AU2006202832A1 - Hydronic solar radiant floor heating system - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: William Rostier Harcourt Freeman Actual Inventor: William Rostier Harcourt Freeman Address for Service: George Griziotis, Patent Attorney P.O.Box 321 MOOREBANK NSW 2170 Invention Title: HYDRONIC SOLAR RADIANT FLOOR HEATING SYSTEM Details of Associated Application Prov. Appln. No. 2005903466 Filed on 30 June 2005 The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing the invention known to the inventor:- Cc FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to solar heating systems for buildings and, in 00 particular, to hydronic solar radiant floor heating systems. Such a floor 0 heating system may optionally be linked to an existing or new swimming

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INO pool or spa heating system.

This invention has been developed primarily for use in homes and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known, or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

There are commonly three basic kinds of solar heating systems: photovoltaic, hydronic (liquid) collectors, and gas (air) collectors.

Photovoltaic cells convert incident sunlight into electrical current, while hydronic and gas collectors absorb and store solar energy for transfer to another location at which it may be dispensed as hot water or may be used to radiate heat for warming purposes. Hydronic solar radiant heating systems are popular means of heating swimming pools, and commonly collect their solar energy through roof mounted collectors having a shallow structure Cc comprising a serpentine arrangement of tubes exposed to the sun and through which water (and optionally an antifreeze) is circulated.

CA,

00 Various roof mounted, solar heating systems adapted for dispensing hot IND water or radiating heat to floors or the like are disclosed in US Patent Nos.

S4,509,503; 4,132,356; 4,376,436; 4,315,501; and 4,192,454. However, the systems disclosed therein do not efficiently couple their roof mounted collectors with radiant heating systems housed in the floor, and do not also have the facility to, when required, divert heated water to a swimming pool or spa.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the shortcomings and disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art.

According to the invention, there is provided a hydronic solar radiant floor heating system for a building, the system comprising a roof mounted solar energy collector means in liquid flow communication with a floor housed radiant heating means, whereby liquid is heated by solar energy impacting the collector means and is transferred to the radiant heating means for heating the floor, liquid storage means in liquid flow communication with the radiant heating means, whereby liquid is transferred from the radiant heating means and accumulates in the liquid storage means, the liquid storage means allowing any residual heat in the liquid to be stored as a Ssource of semi heated liquid, and liquid flow diverter means for allowing semi heated liquid from the storage means to be diverted to the radiant heating means for use when return of the semi heated liquid to the collector 00 means is not required.

In a preferred form, the system further includes a second liquid flow diverter means for allowing heated liquid from the collector means to be diverted to another location for use when heating of the floor is not required.

Preferably, the storage means is a tank located under the floor.

It is preferred that the second liquid flow diverter means diverts heated liquid from the collector means to a swimming pool.

The collector means is preferably operably connected to an air valve which, when opened, allows liquid to drain out of the collector means.

In a further preferred form, the collector means includes a temperature sensor that communicates a sensed temperature of liquid leaving the collector means to an automatic temperature controller which, when it senses that heat is available, causes liquid to circulate through the system, thereby heating the floor.

Preferably, liquid is circulated through the system by a pump.

Cc It is also preferred that the system include an electrically powered booster heater or other supplementary heating means to increase the temperature of liquid circulating through the system when solar energy does not impact the 00 collector means.

IND

SSUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing (Fig. 1) which is a schematic diagram of a building that incorporates a hydronic solar radiant floor heating system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The building shown schematically in Fig. 1 has a roof mounted solar energy collector means 12 which absorbs and stores solar energy in liquid circulating through tubes 14 exposed to solar radiation either directly from the sun or from heat radiating from the roof. There is a return header 16 for receiving heated liquid from the tubes 14, and heated liquid is then transferred by an exit pipe 18 to a diverter valve 20. The valve 20 controls the direction of flow of the heated liquid either to a floor housed radiant heating means 22 or to a swimming pool, spa or other location for use. In most cases, the heated liquid is transferred to the radiant heating means 22 which, in this instance, comprise under floor heat emitting panels or dispersers that are placed between floor joists or within a concrete slab.

Cc There may be radiant heating means 22 in numerous rooms of the building, in which case there are isolation solenoids that can control heating to one or 0 more selected rooms. The heated liquid in the floor radiates heat upwardly to 00 warm the room.

