FR2642823A1 - Method for air-conditioning possibly closed spaces and installation implementing this method - Google Patents

Abstract

The method is intended for the air-conditioning of spaces which are possibly closed: esplanades of public places, areas for sports and games, buildings, houses etc., but in particular greenhouses for cultivating plants. It is characterised in that a pit 1 is provided below a space, the air of which is to be conditioned, in that this pit 1 is filled with water 4 to constitute a mass, in that there is arranged above the mass of water 4 supports 6, the assembly of which is permeable to air and a part of at least one lower face of which is situated at a height which is sufficient for a volume of air 5 to subsist between the surface of the water 4 and said lower face, in that air is introduced above the water 4 via a duct 9 and a fan 10 at a pressure which is sufficient to cause a diffusion of air directed upwards through the assembly of the supports 6, after modification of the temperature of the air introduced, by thermal action of the mass of water 4. According to circumstances, either the temperature of the air of the space is modified from that of the mass of water 4 or the temperature of the mass of water 4 is modified from that of the air of said space.

Description

PROCESS FOR AIR CONDITIONING OF SPACES
POSSIBLY CLOSED AND INSTALLATION IMPLEMENTING
THIS PROCESS
We know that the evaporation of a liquid absorbs calories. This phenomenon has been exploited for a long time to freshen up the atmosphere of very sunny premises or located in countries with hot and dry climates, the most frustrating way consisting in spreading wet sheets in front of open windows.

 We also used the evaporation of water in a more systematic way, from Antiquity, by building a porous soil above, of an extended but shallow space called "plenum" containing water.

 Evaporation has only one effect: cooling, and it is impossible to exploit this natural phenomenon to obtain air conditioning, this word meaning that one obtains a certain state of an atmosphere, measured in temperature and hygrometry, whatever the external conditions, so that it is sometimes necessary to cool, sometimes to warm, sometimes to humidify, sometimes to dry.

 Naturally, there are other means of conditioning, but they all necessarily require energy dissipation.

 The present invention makes it possible to obtain real conditioning by reducing energy expenditure and by calling not only on evaporation - but on the thermal inertia properties of water.

 To this end, the invention relates to a method for air conditioning of possibly enclosed spaces, characterized in that a pit is provided under a space whose air is to be conditioned, which is filled this pit with water to constitute a mass, which is arranged above the mass of water supports whose assembly is permeable to air and of which at least part of a lower face is located at a height sufficient for there to remain a volume of air between the surface of the water and said underside, which air is introduced over the water at a pressure sufficient to cause a diffusion of air directed from bottom to top through all of the supports, after modification of the temperature of the air introduced, by thermal action of the body of water.

According to other characteristics of this process - either the temperature of the air in space is changed by
cause from that of the body of water, i.e.
temperature of the water body from that of the air
said space; - to obtain a warming of the body of water, we
brings artificial calories to the body of water,
in particular by a boiler, in small quantities and during
a long time; - to obtain a cooling of the body of water, we
causes a circulation of water taken from the mass,
driving on a cool, even cold, recovered surface
then returned to the mass; - the body of water is treated at different levels depending on the
temperature gradient between the surface and the bottom of
said body of water; - the body of water is stirred in order to cause a rise in the
cold fractions of the mass and a descent of
hot fractions; - the space whose air is to be conditioned being exposed to
the atmosphere, we have shading elements
substantially vertical which are located at a level
greater than that of the supports and which are interposed
between direct solar radiation and said supports; - the space of which we want to condition the air being that of a
greenhouse for growing plants, these are arranged
on mobile supports and moving said supports
so that the shadow of fixed parts, in particular of
roof, either successively received by different zones
support rents.

 The invention also relates to an installation implementing the above method, characterized in that it comprises a pit intended to receive a body of water, supports of which at least part of the lower face is located at above the water level, at least one air intake, the inlet of which is above the supports and the outlet between the supports and the water, and at least one device intended to suck in air and conduct it under the supports, means being provided to allow the passage of air from bottom to top from below the supports to the top of the latter.

