FI76203C - FOERFARANDE FOER UPPVAERMNING AV BOSTADSHUS. - Google Patents

Description

76203

Method for heating a residential building

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1, for heating a residential building.

According to such a method, the air is preheated in an insulated space, after which the heat content of the air is used to heat other parts of the residential building, e.g. by circulating the air inside the building by means of a fan or transferring part of the air heat to the heating water.

Today, fossil or other fuels, or electrical energy, are commonly used as a source of thermal energy in residential heating. A common feature of all systems is that thermal energy is produced by converting the energy of chemical, electrical or electromagnetic radiation from an energy source directly into thermal energy.

An example of converting electrical energy into thermal energy for heating a residential building is the solution presented in FI patent application 3104/66, in which an electric heating device is used to heat air, which is recirculated inside the residential building by means of a continuously operating fan. Air is blown into the room through holes made in the floor through an empty space left under the floor. If necessary, the heat is stored in a special storage mass, so that the consumption of heating power can be equalized.

Several heating arrangements are also known in which the energy contained in electromagnetic radiation is converted into thermal energy. Almost without exception, all such solutions are based on the heating of the air in a greenhouse or greenhouse installed in connection with a residential building by means of so-called solar panels. The conservatory, which is usually located on the south side of a residential building, 2 76203, forms an enclosed space and is provided with means for circulating air inside the heated room. FR patent application 2,438,241 describes a heated house according to the above solution. EP-A-43 057, on the other hand, proposes that a conservatory with solar panels be placed in the middle of the house, so that the utilization of sunlight can be made more efficient and air circulation improved.

For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that EP application publications 38 213 and 41 658 describe various systems for removing heat and moisture generated in a greenhouse from a greenhouse space and for utilizing air conditioning and heating in a residential building.

The object of the present invention is to provide a completely new solution for heating a residential building. The invention is based on the idea that the thermal energy required for heating room air and producing hot water is produced by converting a substantial part (at least about 1%, preferably 15-30%) of the base energy into radiation in the visible wavelength range in an isolated space, especially in a greenhouse. This can be done, for example, by means of mercury, fluorescent, high-pressure sodium or the like lamps.

The greenhouse is suitable for use in such a method because the luminaire power required for plants grown under artificial light is relatively high, usually 120 to 150 W / m2. When the power requirement of a normal detached house is a maximum of 15 kW, the thermal power corresponding to this value is already obtained from the radiation used to grow plants on an area of 100 m2.

According to the invention, 0.05 ...

0.20 kWf preferably 0.12 to 0.15 kW of luminaire power (= intake power) per square meter, which corresponds to an illuminance of 8,000 to 12,000 lux (lm / m2), the total area of cultivation being selected so that its The total radiant energy received by 3 76203 corresponds at least approximately to the energy consumption of a residential dwelling.

More specifically, the method according to the invention is characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The term "greenhouse" as used in this application means a heat and moisture insulated room in which live ornamental and / or food plants are grown.

The invention preferably uses a lighting device, such as an incandescent lamp, or most preferably a greenhouse lamp, which is operated by means of electricity, particularly preferably by means of an alternating voltage electric current. The use of a greenhouse lamp, such as a mercury or high-pressure sodium lamp, provides a particularly suitable visible radiation for plants with a maximum intensity of at least approximately 450 nm and 650 nm.

In the invention, the total area of cultivation is preferably selected so that the amount of radiant energy it receives corresponds to the energy consumption of the residential apartment during an optional period, preferably about a day. The part of the amount of heat from cultivation that momentarily exceeds the energy consumption of the residential building is then stored in its special heat accumulator, such as a liquid or salt tank.

The invention provides considerable advantages. Thus, the electromagnetic potential energy in various luminaires can be converted almost losslessly into partly thermal energy, partly into electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of light, which is further converted into thermal energy as it is absorbed into the material. The amount of energy needed to heat a residential building can then be used to produce useful live ornamental or food plants without any energy loss.

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In the following detailed description, the invention will be examined in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawing of a greenhouse used in the invention.

The greenhouse of a residential building, e.g. a detached house, used in the invention is, like a normal cold store, a well-insulated space in which the conditions for growing live plants are artificially created. In order to create the mentioned conditions, it is necessary: - Lighting devices that produce sufficient visible light in the wavelength range (approx. 400 ... 700 nm) of electromagnetic radiation. The amount of radiation required per unit area varies depending on the plant variety. The lighting devices are arranged on the shelves in such a way that each shelf achieves a uniformly high illuminance / surface area which is advantageous for plants. As luminaires, commonly available luminaires are used, mercury, fluorescent or high-pressure sodium lamps used as greenhouse luminaires are particularly suitable.

- Air conditioners that maintain the indoor air in the greenhouse at the desired temperature and the relative humidity of the air at a predetermined value. The equipment required includes an air cooler to maintain the greenhouse temperature in the desired range, usually between 18 and 20 ° C. Said air cooler is a refrigeration machine with a compressor, which is also commonly used in other air conditioning applications. To keep the relative humidity of the air high enough, recirculating air cooling is used, in which only a small part, about 10-15%, of the air circulation required in the greenhouse is led through the cooling device. If this arrangement is not sufficient to keep the relative humidity of the air high enough, the so-called without wet cooling, in which part of the air to be cooled is blown near a temperature of 0 76203 through a jet of cooled water. The heat energy from the condenser side of the cooling device is transferred either to the circulating water in the radiator network, to the hot water or to the supply air blown directly into the living quarters.

