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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a receptacle, for irregular shaped pieces of rock,
having passageways therethrough so that one layer of black surfaced rock
may be exposed to sun rays at times when such rays are available as a
source of heat and the balance of the rocks function in the combination
collector and heat storage unit.
2. Prior Art
Collectors of heat from solar rays are old but not as a part of a
combination collector and heat storage unit. The present combination of
rock layers with rocks of irregular shapes, providing air passages through
the rock layers and with some thereof exposed to the sun's rays, all in
combination with air circulation and in combination with the air flowing
in a hot air furnace appears to be absent in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention contemplates a heat collector and heat storage unit having
fixed side, rear, top, and bottom walls. The front wall of the chamber is
formed by a glass pane, which extends forwardly and downwardly from the
top of the chamber. The chamber and particularly this glass is preferably
located where the glass pane is exposed to the maximum quantities of sun
rays available in any given day at a given location. Within the chamber
and preferably parallel to the front glass wall thereof, is a mesh screen
wall. The size of the mesh of the screen is sufficiently small so that the
screen will retain irregular shaped pieces of rock. The rocks forming the
rock layer surface directly adjacent the front glass pane have or are
provided with a black surface to permit such rocks to retain heat.
Inwardly of the screen wall, a pair of spaced apart first and second baffle
walls are provided to provide first and second interconnecting chambers.
The first baffle wall is connected with either the top or bottom, as a
first wall, and extends generally vertically toward but somewhat removed
from the other of said top or bottom walls, as a second wall, and the
second baffle wall is connected with the second wall and extends toward
but removed from the first wall. Pieces of rock of random size and shape
are disposed in the pair of first and second chambers and a circuitous
passageway is provided through the spaces between the rocks, alongside one
of the baffle walls, about said baffle wall, and then along the second
baffle wall. The circuitous passageway between pieces of rock is extended
by the using of more than one pair of rock chambers, and in the drawings
two pair are shown to illustrate a plurality thereof.
An air circulation system is provided so that heat collected on the surface
of a layer of rocks having a black surface and exposed to the sun will be
in the path of flow of air circulated therepast and over other rock
surfaces so that the other rock surfaces become rock pieces functioning as
a heat storage means.
The front wall of the receptacle is also provided with a pair of heat
insulated doors. One of these doors is hingedly connected with the top
wall of the receptacle and the other to the bottom wall of the receptacle.
These doors are in open position when there are sufficient sun rays to
warrant collecting and are closed at other times to limit heat dissipation
through the glass front pane. Also, both doors have an inside reflecting
surface so that when the doors are in open position, they can be angularly
disposed so that the inner reflecting surfaces cause the reflection of
additional rays from the sun into the rocks forming the heat collector
chamber.
Also, the rock, heat collector and storage unit provides a circuitous
passageway through the spaces between rocks so that the air circulated in
a conventional hot air furnace may be circulated through the rocks, heat
collector, and storage unit when the temperature of the rocks in such
spaces warrants the use thereof as a source of heat.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become implicit
and explicit as the description of the invention proceeds in connection
with the drawings, wherein the invention is described in connection with
the details illustrated as a preferred form, but not as a limitation, of
the scope of the invention, and throughout which description like
reference numerals will relate to like parts in the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a form of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view, with parts in section, showing the structure of FIG.
1 in connection with a hot air furnace, with fragments of housing to
include therein such a heating system, and showing the invention operating
in its heat storage cycle; and
FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the invention in its house
heating cycle.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION AS ILLUSTRATED
A portion of a house 10 is shown and the device of this invention may be
supported adjacent one wall thereof. If the house has not been built and
is to be built to associate the present invention as a part thereof, the
house should be oriented on a building site to have a south wall. If the
house has already been built, the most southerly wall may be used against
which the present invention may be erected. Against such house side wall
12, the heat collector-storage unit 14 is disposed. The unit is provided
with heat insulation walls: top walls 16, bottom wall 18, rear wall 20,
side walls 22, upper doors 24, and lower doors 26. These heat insulation
walls provide against undue heat losses of heated air passing
therethrough. A foundation, as a concrete slab 28, supports the heat
collector-storage unit.