According to other characteristics of this installation - the supports are porous; - the supports are crossed by direct passages; - Air passages are provided between the supports; - the supports are slabs or other similar elements
fixed constituting a floor on which users can stand
find, especially in public places, either for a
simple presence1 either for the exercise of sports activities
tives and the like; - the supports have at least one float by which
they rest on the water; - the, respectively, each float is made of one mate
riau devoid of capillarity; - the supports include two parallel floats, at the
way of catamarans, and are aligned so that the spa
these between the floats together constitute a tunnel
for air above the water and below the sup
ports ;; - the sum of the widths of the supports, on the one hand and the sum
their lengths on the other hand are less than
corresponding horizontal dimensions of the pit in
which they are placed side by side; - the supports are arranged in parallel lines formed
each of at least two supports connected by means
allowing them to be angularly offset to remove
supports of two contiguous lines; the installation includes at least one trans boat
floating port on the body of water and one end of which
less is tapered to cause separation
of contiguous supports, during its advancement between said
supports ;; the boat has a wedge-shaped piece, mounted
on a pivot transverse to the axis of the boat and sus
capable of being placed beyond any of
two ends of the boat; - the supports are intended to receive substrates, either
natural or artificial, for growing plants; - 1 ';;' nstallation includes a structure composed of masts
resting on pillars to be submerged at least in
part in the body of water, roof elements and
wall elements, at least some of which are transparent
roof elements being associated with
gutters that are connected to conduits such as
hollow masts themselves, placed in communication with the exterior
laughing, possibly by at least one conduit, near the
bottom of the pit and / or at a level close to that of
edges of said pit, so that the water collected by them
gutters is led by gravity to the body of water; - the roof elements are supported by the masts at
means of cables; - the structure includes means for hanging the element
shading elements outside said structure.

- the installation comprises on the one hand at least one pump
connected to at least one conduit extending from the
pit to the top of at least one surface element
important, especially oriented to the North, in order to spread there
and let water flow from the mass, especially at
using at least one sprayer for the purpose of
cool by night radiation, and on the other hand
means to conduct the water - to the pit, after its
passage on said element, ie near the bottom of
said pit is, on the contrary, at a level close to
that of its edges; the large surface element is a struc element
ture, especially of sloping roofs; - the means to conduct the water to the pit are part
of a structure and are formed by raceways rac
strung to hollow masts placed in communication with the exterior
laughing, possibly by at least one conduit, near the
bottom of the pit and / or at a level close to that of
edges of said pit; the installation comprises at least one agitator intended for
stir the mass water to mix the components
different temperatures; the installation being intended to receive plants,
it includes at least one ventilation duct which
crosses the supports and which is equipped with at least one
fan to draw air above the plants
and push it back under the supports; the installation includes at least one sheet of material
floating, waterproof and with good conduction coefficient
thermal, to be placed on the water of the mass, in
particular in the vicinity of the outlet of the or each
ventilation duct, to avoid evaporation of
the water; the installation includes static evaporators
killed by pieces of porous material placed under the
supports and partly submerged; the installation includes heat exchangers
killed by parts made of material with low thermal inertia
that, such as an aluminum alloy, arranged under the
supports and partly submerged; - the pit is formed by an excavation of land surrounded
a peripheral embankment, all sealed for
receive a body of water, the supports being substantially
at the top of the embankment, that is to say above the
level of the surrounding land; - the pit is formed by a tank made of rigid material such
than concrete, metal, synthetic material
possibly reinforced with fibers and others; - the installation is associated with a containment structure
to constitute a greenhouse having an upper part, or
roof, which has inclined west and east slopes
so that their ends are lower than part
central of said roof, possibly reduced to one
done.

 The invention will be better understood from the detailed description below made with reference to the accompanying drawing. Of course, the description and the drawing are given only by way of an indicative and nonlimiting example.

 Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of an installation according to the invention constituting an esplanade.

 Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a variant of the method according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic view in east section
West of an installation in accordance with the invention constituting a greenhouse for growing plants.

 FIG. 4 is a partial schematic view in cross section of a floating support according to the invention, applied to the cultivation of plants in a greenhouse of the type of that of FIG. 3.

 FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken along line V - V of FIG. 4.

 Figure 6 is a partial schematic view in North-South section of an installation according to the invention constituting a greenhouse for growing plants.

 FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the greenhouse of FIGS. 3 and 6.

 FIG. 8 is a partial schematic plan view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention allowing rational exploitation of a greenhouse of the type of that of FIGS. 3, 6 and 7.

 Figure 9 is a partial schematic view in cross section of a support according to the invention of the same type as that of Figure 4, equipped with a static humidifier.

 FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view taken along line X - X of FIG. 9.

 FIG. 11 is a partial schematic view in cross section of a support according to the invention, of the same type as that of FIG. 9, equipped with a temperature exchanger.

 Referring to Figure 1, we see an example of application of the method according to the invention.

 The installation comprises a pit 1 of very large horizontal dimensions relative to its depth and obtained, for example, by digging an excavation in the ground and by sealing its bottom 2 and its walls 3 by any known means: layer of clay , concreting, tablecloth in synthetic material etc.

 The pit l receives a quantity of water 4 sufficient to constitute a mass having thermal inertia, the usefulness of which will be described below, and to provide an air space 5 between the surface of the water 4 and horizontal supports 6 .

 On the bottom 2, with or without a foundation depending on the technique used, which is within the reach of those skilled in the art, there are pillars 7 serving as a seat for the supports 6, formed here by slabs to make an esplanade : promenade, driveway, crossroads, exchange area for an outdoor exhibition, etc.

 The supports 6 must be permeable to air and for this purpose, a porous material can be used for their manufacture while being sufficiently robust to support people who may be in large numbers on the esplanade.

 Holes 8 can also be provided, as shown, and must then be given dimensions that are small enough to prevent accidentally dropped objects from passing through them and the very thin heels of certain shoes being able to catch them. .

 It is also possible, when the supports proper cannot themselves be traversed by air, to provide spaces between them constituting air passages.

 Air must be able to be introduced into space 5 and, depending on the dimensions of the esplanade and the desired effect on the surface, one or more air intakes of varying height are provided. Here, a single sheath 9 of small diameter has been shown, knowing that several can be distributed over a large area or only one located in the center and which must, it will be understood later, have a large diameter. A calculation for a concrete case shows that it is necessary to plan an air intake by fraction of surface of five hundred square meters approximately. Such a sheath can, in particular, constitute a small tower (four meters in height for example) open at its upper part and communicating by its lower part with the space 5. This tower can be associated with a reception center or information, lighting fixtures, speakers etc.

A fan 10 is placed in the duct 9 in order to draw the air at its top, as shown by the arrows F1, and drive it into space 5 at low speed, space which it travels according to arrows F2 before crossing the elements 6 through the holes 8 according to the arrows
F3.

 This installation implements the method according to the invention and which consists in using the thermal inertia of the body of water 4 to obtain a lowering of the temperature of the ambient air above the supports 6 during the hot hours of the day.

 The air sucked at the top of the sheath 9 by the fan 10 arrives at low speed in the space 5 where it is in contact with the water 4. The cooling of this air is obtained both by conduction and by evaporation water: conduction with water 4, supports 6 and pillars 7, evaporation of water in space 5. After cooling, the air passes through holes 8 and arrives in the "atmosphere" of the space in question, namely the one above the supports 6.

 As, by hypothesis, the air rising through the holes 8 is cooler than the ambient air, it has a natural tendency to stay close to the ground since it is well known that hot air rises and that the fresh air comes down.