- Optional carbon dioxide supply equipment that may be required to achieve a good growth result. Air can also be recycled to the greenhouse from the living areas. Outdoor air can also be used.

In summary of the above, and with reference to the figure, it should be noted that the greenhouse used in the invention consists of the following parts: A. Heat and moisture insulated room 1.

B. Shelves 2 for growing media needed by plants.

C. Lighting device mounted above each shelf (not shown).

D. Irrigation and nutrient solution equipment for cultivated plants (not shown).

E. Air Conditioners 3-7 to keep the temperature and humidity at the desired value. The air conditioners comprise a compressor-operated refrigeration machine 3 and air distribution ducts 4. The air is distributed between the growing shelves at points 5, and is removed from the greenhouse along the duct 7 between the shelf ropes. The heat from the freezing machine 3 can be transferred, for example, to the radiator network 6.

F. Carbon dioxide concentration control devices (not shown) consisting of pure CO2 gas dispensers or supply air devices that transfer a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide to the space from the outside air or living quarters.

The electromagnetic radiation produced by lighting equipment consists of both thermal radiation and visible light. Most of the visible light is converted into thermal energy in plants and their substrates, but a small part is bound through chemical synthesis to chemical energy. However, since some of this energy 6 76203 is converted into thermal energy during plant respiration, it can be considered that electrical energy converted into visible light is almost completely converted into thermal energy.

As mentioned above, the invention preferably uses an electrically operated device as the lighting device. However, the invention is not limited to this alternative alone, but other luminaires known per se can in principle be suitable for use. Of these alternative lighting devices, mention may be made in particular of gas (liquefied petroleum gas) lighting devices. Preferred lighting devices according to the invention, mercury, fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lamps, are well-known discharge lamps per se, in which radiation is generated in connection with a glow discharge of a gas or metal fill at a current density of 10 "^ ... 10" ^ A / cm2. Of the discharge lamps, the high-pressure sodium lamp is a spot light source with good efficiency (up to 25 ... 30% of the electrical energy is converted into visible light) and a radiation spectrum favorable to plants. The same is true for the mercury lamp. The spectrum produced by the fluorescent tube is not as suitable as that of a high-pressure sodium lamp, but because the lamp is elongated in shape, it is easy to achieve uniform lighting conditions for plants. The efficiency of a fluorescent lamp is usually 15..20%.

The dimensioning of the greenhouse, ie growing media and lighting devices, respectively, is based on the fact that thermal energy is continuously obtained from the greenhouse, in which case a separate storage tank known per se (see, for example, FI patent application 3104/66) can balance the power demand. The equipment therefore does not need to be dimensioned for the peak consumption (15 kW) mentioned at the beginning. The normal power requirement of a modern, well-insulated detached house is limited to about 5-6 kW. The growing area corresponding to this power is about 50 m 2 and requires a room space of about 30 to 35 m 2.

In the example case, a greenhouse with a total volume of 81 m3 was prepared, the external dimensions of which were: width 5 m, length 7 76203 6/5 m and height 2.5 m. The intake power of the luminaire was about 120 W per square meter. vary as follows s

Number of floors area Heating capacity [m1] [kW] 2 32 3.8 3 48 5.8 4 64 7.7 5 80 9.6

Effective plant cultivation requires that the lighting is used for about 10 ... 16 hours / day. Thus, it is possible and sensible to strive to use night electricity for lighting, with the lowest cost. The heat production in the greenhouse can be easily adjusted by illuminating the growing area only partially according to the power demand of the respective building.

Thermal energy generated in the greenhouse accumulates in the air in the greenhouse, where the temperature rises. Due to the humidity in the air, the amount of heat accumulated can be considerably large. Thermal energy is used to heat other parts of a residential building in two main ways: 1) By directing warm air from the greenhouse directly to the rooms

By transferring heat either to a heat pump or to a heat recovery device based on free heat transfer to the domestic water, to the water circulating in the radiator network, or to the circulating air of the air heating system. For this purpose, the device solution mentioned in, for example, EP-A-41 658 can be used. Heat can be stored in a storage tank consisting of water or another substance, as already mentioned above, unless the current heat demand requires immediate use.

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Methods 1) and 2) can also be used simultaneously. The growth room heating center can thus be connected to all existing heat distribution systems. When using a heat pump to cool a greenhouse, a compressor with a maximum (15 kW heating power requirement in the building) of about 3 kW (intake power) is required.

Among the areas of use of the greenhouse heating system, mention may be made in particular of detached houses and other detached houses. Technically, however, the method is also suitable for use in heating other residential buildings.

Claims (4)

9 76203 A method for heating a residential building, which uses thermal energy from the electromagnetic radiation in the air in a separate, isolated room (1) intended for the cultivation of living plants, characterized in that - the electromagnetic radiation is produced by changing a primary part of the primary energy, preferably electrical energy, into radiation in the wavelength range of visible light, in which case 0.05 to 0.20 kW, preferably 0.12 to 0.15 kW of luminaire power per square meter of growth is introduced into the crop, and - the total growth area of the crop is selected so that the total radiant energy it receives corresponds to the consumption of heating energy in a residential building. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the total area under cultivation to be artificially illuminated is selected to correspond to the energy consumption of the dwelling during an optional period, preferably about 24 hours, when the part of the heat that exceeds the energy consumption of the dwelling is stored. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lighting device produces visible light with a maximum intensity of at least approximately at wavelengths of 450 nm and 6 nm, respectively. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air heated in the insulated space is circulated inside the residential building and / or at least part of the heat of the air is transferred to the domestic hot water, heating water and / or supply air.