The size of the installation shown in the drawing is such that two doors 24
and two doors 26 are shown, but obviously the number of doors will vary
with the size of the installation. Each of the doors 24, 26 has a sun ray
reflecting surface 30 disposed on its inner face and the doors may be
opened at the desired angle so as to best utilize these surfaces in
reflecting rays into the unit through the front glass wall 32. This glass
wall 32 is preferably formed with double panels and this wall 32 seals the
front of the unit 14 and is disposed between side walls 22, top wall 16,
and bottom wall 18. This glass wall 32 preferably extends forwardly and
downwardly.
An electrically controlled door operating means 34 is connected with each
door 24 and 26 so such doors 24 and 26 may be closed when there are no sun
rays available as a heating source and the doors 24 and 26 opened the
desired extent and at the desired angle to best utilize the reflecting
surfaces 30 of the doors 24 and 26 to reflect available sun rays through
glass wall 32.
A mesh screen wall 36 forms the front rock retaining wall of a first rock
retaining chamber 40 and a first, generally vertically extending baffle
wall 38 forms the rear wall of said chamber. The rocks in said chamber 40
are pieces of irregular shape and the rock size and mesh of the screen
wall 36 are selected to retain the rock pieces in the chamber 40. Also,
the rock surfaces adjacent the screen wall 36 are black, either naturally
or painted, to enhance the heat retaining character of the rock surface
area exposed to the sun's rays.
A second baffle wall 42 is disposed in spaced relation to the first baffle
wall 38 and extends generally vertically. This wall 42 forms, with the
wall 38, a second rock retaining chamber 44 for pieces of rock.
The first and second rock baffle walls 38 and 42 are connected with side
walls 22. As illustrated, the first baffle wall 38 is also connected with
the top wall 16 and extends toward but short of the bottom wall 18. With
the first baffle wall 38 so affixed, the second baffle wall 42 is
connected with the bottom wall 18 and extends toward but short of the top
wall 16. Thus, a circuitous passageway is provided for air passing through
said two chambers 40 and 44. However, the first baffle wall 38 may be
connected with the bottom wall 18 and extend toward but short of the top
wall 16 in combination with a second wall 42 connected with a top wall 16
and extending toward but short of the bottom wall 18. Preferably, the
construction is used with the first baffle wall 38 connected with the top
wall 16 and the second baffle wall connected with the bottom wall 18 as
illustrated.
An additional baffle wall, as third baffle wall 46, may be used to increase
the length of the circuitous passageway and to increase the storage
capacity by providing additional rock storage capacity and provide third
and fourth rock retaining chambers 50 and 52. This third chamber 50 is
formed between second baffle wall 42 and third baffle wall 50. The fourth
chamber 52 is formed between the third baffle wall 46 and the rear wall
20.
Where the first and second baffle walls 38 and 42 are connected,
respectively, with the top and bottom walls 16 and 18, then third baffle
wall 46 is connected with top wall 16 and extends toward but short of
bottom wall 18. When the first and second baffle walls 38 and 42 are
connected, respectively, with the bottom and top walls 18 and 16, then the
third baffle wall 50 is connected with the bottom wall 18 and extends
toward but short of the top wall 16.
All of the baffle walls 38, 42, and 46 connect between side walls 22 and
the air flow is restricted to over the end of the baffle wall which is
short of either the top or bottom wall 16, or 18.
Means to cause air circulation through first, second, third, and fourth
rock retaining chambers 40, 44, 50, and 52 is illustrated by electric
motor driven fan means 54. As illustrated in FIG. 2, such fan means 54
causes downward, thence upward, thence downward, and thence upward air
flow in the chambers 40, 44, 50, and 52. This air flow may be continued
while the rock faces in chamber 40 are exposed to sun rays and thus heat
so collected from the black faced rock pieces in chamber 40 will be
distributed throughout the rocks in chambers 40, 44, 50, and 52.
A house furnace and adjuncts thereto are somewhat diagrammatically
illustrated by hot air furnace 56, hot air plenum chamber 58, cold air
return 60, and blower 62. The furnace may operate in the conventional
fashion and air, from the cold air return, is passed through and heated by
the furnace 56 and is delivered as hot air to the plenum chamber 58.
