Low temperature radiant heating for industrial and large commercial buildings
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are hot water radiant heating panels for warehouses, factories, sports halls and other large buildings with high ceilings, with cooling available when specified. Each panel has 12 mm ‘D’ shaped copper tubes bonded to a 1 mm aluminium radiating panel, and iTwelve works at low water temperatures, so it is well suited to heat pump systems.
Supplied and supported by S & P Coil Products Limited (SPC), every iTwelve installation is designed by SPC engineers to suit the project’s output, pressure drop, connection positions and piping layout. iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels suit industrial and large commercial buildings, including warehouses and distribution centres, manufacturing and assembly halls, workshops, aircraft hangars, sports halls and leisure centres.
Heat pump ready
Low temperature hot water panels, suited to heat pump systems
Long runs
Panels join end to end along the length of the building
No welding
22 mm copper tails join with crimp fittings or flexible hoses
Designed by SPC
Panel layouts designed by SPC engineers for each project
154-715 W/m²
Output per square metre of panel, with mean water temperature 15 to 55°C above room air. SPC calculates exact outputs at design stage
5.5 kg per 3 m
Typical dry weight of a 3 m module, keeping loads on the roof or steelwork low and panels easy to handle on site
300 mm wide
Modules hung up to four wide for effective widths of 300, 600, 900 or 1200 mm, with 50 mm gaps on the multi-suspension bar
Up to 40 m
Typical run on one water circuit. With circuits piped in parallel, runs can cover the full length of the building
What are iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels?
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels heat a building mainly by radiation, warming the people, floor and objects below rather than the air. About 70 to 75% of the output is radiant and 25 to 30% convective. Because comfort comes from the radiant effect, the space air can be held at a lower temperature for the same resultant comfort, which reduces heat losses and the build-up of warm air under the roof.
In iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels, 12 mm copper tubes are flattened into a ‘D’ profile and wrapped in aluminium saddles, which are bonded to a 1 mm aluminium radiating panel. This gives an effective 360° contact between tube and panel, keeping the temperature drop between the water and the panel surface low. The underside is powder coated white to RAL 9016 to maximise radiant emissivity, and the top is covered by 25 mm foil-backed insulation to limit upward losses.
The ‘D’ shaped copper tube and aluminium saddle give effective 360° contact with the iTwelve radiating panel.
What sizes do iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels come in?
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are modular: 300 mm wide modules up to 3 m long, in two tube patterns. Modules join end to end to make runs along the building, and hang side by side for wider panels.
| Feature | Size |
|---|---|
| Patterns | DSP300-2 (2 tubes) or DSP300-3 (3 tubes) |
| Module width | 300 mm |
| Effective widths | 300, 600, 900 or 1200 mm, plus 50 mm gaps between modules on the multi-suspension bar |
| Maximum module length | 3 m |
| Typical weight | Approximately 5.5 kg dry per 3 m module |
| Run length | Typically up to 40 m on one water circuit, or the full length of the building with circuits in parallel |
Planning radiant heating for a warehouse or factory? Read our article Why Does Radiant Heating Make Sense for Industrial Buildings This Autumn? or see all SPC Radiant Heating and Cooling Panels.
Can industrial radiant panels work with heat pumps?
Yes. Low temperature hot water radiant panels such as iTwelve are well suited to heat pump systems.
- Outputs are published from a mean water temperature just 15°C above room air
- No need to burn fossil fuels on site
- Radiant heat lets the air be held lower for the same comfort
Can iTwelve panels cool as well as heat?
Yes, when specified. iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels can cool when connected to a reversible heat pump.
- Chilled water is held above the dew point of the space air, so panels do not sweat
- Chilled water temperature is controlled to the space humidity, or condensation sensors are fitted
- Pipework to and from the panels is insulated and vapour sealed
Where are iTwelve panels used?
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels heat industrial and large commercial buildings with high ceilings and large floor areas.
- Warehouses, distribution and fulfilment centres
- Manufacturing halls, workshops and aircraft hangars
- Sports halls and leisure centres, with a sports hall version
Output data for iTwelve is in the iTwelve brochure, and SPC confirms outputs and pressure drops for every project.
iTwelve hanging, connections and sports hall panels
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are best hung with SPC’s multi-suspension bar, supplied loose with the panels.
- The bar fixes adjacent modules together with a 50 mm shadow gap
- It hangs from wires via simple carabiner clips: no rigid threaded bar needed
- Panels can hang from the roof structure, steelwork or continuous runs of Unistrut
- Each run is supported on a scissor lift while hanging and levelled with a laser
Full hanging guidance is in IOM 100.
The copper tubes on the back of each iTwelve panel join in splitting and joining manifolds for two or three tubes, each ending in a plain 22 mm copper tail, so each panel needs only one final connection pipe.
- Panels in a run join with 22 mm copper crimp connectors, or 22 mm compression or push-fit flexible hoses: no welding on site
- Same end or opposite end flow and return connections, and parallel piping, are available
- Joining plates can cover the gap between adjacent panels, fitted after crimping
- The panels have no electrical connections: zones are controlled by valves, with weather compensated mixing valves and black bulb sensors recommended for radiant systems
A sports hall version of iTwelve is built to comply with DIN 18032-3, so the panels withstand bombardment from sporting equipment without significant damage or becoming dangerous.
