FR2522047A1 - Flat roof tile with solar heating system - has semicircular section transverse grooves forming housings for heat transfer tubes with grooves of adjacent tiles - Google Patents

Abstract

A flat roof tile (14) overlaps with the tile above (12) and below (16) it. Each tile has a semicircular section transverse groove (18) on its upper surface adjacent to but spaced from its upper edge. A similar groove (20) on the underside is adjacent to but spaced from the lower edge. When the tiles are laid, corresponding grooves form circular housings that surround a tube (22) carrying the heat transfer liquid. The tiles are pref. made of clay with a mixture of heat conductive material. The upper surface of each tile may have a permanent black coating.

Description

 The present invention relates in general to a roof tile used in a solar water heating system and, more particularly, to a solar water heating system comprising roof tiles composed of tubes with thermal conductivity.

 The main object of the invention is to provide a roof provided with a solar water heating system, with the roof comprising roof tiles having covering portions and composed of thermally conductive tubes in corresponding transverse grooves of substantially semicircular cross section in the covering portions of the roof tiles.

 More particularly, an important object is to provide a roofing tile having upper and lower ends and upper and lower surfaces, a transverse groove of substantially semi-circular cross section on the upper surface of the roofing tile adjacent to its upper end. , and a transverse groove of substantially semi-circular cross section on the lower surface of the roof tile adjacent to its lower part.

 In practice, two of the preceding roofing tiles are arranged in overlapping relationship with the transverse groove on the lower surface of the upper tile in co-operation with the transverse groove in the upper surface of the lower tile, and with a tube with thermal conductivity, preferably metallic in the coincident grooves.

 The roofing tile of the invention is preferably a clay tile and an important object of the invention is to form the tile with a clay containing a material with thermal conductivity, such as graphite, metallic particles or oxides metallic, etc.

 Clay is currently the preferred material.

However, the invention is not limited to the latter.

For example, the tile can be stamped in metal, such as steel or aluminum, with the receiving grooves of the transverse tube mentioned above. If necessary, these metal tiles can be covered with porcelain, or a similar material, for maximum weather resistance. In addition, the tiles can be made with plastic, glass, or other similar material.

 Another important object is to equip at least the exposed part of the upper surface of each tile with a permanent black coating in order to maximize the absorption of solar heat energy.

 The tubes forming part of the tiled roof are advantageously connected to a source of water to be heated and to an adequate storage tank, or to similar equipment, supplying hot water, which can be used at any end.

 The invention provides a very simple and efficient way to use solar heat energy to heat water, without having to use exposed solar heating units, heating tubes, or the like, which are important elements. .

The above objects, advantages, characteristics and results of the present invention, as well as the various other objects, advantages, characteristics and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the art of solar water heating, in the light of the description, can be achieved by virtue of the introduction of the invention indicated by way of example in the attached drawing and described in detail below. In this drawing,
, - Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, on a reduced scale, of a tiled roof equipped with a solar water heating system based on the invention;
- Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the fragmentary section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
- Figure 3 is a perspective view of a roof tile according to the invention.

 FIG. 1 shows a fragmentary view of a tile roof 10 of the invention, equipped with a solar water heating system, the roof being presented as comprising an upper path of roof tiles 12 overlapping a lower path of roof tiles 14.

Figure 2 indicates one of the tiles 14 overlapping a tile 16 in a third course.

As it best appears in FIG. 3, which represents one of the tiles 14, for example, the upper surface of each tile is provided with a transverse groove 18 of mainly semicircular cross section adjacent to the end top of each tile. The lower surface of each tile 14 has a transverse groove 20 of sectio; substantially semi-circular transverse adjacent to the lower part thereof. (For reasons of ease of manufacture, all the tiles 12, 14 and 16 are preferably identical. However, it is obvious that the upper groove 18 of each tile 12 can be omitted, and that the lower groove 20 of the tiles of the course the lowest, not shown, can be omitted.)
As apparent, the grooves 18 and 20 are formed in overlapping portions of the tiles 12 and 14, for example, and face each other so as to form an appropriate groove of substantially circulating cross section designed to receive a tube. with thermal conductivity 22, preferably metallic, in particular copper, stainless steel, or a similar metal.

 The water to be heated circulates through the tubi 22 from one end of the roof 10 to the other, the water being supplied from a suitable source, not indicated, at one end and being conveyed to a storage tank. storage of hot water or similar equipment, not indicated, located at the other end. If necessary, the tubes 22 can be tubular at their ends.

 As apparently indicated, the invention consists of a solar water heating system incorporated in the to 10, so that it is invisible, which represents an important characteristic of the invention. One of the possible materials for the tiles 12, 14, 16, etc., is clay, in which case the clay of the tiles preferably contains a material with thermal conductivity, as described above. In addition, in order to increase the rate of absorption of solar heat, at least the exposed parts of the various tiles have permanently black upper surfaces.

 While conventional clay tiles, made up of grooves 18 and 20, are the ones currently preferred, metal tiles made up of similar stamped grooves can also be used. These tiles can be coated with porcelain, or other suitable material, to ensure maximum weather resistance. In addition, as indicated above, other materials can be used.

Claims (9)

 1. Flat roof tile composed of upper and lower ends and flat upper and lower surfaces for positioning between the corresponding flat tiles placed above and below, engaged with the lower and upper flat surfaces and these, respectively, characterized in that it comprises a transverse groove (18) of substantially semi-circular cross section on its adjacent upper surface and spaced from its upper end, and a transverse groove (20) of substantially semicircular cross section on its surface adjacent lower and spaced from its lower end, with said grooves (18, 20) coupled with the corresponding grooves (18, 20) of said corresponding tiles (12, 14, 16) placed above and below in which the tiles, when '' they are placed in a ratio of upper and lower positions, consist of said coupling grooves (18 , 20) encircling a tube (22) for transferring heat by conduction of a fluid.  2. Roofing tile according to claim 1, wherein the material of the tile is clay.  3. Roofing tile. According to claim 2, wherein the clay from which said tile is made contains a material with thermal conductivity.  4. Roof tile according to claim 3, wherein at least the upper surface is composed of a permanent black coating.  5. Roof fitted with a solar water heating system, characterized in that it comprises (a) a plurality of roof tiles (12, 14, 16) generally rectangular with flat overlapping upper and lower surfaces, composed of coincident transverse grooves (18, 20) of substantially semicircular cross-section in said flat overlap surfaces with overlapping tile grooves facing each other, defining substantially circular passages, and (b) conductive tubes (22) thermal in said coincident grooves (18, 20), said tubes supplying a heat transfer fluid.  6. Roof according to claim 5, wherein said tubes (22) are metallic.  7. Roof according to claim 6, wherein said tiles (12, 14, 16) are made of clay.  8. Roof according to claim 7, wherein the clay of said tiles (12, 14, 16) contains a material with thermal conductivity.  9. Roof according to claim 8, wherein said tiles (12, 14, 16) have permanently exposed black upper surfaces.