A calculation for a concrete case shows that it is thus possible to cool from six to ten degrees Celsius a layer of air four meters thick above the supports 6, the natural ambient air being assumed to be forty degrees Celsius
This is achieved - with an air flow of ten thousand to forty thousand cubic meters per hour, generating an average of twenty to eighty cubic meters of fresh air per square meter of surface and per hour, the air layer of four meters being renewed five to twenty times an hour.

 Note that the consumption of the fan 10 for such an installation is only two kiloWatts at full speed.

 To avoid the contribution of calories by solar radiation just above the cooled area, it is possible to have shading elements II maintained at the desired location by cables 12. In order to benefit from the shade without masking the sky to users, the elements It is advantageously arranged vertically, even if they are essentially composed of horizontal parts to offer little wind resistance.

 As there is a permanent transfer of calories between the air introduced and the water 4, the latter gradually heats up during the day. To avoid a balancing of the system which would result in the attenuation, even the suppression, of the air cooling, we take advantage of the night to cool the body of water 4 as soon as the air to be sucked becomes cooler what. Of course, the regulation of the entire system can be obtained automatically by means which are within the reach of those skilled in the art and which, therefore, will not be described in detail here.

 In some areas the sky is very clear, so the ground temperature is high during the day and low at night. Thus, it is possible to have in one place, daytime temperatures of forty to fifty degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures of twenty to twenty five degrees Celsius only, a difference of about twenty degrees Celsius.

 We then understand that we can easily cool a body of water to thirty degrees Celsius with air to twenty four degrees Celsius for example.

 With such natural conditions and for this application, it can be seen that the fan 10 pulses air during the day to cool it down by means of the body of water 4 and at night to cool the body of water 4.

 It is noted that this application comprises a short cycle of only one day, so that the mass of water 4 for which thermal inertia is used does not need to be very large. A calculation for a concrete case shows that the height of the pit l can be about sixty centimeters, the water height 4 about thirty hundred hundred and the height of the space 5 about thirty centimeters.

In other cases, there is not enough difference.
rence of temperature between the body of water and the ambient air.

We must then provide a forced cooling of the mass
of water, and we will describe this variant of the process
according to the invention with reference to FIG. 2, on
which the same elements as heavens of figure l carry
the same references
The installation comprises an element 20 having a
large area, inclined and associated with a channel 21
communicating with a conduit 22 which passes through the supports 6
and whose lower end is in pit 1, near the
background 2.

 A branch 23 is connected radially to the duct 22 and its end opens out above the surface of the body of water 4.

 A shutter element is placed at the base of the conduit 22 and another at the inlet of the bypass 23. These shutter elements are shown diagrammatically by solenoid valves 24 and 25 but in practice, it may be 'other mechanisms of known type, such as remotely controlled valves.

 A pipe 25 plunges into the body of water 4 and is connected to a pump 26, itself connected to a pipe 27 rising above the element 20 and terminated by a sprayer 28. It may be necessary to provide several lines and adopt the principle of a long ramp in place of the sprayer 28 shown.

 Here, we have retained the hypothesis where the body of water 4 must be relatively large and therefore has a height significantly greater than the thirty centimeters of the hypothesis retained for FIG. 1.

The operation of this installation is as follows
When the night has come, and if the ambient air sucked into the sheath 9 is not cool enough, the pump 26 is activated to draw water from the mass 4 and lead it to the sprayer 28.

 It is then projected in a more or less divided form onto the element 20 where it flows by gravity in a thin layer before reaching the gutter 21 which collects it and brings it back to ground 4.

 This cooled water ends up either in the fresh lower layers of the mass 4 if the solenoid valve 24 is open and the solenoid valve 25 closed, or on the surface of the body of water 4, where the water has the highest temperature. high, if the solenoid valve 24 is closed and the solenoid valve 25 open.

