and Herzegovina: Feel the warmth with infrared heating

Amid the current energy crisis, companies and households are turning to more efficient heating. Infrared heaters offer a heart-warming solution: they use thermal radiation of various wavelengths to heat people, walls, floors and other objects. Already widely deployed in settings ranging from factory floors to restaurant patios, Bosnian organisations are working to optimise these systems’ effectiveness by reducing heat loss through innovative modules and nanofluid collectors.

Bosnian organisations, the University of Tuzla Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, MICOM and ELDOM, joined forces with Serbian organisations, the University of Belgrade Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy and IHIS Science and Technology Park, on the Eureka project MIH-NC. The goal was to develop three modular, state-of-the-art infrared heaters, each equipped with nanofluid collectors.

Our collective effort and commitment were essential to achieving the project’s goals. It has been a privilege to support and collaborate with such an accomplished group of partners, and I look forward to future opportunities for us to work together.

Aldin Camović – General Manager at MICOM

The prototype heaters feature longwave, shortwave and combined wavelength thermal radiation. Introducing a novel element to infrared heating, all prototypes also incorporate a nanofluid collector that absorbs solar radiation using nanoparticles for more efficient heat transfer and waste heat retention. The infrared heaters can be implemented as standalone industrial solutions or integrated as components within larger, more complex heating systems.

To achieve this result and optimise performance, the project team developed a methodology based on mathematical modelling and experimental crosstesting of the prototypes. The final versions of the three heaters have patent potential and could function as zero-cost products. The project team plans to continue production and commercialisation through existing companies specialising in manufacturing and selling electric heating solutions.

All project partners benefitted from cross-border knowledge exchange thanks to international collaboration on research and development. Eureka and the Bosnian Ministry of Civil Affairs facilitated the partnership by providing funding and encouraging quick, seamless implementation of project activities, and equal involvement from all project partners. Together, the partners were able to push their individual capabilities to innovate cutting-edge technologies.

The significance of this innovation is multifaceted, given its wide range of applications across the manufacturing, automotive, food and beverages, plastics, rubber and textiles industries. There is significant potential for a broad range of companies producing electric heaters to adopt these advanced infrared modules. With this in sight, homes, businesses and public spaces may soon have access to energy-saving, cleaner heating methods.