- Fully folded construction with the pipe connections hidden behind the panel
- Domed mesh ball guards, fitted after installation
- Continuous across the width, with no gaps between modules
- Interconnections made with flexible hoses
See the Sports Hall Panel Installation Guidance, IOM 102.
Project support from SPC: from survey to commissioning
SPC supplies iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels for installation by your chosen mechanical contractor, and supports the project from the earliest design stages to after-sales. Our CPDs are CIBSE approved and can be booked for your practice: Decarbonisation of Industrial and Commercial Heating Systems and Radiant Heating & Cooling Panels: Fundamentals and Design Guide.
Site surveys
SPC's technical sales team can visit site to review panel positions and mounting before order.
Panel design
SPC engineers design each layout: outputs, pressure drops, connection positions and piping.
CIBSE approved CPDs
Decarbonisation of Industrial and Commercial Heating Systems, and Radiant Heating & Cooling Panels: Fundamentals and Design Guide.
Area Sales Managers
Your local SPC Area Sales Manager is on hand for questions, site visits, delivery and installation queries.
Specifying iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels
Free help to design the panel layout and plan the installation.
Get a panel design
Send us your drawings and design conditions and SPC will design the iTwelve layout, outputs and pressure drops for each run.
Installation guides
Handling, hanging, piping and commissioning guidance is in IOM 100, with sports hall panel assembly in IOM 102.
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels in UK projects
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels heat the sports hall at St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre, Southampton: six 24 m runs of 900 mm wide sports hall panels with ball guards, free hanging and installed by MJG Mechanical Services Ltd. Read the St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre project or see SPC’s radiant panel projects.
Where iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels can be installed
Example settings for iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels: warehouses and distribution centres, manufacturing halls, sports halls and aircraft hangars. These images show typical applications, not SPC projects.
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels specification summary
| Detail | Spec |
|---|---|
| Panel type | Hot water radiant heating panel, with cooling when specified |
| Tubes | 12 mm copper primary tubes, flattened to a ‘D’ profile |
| Radiating panel | 1 mm edge-flanged aluminium, with the tubes bonded via 0.5 mm aluminium saddles |
| Patterns | DSP300-2 (2 tubes) or DSP300-3 (3 tubes) |
| Module size | 300 mm wide, up to 3 m long |
| Effective widths | 300, 600, 900 or 1200 mm, plus 50 mm gaps between modules on the multi-suspension bar |
| Typical weight | Approximately 5.5 kg dry per 3 m module |
| Heat output | 154 to 715 W/m² of panel area, at a mean water temperature 15 to 55°C above room air |
| Radiant and convective split | Approximately 70 to 75% radiant, 25 to 30% convective |
| Final connections | 22 mm copper tails, same end or opposite end |
| Joints between panels | 22 mm copper crimp connectors or 22 mm compression or push-fit flexible hoses, no welding |
| Run length | Typically up to 40 m on one water circuit, longer with circuits in parallel |
| Insulation | 25 mm foil-backed insulation, supplied with the panels |
| Finish | Underside powder coated white RAL 9016 |
| Hanging | Multi-suspension bars and carabiner clips, hung from the ceiling or steelwork on wires |
| Accessories | Joining plates to cover the gap between adjacent panels in a run |
| Sports hall version | Built to comply with DIN 18032-3, with domed mesh ball guards |
| Cooling | Via a reversible heat pump, with chilled water held above the dew point of the space air |
| Design | Panel arrangements designed by SPC engineers for each project |
| Supplied by | S & P Coil Products Limited (SPC), Leicester |
Full output data is in the iTwelve brochure.
Discuss your industrial radiant heating project
Whether you are heating a warehouse, factory, workshop, hangar, sports hall or another large commercial building, send us your drawings for an iTwelve panel design, request a site survey or book a CPD. Call +44 (0)116 249 0044, email spc@spc-hvac.co.uk or use the form below.
Frequently Asked Questions
An industrial radiant panel is a heating panel hung at high level in a large building, which heats the people, floor and objects below by radiation. iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels carry hot water from a heat pump or boiler through copper tubes bonded to an aluminium panel, so the building can be heated with no combustion in the space.
No. Radiant tube heaters are usually gas fired and burn fuel in the building. iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are a wet system: they run on low temperature hot water, so they can be connected to a heat pump and there is no need to burn fossil fuels on site.
Yes. LTHW (low temperature hot water) and LPHW (low pressure hot water) are both terms used for wet heating systems in UK buildings, and iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels connect to either. The panels are designed for low water temperatures, which suits heat pumps and condensing boilers.
iTwelve output depends on the excess temperature: the difference between the mean water temperature and the room air temperature. Outputs are published from an excess temperature of 15°C, so the panels can be designed around heat pump flow temperatures. SPC calculates the outputs, flow rates and pressure drops for each run at design stage.
Recommended minimum mounting heights for radiant panels prevent discomfort from asymmetric radiation. In industrial and large commercial buildings, iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are normally hung well above these heights. SPC confirms panel positions and hanging details in the drawings supplied for each project.
iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels are largely maintenance free, with no fans or filters. The panel surface can be cleaned with a dry cloth or a non-abrasive, non-corrosive detergent. Any flushing or inhibitors used in the system must be suitable for copper pipework and EPDM rubber hoses.
No. iTwelve Industrial Radiant Panels suit any large building with a high ceiling, including sports halls, leisure centres and large commercial buildings, as well as warehouses, factories, workshops and aircraft hangars. A sports hall version, built to comply with DIN 18032-3, heats the sports hall at St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre, Southampton.