 The opening and closing of the solenoid valves 24 and 25 are controlled automatically or not, depending on whether one wishes to store the cooled water in the lower layers where it remains so as not to modify the characteristics of the heat exchange between the air and the water, or that we wish, on the contrary, to lower the temperature of the surface water, where it absorbs the calories from the air admitted.

 The large-surface element 20 used for cooling the water can be constituted by the supports 6 themselves, in which case the cooled water rejoins the mass 4 by the passages that the air borrows in normal operation, namely here holes 8. This method is particularly well suited in places with clear skies because during the day the sun brings the soil to a very high temperature and, during the night, the nocturnal radiation causes this temperature to drop very markedly: from fifty at twenty five degrees for example.

 With the example described above, which is that of a place where the daytime temperature is high and the nighttime temperature low, one can not use this forced cooling or else store cold water at the bottom of the mass of water 4 to benefit from delay.

 If we want to quickly lower the temperature of the entire body of water 4, including the surface, we must break the natural stratification of water layers of different temperatures. For this, one or more agitators 30 are driven by a motor 31 and the active part of which dips into the body of water 4. The actuation of the agitator (s) 30 causes the cold fractions to rise and the hot fractions to descend of the body of water 4, movements which are contrary to the natural tendency and which lead to the standardization of the temperature throughout the body.

 FIG. 1 shows the application of the invention to a case where the supports 6 are fixed and constitute a floor for people, the esplanade thus created being in the open air.

 The invention also applies to cases of more or less extensive premises, that is to say enclosed spaces, at least by a roof and more often by a complete structure comprising not only a roof but also walls .

 A particularly interesting application of the invention is the creation of greenhouses for growing plants.

 In this case, one could make a soil with supports 6 for plants placed on them directly or in ad hoc containers: tubs, pots etc.

 But we have found it wise to use the body of water itself for floating supports because these become ipso facto mobile and we will see that this has several advantages.

Figure 3 is a general view in East section
West of a greenhouse according to the invention, intended for the cultivation of plants, in particular according to the technique known as "soil-less cultivation".

 This technique requires more and more precise control, in summer as in winter, day and night, of the essential parameters of air conditioning which are temperature and hygrometry. These parameters can only vary within a very narrow range, while the conditions of the outdoor environment vary considerably. This results in the need, in countries with temperate climates, of calorific contributions during approximately eight months of the year (winter and semi-seasons) and a refreshment of the atmosphere of the greenhouse during the days of the other four months ( summer). In tropical or semi-tropical countries with a dry climate, cooling is necessary during the day, almost all year round.

 According to the state of the art, the greenhouse is built on the ground and the plants are fixed. Rarely, there are wheelchairs, allowing plants to be moved in small numbers, this faculty not constituting the very foundation of the greenhouse's operation. This contains humidifiers on the one hand (water sprayers, watering booms, etc.) and on the other hand means of production and distribution of artificial calories, a network of pipes traversed by heated water. by one or more boilers, for example.

The interior atmosphere is isolated from the natural exterior atmosphere by a more or less well-insulated containment structure fitted with opening panels allowing the interior air to be renewed when atmospheric conditions allow. But the expenses due to heating are very important because the greenhouse has very little thermal inertia. Consequently, the heating installation must be dimensioned so that it can supply the calories required for the highest indoor temperature when the outdoor temperature is lower. If you want a temperature of twenty five degrees Celsius in a region where winter temperatures are around twenty degrees
Celsius below zero, the temperature differential is at least forty five degrees at the height of winter nights.

 But, after having heated at a high price, we must open the greenhouse panels and dissipate calories if the day is sunny.

 It is estimated that a greenhouse of five thousand square meters requires, for cold periods, the production of more than a million therms per year, while in hot periods it is necessary to have energetic means of ventilation.

 In addition, the plant substrate being fixed, space must be provided for the passage of personnel and small vehicles for harvesting.

