Apparatus for cooling and solar heating a house

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Drawing sheet — no readable text.

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Jnited States Patent Office 2

Patented Jan. 3, 1967

to above. Air from blower 15 is introduced to substan - ; 3,295,591 tially air-tight, insulated bin 16 through one or more APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND SOLAR openings 17. The air passes through the masonry Sys HEATENG AHOUSE . . . . tem, across the bin, up and out through cracks between Harry E. Thomason, District Heights, Md.

5. the pieces of masonry. The rising air currents spiral up through the non-fluid material 14 and around tank 8 5 Claims. (C. 165-1) in heat exchange relationship with the large surface areas of material 14 and 8. If these materials have been

This is a continuation-in-part application of my appli heated, the air is warmed. If they have been cooled, the cations identified as follows: Combination Solar Heat O air is cooled. The air, thus heated for wintertime or Trap and Heat Dissipator, S.N. 804,932, April 8, 1959, cooled for summertime, is returned to area 1 through one Patent No. 3,254,701; Heat (or Cold) Storage Apparatus, or more openings 18. No refrigeration compressor is S.N. 835,962, August 25, 1959, Patent No. 3,254,702. required, pump 9 requiring only about 4 H.P. to bring The present invention relates primarily to cooling ap about the cooling function in a typical installation as paratus, including means for storing "coolness" (or heat). 5 described in the “Solar Energy" journal, vol. IV, Novem This permits the discharge of heat, preferably at night, ber 4, October 1960, pages 11-19.

and storage of "coolness' so produced to cool a home dur Simplicity and low cost operation, high efficiency and ing the hot day. The heat may be discharged from the low cost of the apparatus are salient features of the roof of a building, for example. Other uses for the ap invention.

paratus are apparent. 20 I claim:

The storage apparatus may be used in a reverse fashion 1. Apparatus for cooling a building which comprises: to store heat produced by a solar heat collector if de storage means for storing liquid such as water; liquid in sired. The solar heat collector warms, the storage appa said storage means; means for circulating said liquid to ratus on cold sunny days to warm a building, such as a . apparatus outside of the building to bring the liquid di home, on cold nights and during cloudy weather. rectly into contact, with outside air to lower the tempera In the drawing the single figure illustrates the invention ture of the liquid by evaporation, or radiation, or con as applied to a home. tact with air cooler than the liquid, or by all of these The home may have living space 1, closet area 2, a solar. phenomena; means for retrieving the cooled liquid and heat collector 3 and a roof section 4. returning it to the storage means; non-liquid "cool' stor The solar heat collector may be the simple, low-cost :30 age means substantially surrounding and in heat-exchange and highly efficient type disclosed in Patents Nos. 3,145,- relationship with the liquid means whereby the cooled 707 and 3,215,134, or may be another type. Such liquid means will cool the non-liquid means; insulation patented collector has a perforated distributor pipe 5 and means to minimize loss of "coolness' from the cooled a transparent covering 6. Beneath the transparent cover liquid and the cooled non-liquid "cool" storage means; ing is a blackened sheet (not shown) over which water and means to circulate air from space inside the building flows. The sun warms the sheet and as the water flows in heat-exchange relationship through and around the thereover it becomes heated. The heated water is col cooled storage means and back into the space to thereby lected in gutter 7 for return to tank 8 from whence it cool the interior of the building. flows through 8' and is pumped back to distributor mani 2. The method of cooling a building which comprises fold 5 by a pump and piping (not illustrated). 40 the steps of: circulating a liquid material from liquid The heated water in tank 8 warms the tank walls and storage container apparatus to apparatus outside of the non-fluid material 14, such as stones, cans of heat-of space enclosed by the building to bring the liquid directly fusion salts, or such, in storage bin 16. The warmed into contact with outside air, to thereby lower the tem water, tank and non-fluid storage material store large perature of the liquid by evaporation, or radiation, or quantities of heat during sunny days to warm the home 45 contact with air cooler than the liquid, or by all of these on cold nights and cloudy days during the winter. phenomena; collecting the liquid material and returning For summertime air conditioning the warmer water it to the liquid storage apparatus after its temperature has from near the top of tank 8 may be pumped to the roof been lowered; storing the cooled liquid material in heat top by pump 9 and distributed by perforated pipe 10. exchange relationship with non-liquid material substan As the water flows down the roof, preferably during the 50 tially surrounding said container to thereby cool the non cool night, it is cooled by radiation to the night sky, liquid material; circulating air from the space enclosed evaporation to the surrounding air or actual contact with by the building in heat-exchange relationship through and cool night air, or by all of these phenomena. The cooled around the cooled non-liquid material to thereby cool the water is collected by gutter 11 from whence it preferably air; and returning the cooled air to the space enclosed by flows through sediment trap-automatic rainwater makeup 55 the building to thereby cool the building. device 12 back to the bottom of tank 8. The cooled 3. The method of cooling a building which comprises water in tank 8 cools the walls of the tank and the non the steps of: circulating a liquid to apparatus outside of fluid material therearound, thereby storing "coolness' in the space enclosed by the building to lower the tempera the water and non-fluid material. ture of the liquid, collecting the liquid after its tem When the air in area 1 becomes too warm a thermo 60 perature has been lowered, storing the cooled liquid in stat starts blower 15 to circulate air from area 1 through a container in heat-exchange relationship with non-liquid the cooled non-fluid material 14 and around cooled tank material substantially surrounding said container to there 8. This cools the air. The cooled air returns to area by cool the non-liquid material, circulating air from the 1, by way of opening 18, to cool area 1. building in heat-exchange relationship through and around Water from rain, snow or the like flows into tanks 8 the non-liquid material which has been cooled to thereby and 12 until they are filled to the level of overflow 13 cool the air from the building. through which excess water may flow to the lawn or 4. Apparatus for use in heating or cooling equipment drainage ditch. comprising a storage bin having walls, a top and a bot The fluid-filled tank 8 and non-fluid material 14 are tom, insulation means for a major portion of the walls preferably supported by a masonry distributor and duct and top and located with respect to said walls and top so work system of bricks, building blocks or such as de as to reduce leakage of heat to or from the storage bin, scribed and claimed in application.S.N. 835,962 referred the bin containing liquid reservoir means of lesser capacity