INI

Liquid leaving the radiant heating means 22 will be in a semi heated state after losing some, but not all, of its heat through the floor. This semi heated liquid passes to a liquid storage means 24, in the form of an accumulator tank, to preserve the residual heat and allow its build up into a large volume.

This semi heated liquid is returned to the roof mounted collector means 12 via a diverter valve 28 and a pump 30 operating to return liquid from both the pool or storage means 24 to the collector means 12. The diverter valve 28 is located at the junction of a storage means outlet pipe 32 and a pool return pipe 34.

Although the pool can be heated directly from heated liquid from the collector means 12 when valve 20 so directs the liquid, the pool may also be heated from semi heated liquid via valves 36, 38 and 20 being opened.

Controlling the specific operation of these valves may also allow heated liquid to pass to both the floor and the pool.

When there is a risk of liquid in the system freezing and damaging the collector means, such as on a cold night, or simply when the collector means is not in use and needs to be drained of liquid, pump 30 may be turned off Cc and an air valve 40 operably connected to the collector means is opened to allow the liquid to drain out of the collector means 12 and into the storage Cc means 24 or pool.

o00 IDThere is a temperature sensor 42 in the return header 16 of the collector means 12, and a temperature sensor 44 in the supply pipe to the pump There may also be temperature sensors in the radiant heating means 22, and in the pool. An automatic temperature controller 46 senses when heat is available and liquid is then caused by pump 30 to circulate through the system until a drop in temperature is sensed, whereupon the controller stops the pump 30 or opens bypass valve means so that the heated liquid is diverted to the floor.

At night, or when there is no heat to warm the roof mounted solar collector means 12, the bypass valves 36, 38 may be opened, the valve 20 closed, and the pump 30 operated to cause liquid to circulate between the storage means 24 and the floor heating means 22, the liquid thereby avoiding the collector means 12 where loss of heat may occur.

The system optionally includes one or more electrically powered booster heaters or other supplementary heating means at locations in the system for boosting the temperature of the liquid on cold or cloudy days or at night. A booster heater 48 is shown in Fig. 1 at a location where it can heat liquid leaving the storage means 24.

SThe inclusion of a spa in the system may require that heated liquid be utilized to heat the under floor area of the spa.

00 Q It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications IND may be made in details of design and construction of the hydronic solar Sradiant floor heating system described above without departing from the scope or ambit of the invention.

For instance, the diverter and bypass valve means may be manually or thermostatically/solenoid operated. Also, insulation of various components should be provided to minimize heat loss.

Claims (7)

1. A hydronic solar radiant floor heating system for a building, the system 00 comprising a roof mounted solar energy collector means in liquid flow IND communication with a floor housed radiant heating means, whereby liquid is Sheated by solar energy impacting the collector means and is transferred to the radiant heating means for heating the floor, liquid storage means in liquid flow communication with the radiant heating means, whereby liquid is transferred from the radiant heating means and accumulates in the liquid storage means, the liquid storage means allowing any residual heat in the liquid to be stored as a source of semi heated liquid, and liquid flow diverter means for allowing semi heated liquid from the storage means to be diverted to the radiant heating means for use when return of the semi heated liquid to the collector means is not required.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a second liquid flow diverter means for allowing heated liquid from the collector means to be diverted to another location for use when heating of the floor is not required.

3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the storage means is a tank located under the floor.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the second liquid flow diverter means diverts heated liquid from the collector means to a swimming pool. Cc 5. The system of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the collector means is operably connected to an air valve which, when opened, allows liquid to Cc drain out of the collector means. o00 ID6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the collector means includes a temperature sensor that communicates a sensed temperature of liquid leaving the collector means to an automatic temperature controller which, when it senses that heat is available, causes liquid to circulate through the system, thereby heating the floor.

7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein liquid is circulated through the system by a pump.

8. The system of any one of claims 1 to 7 further including an electrically powered booster heater or other supplementary heating means to increase the temperature of liquid circulating through the system when solar energy does not impact the collector means.

9. A hydronic solar radiant floor heating system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing. Dated this 30th day of June 2006 WILLIAM ROSTIER HARCOURT FREEMAN Patent Attorney for the Applicant George Griziotis.