 In practice, since it is necessary to access all the plants placed in line, more free space is needed than space allocated to cultivation. A greenhouse of five thousand square meters, for example, requires for the cultivation of certain plants at least two thousand five hundred square meters allocated to circulation.

 Thanks to the invention, one could affect, on the contrary, almost the entire area under crops, at least for certain plants, thus multiplying the greenhouse yield dramatically.

 According to the example used here, the greenhouse comprises a pit 100 determined by an excavation of the soil surrounded by a peripheral embankment 101 and thus having a bottom 102 and internal edges 103, the whole made waterproof by any means known to contain a mass of water 104.

 As the heating-cooling cycle is much longer than in the case described with reference to FIG. 1, the body of water 104 must, - all things considered, be clearly more voluminous. The height of water H measured from the bottom 102 to the surface is approximately four meters, depending on the climatic conditions and the insulation of the greenhouse.

 The culture supports consist of a flat horizontal part 105 fixed to two lateral floats 106 devoid of capillarity so as not to complicate the humidity balance of the greenhouse and by which the supports rest on the water with perfect stability.

 The buoyancy is calculated in such a way that by supporting two lines of substrate 107, plants 108 in accomplished development and bearing maximum fruit, as well as trellising accessories, it remains between the surface of the water and the underside of the supports 105 an air space 109 of E value of about thirty centimeters.

 On each support 105 are provided stiffening hoops 110 at least as high as the cultivated plants and joined by horizontal wires 111 to which the plants 108 are subjected as and when they grow, so that they develop harmoniously towards the top. This arrangement is known per se under the name of palisage ".

 In the following description, the term “support 105” will be called globally the whole of a support 105 and its floats 106 as well as, when this is significant, their entire load: trellising elements, substrate, plants, etc.

 The supports 105 and their floats 106 recall the shape of a catamaran and by placing several supports in parallel lines, the continuity of the spaces 109 is preserved, which together form a sort of tunnel for each line. Each tunnel being distinct from the neighbor, it is necessary to introduce air into each of them. This is why each line of supports 105 has at least one vertical duct 115 for a fan 116 which has to suck the air above the plants and discharge it at low speed into the corresponding space 109. The sheath 115 is advantageously placed in the middle of a line of supports 105 and the air arriving in the space 109 is distributed in the two opposite directions, towards the ends of said line.

 The supports 105 can be four meters long and one meter wide, for example. They are grouped in independent parallel lines which can constitute groups, in particular spans delimited by lines of posts supporting a roof. These parallel lines extend in the North-South direction over the entire width of the greenhouse, minus about one meter per span, to provide a space at least equal to the width of a line of supports 105, with which one can create a distance 117 of one meter between any two lines of supports 105 and a description will be given below of the manner of using this faculty of lateral displacement of the supports 105.

The axis of the support lines 105 is oriented North
South (Figure 7). Each line comprises a number of supports 105 such that each line has the length of the greenhouse, minus approximately eight meters left free to constitute at least one zone 118 intended for the longitudinal displacement of the lines of supports 105. and at various easements which will be explained more far.

 The connection between the supports 105 of the same line is made by means allowing their angular release, as can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. In addition, a small space must be left between the ends facing two successive supports 105 in order to create passages for the air which has been sucked in according to arrows F1, which has circulated according to arrows F2 and which leaves space 109 according to arrows F3 (Figure 6).

 The greenhouse includes a containment structure that includes roof elements and wall elements.

The latter will not be described in detail since, apart from their capacity to isolate the greenhouse, they participate little in the original operation in accordance with the invention, unlike roofing elements which have a specific role to play.

 In FIGS. 6 and 7, it can be seen that the structure includes hollow masts 120 some of which are located on the peripheral embankment 101 and others in the pit 100. These rest on pillars 121 more or less submerged depending on whether one prefers 121 high pillars and 120 short masts or vice versa, depending on economic data.

