Solar heating (cooling)

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If warm or hot water is needed for other purposes it

SOLAR HEATING (CoOLING) flows out at 9 and returns at 10 to container 2. Typically

BACKGROUND

warm water flowing out at 9 will flow through radia tors, baseboard or fan coil heaters or such, to warm a

For storage of solar-produced heat, and cold, a tank 5 building. After its heat is removed it will flow back at 10 of water (or other liquid) surrounded by a truckload of as cool water. Or, if the warm or hot water is used up, stones has proven very effective, and low in cost, see or consumed, as it flows out at 9, it will be replaced by Thomason U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,254,702; 3,254,703; cold makeup water coming in at 10.

3,295,591; 3,236,294; 3,369,541; 3,412,728; 3,812,903 Additional heat storage material is illustrated at 11. (other Patents Pending by Thomason and Thomason). O Large quantities of heat can be stored in material 11. Many solar home heating systems are in existence and That material may take various forms such as water, or being built using those inventions. other liquid, or solid, or pieces of solids, heat-of-fusion In most instances a home that is already in existence material, etc. If it be water, for example, it may contain uses hot air or hot water for home heating. Virtually all 15 a rust or corrosion-inhibitor, if needed. But, it need not homes have running hot domestic water. And, in many contain anti-freeze because it does not circulate out to a cases, new homes are being built with baseboard hot heat collector where it could freeze. (Some solar collec water heat, or other types of hot water heat, or hot air. tors have freezing problems.) So, as heat is used from Many inventors fail to realize the importance of get container 3, replacement heat will flow from the warm ting solar-produced heat in to storage quickly, at the 20 or hot fluid in container 2 to the fluid in container 3. lowest temperature possible. The fluid being heated in That leaves the fluid cooler in container 2. Or, if heat is used directly from container 2, through conduits 8 and the solar collectors should give up its heat to storage quickly, so that the fluid can return to the collectors at 10, fluid in container 2 becomes cooler. Then, heat from material 11 heats the fluid in container 2.

low temperature. That low temperature fluid, in turn, Solids, or chunks of solids, may be used as storage picks up more heat from the collectors. The collectors, 25 material 11, but, a liquid such as water has a higher in turn, operate at lower temperatures. Operating at specific heat, and also has good heat-transfer character lower temperatures, they are more efficient and obtain istics.

more free heat from the sun. The present invention gets tainer 2, heat isbyrapidly

That is, "wetting' the outer surface of con transferred to the water. Then, the heat from the sun in to storage rapidly and effi convection ciently, and then that heat is recovered from storage 30 on out into the entire mass ofliquid currents in that itself move the heat heat storage material 11.

rapidly and efficiently. Heat-of-fusion heat storage material used at 11 also has Many apartment houses, office buildings, ware good houses, factories, etc. use large quantities of warm or transferproperties into and such as high heat content, good heat out of storage, etc.

hot water for heating, processing, domestic purposes, etc. And, there are many other applications requiring 35 at 6 flows into thethat

It will be noted heated fluid coming in to storage space between two containers 2 and warm or hot water. 3. Therefore, the heat flows quickly in two directions, Electricity to produce heat during off-peak periods in to the fluid in container 3 and outward to the heat can be obtained at half-price in many areas. In some storage material 11 in container 1. Those two containers other cases, off-peak energy (gas, etc.) is available to have large surface areas of contact with the heated produce heat at low cost, if it can be stored for use later. fluid, thereby speeding up the heat-transfer process. So, So, there is a need for warm and hot water, not only quickly the heat is imparted, in both directions, to stor on sunny days but, by stored heat, on nights and cloudy age. The heated fluid cools down and returns by outlet days. Much of that need is for both Summer and Win 5 to the solar collectors, or other source of heat, for ter, plus Autumn and Springtime, that is, 365 days a re-heating. That cooled fluid picks up more heat, more year. Often there is also a need for hot air, or hot water 45 efficiently, from the solar collectors or other source of space heating. The present invention fills those needs, at heat.

low costs. As suggested above, space heating of a home or other IN THE DRAWING building may be obtained by using hot or warm water (or other liquid) from container 2 to warm radiators,

The single FIGURE illustrates an embodiment of the 50 convectors, fan coils, etc. However, in some instances invention. hot air heat is needed or desired. Or, hot air heat may be An outer container 1 has a second container 2 therein used in addition to hot water heat. For such purposes, with a third container 3 inside of container 2. Insulation means is provided to circulate air through storage mate 4 preferably substantially surrounds the containers. rial 11 to warm it as it flows in through inlet conduit 12 However, it may be inside of container 1, instead of on 55 and out through outlet conduit 13. Convection currents the outside. and natural flow will automatically transfer the heat out Cool water (or other fluid) from near the bottom of of storage to a considerable extent.