Thereafter, such hot air is delivered by the hot air ducts, as duct 64,
into and thereby heats the house. When the temperature of the rocks in the
chambers 40, 44, 50, and 52 is higher than the temperature in the house as
indicated by the house thermostat (not shown) and by electric thermocouple
65 (having its sensing element disposed in a rock chamber, as rock chamber
50), then (see FIG. 3) blower 62 will cause air to flow from the cold air
return into conduit 66, upwardly in the second chamber 44, downwardly in
chamber 50, upwardly in chamber 52, through conduit 68, and urged
forwardly by blower 62 into the plenum chamber 58, and then is distributed
by the furnace throughout the house in the normal operating fashion of the
furnace 56. Preferably, two air check valves 70 and 72 (see FIG. 2) are
employed to prevent the air from being circulated by the hot air furnace,
during use thereof, when the rock in chambers 40, 44, 50, and 52 is being
heated by sun rays and the unit is operating in its heat storage cycle.
SUMMARY
From the foregoing, it will appear that I have provided a heat collector
and storage having a front, glass wall unit 32 which extends forwardly and
downwardly so the same may be disposed in the path of rays emanating from
the sun. Next, a front rock retaining mesh screen wall 36 is disposed in
the chamber and in spaced relation to the glass wall 32. This screen wall
forms one wall of the rock retaining chamber 40 and also protects the
front glass wall 32 from being damaged by rock in the first rock retaining
chamber 40. A first baffle wall 38 is disposed in the chamber and in
spaced relation to the screen wall 36 and extends generally vertically
from either the top wall 16 or the bottom wall 18 and toward but short of
the other thereof forming a first rock chamber 40. A second baffle wall 42
extends from the other of said top and bottom walls 16 and 18 and short of
the first mentioned wall. In other words, the first baffle wall may extend
from the top wall and toward but short of the bottom wall or it may extend
from the bottom wall toward but short of the top wall. Depending upon the
direction in which the first baffle wall 38 is positioned, then the second
baffle wall extends from the other of said top and bottom walls 16, 18.
This provides for a circuitous passageway in one direction in the first
rock chamber 40 and then in the opposite direction in the second rock
retaining chamber 44. Pieces of irregular shaped rocks are disposed in the
first and second rock chambers 40 and 44 and with the pieces of rock
disposed to the sun's rays in the first rock chamber 40 having a dark or
black surface to aid in heat retention in said rocks. Then, air
circulation means, such as fan means 54 cause an air flow in one direction
in the first rock chamber 40 and in the opposite direction in the second
rock chamber 44. Preferably, more than one set of rock chambers is
provided and the air flow from the last rock chamber returns to the first
rock chamber 40 to continue the circulation through the various rock
chambers employed.
Preferably, upper doors 24 are employed as front, ray-masking door means
hingedly connected to the top wall 16 of the chamber and such doors are
movable into and out of ray-masking position relative to the front, glass
wall 32.
A similar arrangement is provided regarding lower front doors 26 and such
doors are movable into and out of sun ray-masking position relative to the
front, glass wall 32.
In connection with the upper doors 24 and lower doors 26, each is
preferably provided with an inner sun ray-reflecting surface 30 so that
the doors can be angularly positioned to increase the number of rays
passing through the glass, front wall 32 by adding reflected as well as
direct penetrating rays.
The heat collecting and storage chamber is shown in combination with a
normal hot air furnace, as 56, so that the air being circulated by said
house furnace 56 can have its source of hot air as that being heated by
the furnace or as being air heated by passing through the heat collector
and storage chamber. Preferably, in connection with such a furnace, check
valves 70 and 72 are employed to ensure that the air flow by the furnace
is always in one direction so that there will be no inadvertent back feed
of air from the furnace through the heat collector and storage chamber.
Also, a thermocouple 65 is provided so that the circulation of air through
the rock chamber to heat the house 10 is responsive to a selected
temperature of the rocks in the rock chamber.
Obviously, changes may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangements of
the parts of the invention illustrated and described as an embodiment but
not as a limitation of the scope of my invention.
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