 The masts support cables 122 to which the roofing elements are suspended, this technique making it possible to produce roofs of very great range and of low weight, the frame 124 (profiles, targets, etc.) carrying roof panels proper. 125 can itself be very light.

 The roof panels 125 are tilted alternately towards the North and towards the South and constitute two by two a space called "chapel". Some panels are fixed, others hinged to open the roof of the greenhouse, as is known per se.

 The chapels are inclined longitudinally so that their east and west gables (in FIG. 3, only the east gable 126 is visible) have a height as low as possible, which limits the surfaces creating heat losses, the central part 127 being then higher.

 This structure promotes natural ventilation because the warmest air is at the top of the chapels and travels by convection to the central part 127 where there are 125 opening panels. Air inlets (not shown) are provided on the east and west gables at plant level 108.

 The panels 125a oriented to the North can be isolated and therefore opaque, all the solar radiation corresponding to the surface of the greenhouse penetrating into it only by the South panels during the winter, when this radiation is both the most modest. and most needed.

 Some of the hollow masts 120 are connected by one or more conduits 130 to gutters 131 situated at the base of the panels 125 to recover rainwater therefrom.

This flows in this way up to the body of water 104 in which it is incorporated.

 The interior space of the masts 120, at their base, is placed in communication with the exterior by two conduits 132 and 133 opening respectively near the surface of the water and near the bottom 102, a three-way solenoid valve 134 controlled automatically or not ensuring the opening and closing of the conduits 132 and 133 so that the rainwater is directed upwards or downwards from the body of water 104, according to the parameters already explained above.

 For a greenhouse, it is practically essential to provide for forced cooling of the body of water 104.

This is why it is necessary to provide at least one pump (not shown) placed on a pipe plunging into the body of water 104 and leading to a longitudinal distributor located at the top of the chapels, towards the panels 125a so that the pumped water trickles overnight so that its temperature is lowered. This water is collected by the gutters 131 and then returned to the mass 104. As already explained, the cooling of the entire body of water 104 assumes that the water returns through the conduits 132 and that agitators (not shown) ) ensure efficient mixing. The water thus recovered has a temperature of about sixteen to twenty degrees Celsius, which is sufficient to cool the air during the day.

 Instead of using hollow mSts to conduct water to ground, it is of course possible to use direct conduits such as conduit 135 shown on the left side of FIG. 6.

 It is possible to use flexible hoses (not shown) ballasted to have an immersed end near the bottom 102 and an accessible end at the surface. When the return water from gutters 131 is to return near the surface, the hoses are unused. When the return water from the gutters 131 must return near the bottom 102, the flexible pipes are connected to the ends of the conduits 132 and / or 135.

 In summer, the cooling of the greenhouse air below the outside temperature is ensured by the body of water 104, itself possibly cooled as said above.

 The humidity is controlled on the one hand by the surface of the body of water 104 left in contact with the air and on the other hand by static evaporators which will be described later.

 As long as the body of water 104, by its thermal inertia, ensures the desired heat exchanges with the air, the greenhouse is autonomous since it does not need artificial energy. The same is true when the water is cooled by making it run off overnight because the energy expended by the pump or pumps is negligible.

 The calculation shows that a greenhouse becomes autonomous from the month of March at the latitudes of France, even if it is not isolated and at the latitudes of the Netherlands if it is isolated. No known greenhouse allows to obtain such a result because none even knows the concept of autonomy.

 Thanks to the thermal inertia of the body of water 104, the calorific contributions, in winter, become independent of the outside temperature and can be carried out continuously since the body of unmixed water plays the role of accumulator so you just have to add extra calories.

 For a given surface greenhouse, the boiler room required for an installation in accordance with the invention may have a much lower hourly capacity: only ten to fifteen percent of that of a conventional greenhouse because the needs for artificial calories are approximately thirty percent of those of a traditional greenhouse. In addition, the supply of calories can be spread continuously throughout the winter and the exceptional cold peaks which dictate the capacity of the boiler of a conventional greenhouse are thanks to the invention, absorbed by the thermal inertia of the body of water 104.