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than the storage bin thus providing a space substantially perature difference exists among the materials or between surrounding the liquid reservoir means inside of the stor the materials and the air, ductwork comprising a plurality age bin, means for heating the liquid in said liquid reser of fluid conduits in said storage bin, said fluid conduits voir means, means for circulating the liquid to the exterior having conduit means connected therewith and extending of the storage bin for evaporation, radiation or direct to the inside of the storage bin from a location outside exposure to cooler outside air, a non-liquid heat storage of the storage bin so that air to be heated or cooled may material which is non-liquid at low temperatures located be introduced into said plurality of fluid conduits, said in the space and adjacent to the liquid reservoir means, fluid conduits having openings to permit air being intro the liquid reservoir means comprising a material capable duced through said conduit means and said fluid conduits of transferring heat to or from the liquid reservoir where to escape into said storage bin and directly into said non by a heat transfer will take place whenever a temperature fluid material whereby such air may pass in spaces difference exists between the liquid and non-liquid ma through said non-fluid material and around said fluid terial, an opening in the storage bin for bringing air reservoir such that the air temperature will be raised or into the storage bin for circulation through the non-liquid lowered by the apparatus in said storage bin, and means, storage material, and an opening in the storage bin 5 leading from a location inside of said storage bin to a through which the heated air leaves from the storage bin. location outside of said storage bin, through which air 5. Apparatus for use in heating or cooling equipment which has been warmed or cooled may flow to the outside comprising a storage bin having walls, insulation material of said storage bin.

adjacent the walls of a major portion of said storage bin to retard leakage of heat to or from said storage bin, said 20 References Cited by the Examiner bin containing fluid reservoir means, means for heating UNITED STATES PATENTS the fluid in said fluid reservoir means, means for circu 240,267 4/1881 Pope.

lating the liquid to the exterior of the storage bin for 2,342,211 2/1944 Newton.

evaporation, radiation or direct exposure to cooler out side air, said fluid reservoir means comprising a material 2,396,338 3/1946 Newton ------------- 165-18 capable of transferring heat to or from said fluid reservoir 2,660,863 12/1953 Gerhart --------------- 62-6 means, heat storage material, which is non-fluid at low OTHER REFERENCES temperatures, in said bin and in proximity to said fluid Bliss, R. W. Jr., Fully Solar Heated House, in Air reservoir means so that a heat transfer will take place Conditioning, Heating and Ventilating, pp. 92 to 97, Oct. whenever there is a temperature difference between the 30 1955.

fluid and the non-fluid material, said non-fluid material Machine Design, Solar Roof Plus Heat Pump Heats or and said fluid reservoir means having large areas of sur Cools Ranch House, p. 26, Dec. 25, 1958. face exposed to air in said storage bin whereby large quantities of heat may be transferred among the various ROBERT A. O'LEARY, Primary Examiner. materials and air in said storage bin whenever a tem A. W. DAVIS Assistant Examiner.