container 2 flows to a source of heat through conduit 5. If there are times when no heat should flow out of Such source of heat may be a solar heat collector, or storage, then a simple damper at 14 may be closed to other heat-producing apparatus. Warm or hot water stop convection currents.

returns at 6. If more rapid heat transfer out of storage is desired, a Cold water to be heated (such as city or well water) blower 15 may be started. Also, blower 15 may be used flows in at 7 to container 3. Warm or hot water in con to force warm air out to distant rooms of a house (and tainer 2 heats the water in container 3. The warmed return), or for other forced-air circulation. water flows out at 8 to a point of usage. Or, it flows 65 This invention provides many good features. The through an auxiliary heater to make it always hot, irre containers are low in cost to fabricate. The heat storage spective of heat input at 6 into container 2. That hot material 11 is low in cost. Heat transfer is entirely auto water is usually used for domestic purposes. matic, flowing both into and out of storage. Large quan

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tities of heat are transferred without additional heat heat produced by conventional fuels at off-peak peri exchangers. That is because of the large surfaces of the ods.

containers, and because each is "bathed' in warm or hot Although heat storage and recovery from storage is material. the primary thrust of the present invention it is obvious As the fluid is being heated hour-by-hour in container that cold storage could be obtained in similar apparatus. 2, its heat flows into material 11 which "soaks up' very Perhaps "ice-water” would be needed, or chilled water large quantities of heat and, therefore, warms up slowly. for air conditioning, chilled in container 3. Coldness for storage could be produced during cool periods of the

That stores away large quantities of heat in material that night. During off-peak periods electric power rates are need not be circulated through the collectors. 10 low. Also, cooling can be accomplished with less elec A large quantity of already-heated water is available tricity for the refrigerating apparatus during cooling in container 3 for ready usage for baths, washing night hours.

clothes, etc. That reserve eliminates the need for expen So, we have simple, low-cost heat and cold storage sive large-area heat exchangers. And yet, the large sur apparatus.

face area of container 3 causes relatively quick heating 15 We claim:

of cold water that flows thereinto as hot water is drawn 1. Heat or cold storage apparatus comprising a first therefrom. outer container, a second container in said first con A large quantity of already-heated fluid is available in tainer, a third tank-like container in said second con container 2 for ready usage. It may be used to heat a 20 tainer, insulation means to reduce heat or cold transfer home or other building, by circulating it to radiators or into orstorage out from said first outer container, and heat such, or it will heat cold city water coming into con (cold)tially material in said first container substan surrounding said second container, said heat tainer 3. (cold) storage material being in thermal communication A large quantity of heat is available from material 11. with said second container to permit heat to flow from In some installations tank 1 and storage material 11 can 25 said second container to said heat (cold) storage mate be very large, to thereby store very large quantities of rial or from said heat (cold) storage material to said heat. That large quantity of heat is available to replenish second container, inlet conduit connection means for heat used from inner container 2 or innermost container said first container to admit fluid to be warmed and 3 or for direct use to heat air circulating through storage outlet conduit connection means for said first container material 11. 30 to allow for exit of warmed fluid, said heat (cold storage In some original installations, and in some retrofitting material having passages therethrough allowing for of old houses and other buildings, both hot water and circulation of fluid to be heated or cooled, means to hot air may be needed (besides hot domestic water). Hot retard tainer or prevent flow of fluid through said first con when desired, conduit means connected to said water heat for one room may be obtained by sending 35 hot water from outlet 9 to the radiators, Hot air heat for third container to introduce liquid to be heated or another room may be obtained by sending hot air from duit cooled and to provide for exit of such liquid, and con outlet 13 to that room. means connected to said second container to pro vide for introduction of liquid and exit of liquid for

The drawing illustrates air or other fluid being circu storing heat or cold.

lated through storage material 11. Water or other liquid 40 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 and additional conduit could be used - that is, any fluid could be used. means to circulate fluid into and out of said second

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 and means to circulate air

It is apparent that the present invention provides for: or other fluid to be heated (or cooled) through said first 1. Hot domestic water, and 2. Hot water heat for radia 45 container to be warmed or cooled by said heat (cold) tors, etc., and 3. Hot air heat; or any one or two of those storage material.

functions. That is important for versatility in new build 4. Apparatus as in claim 1 and means to increase the ing construction and is all-the-more important for re flow of fluid throughsk said first container when desired. trofitting or converting a building to solar heat, or to