 Note that the peripheral embankment 101 makes it possible to raise the level of the substrates by approximately two meters compared to the natural level of the surrounding land I40. This elevation makes it possible to gain more than one degree Celsius compared to the atmosphere that prevails at ground level 140.

 All the arrangements described above are directly linked to the implementation of the invention and produce very significant energy savings by the thermal inertia of the body of water and by the judicious organization of the structure.

 We see that we can easily regulate both the temperature and the humidity of the greenhouse air by playing on the sunshine, aeration, the exchange of calories between the air and the mass d and the surface of water exposed to clear (zone 118).

 We will now describe the specific functioning of a greenhouse comprising a body of water 104 on which supports 105 float.

 The installation includes boats specially designed to move on water, between the support lines 105 in order to transport on the one hand the personnel necessary for the service of the greenhouse and the ad hoc equipment and, on the other hand, the crops.

 Each boat comprises a hull 150 with straight ends, like a pontoon, and having a width and a length similar to that of the supports 105 or, more precisely, a width at most equal to that of the space 117 and a length at most equal to half that of space 118.

 In the middle of the shell 150, there is a horizontal transverse pivot 151 for a part 152 comprising two converging flanks allowing it, in plan1 to play the role of a bow.

The part 152 can occupy three positions relative to the shell 150 - It can be arranged horizontally beyond a
end of the hull 150 which is conventionally called
"before", the opposite end, conventionally called
rear ", carrying a reversible electric motor 153.

In this position of room 152, the boat can
insert between two lines of supports 105 and under
the effect of the advance due to the motor 153, the part 152,
thanks to its wedge shape, causes the separation of that
of the two support lines 105 located on the side where
finds the space 117. The fact that the line is composed of
several articulated supports 105 allows them to
gradually deviate, one after the other, not
requiring little energy (Figures 7 and 8).

- It can be raised above the hull 150 to
decrease the total length of the boat, making it easier
thus the evolutions of this one to pass from an inter
valley of support lines 105 to another, in which case
it extends vertically (Figure 6).

- It can be lowered, symmetrically in position
first, beyond the "rear" end, the two
sidewalls placed on either side of the engine 153. It
can then be inserted between two lines of supports 105 in
advancing in the opposite direction to the previous one, the engine
153 acting on water in the reverse sesn of the previous one,
which can be obtained very easily, either by reversing
its direction of rotation, either by turning it over, as well as
this is known per se, the usual propeller of which it is
provided with pulling instead of pushing.

To facilitate the development of boats 150, we first move all the support lines 105 to create two spaces of type 118 at the North ends and
South of the greenhouse (Figure 7).

 The good stability of the supports 105 and the maintenance of the boat that they provide (since it is clamped between two lines) allow the personnel to have an easy activity, a stabilization ballast being provided in the hulls 150.

 The shape and dimensions of the hulls 150 are chosen to allow loading of the crops with a view to their transfer to dry land.

 We now understand that the south or north end of the greenhouse bordering the space 118 serves as a sort of port, which is why there is a service area 160, in front of doors 161 and at the edge of a transport route 162 for transport vehicles.

 Thanks to the ability to move the supports 105, we can not only accumulate them against each other and be satisfied with a single space 117 per span, but we can also move them to avoid shadows, due in particular to the structure , are always located on the same plants. We can thus change the locations and avoid those that are unfavorable to the development of cultivated plants.

 Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, an alternative embodiment is seen according to which floating sheets 119 are placed on the water, in spaces 109, waterproof and with a good coefficient of thermal conduction. These sheets 119 are put in place when it is necessary to minimize the evaporation of the body of water 104 without affecting the heat exchanges between the air and the water.

 In FIGS. 9 and 10, a variant s-elon is shown which has in the spaces 109 static humidifiers whose purpose is to increase the humidification of the air because the simple contact of the air and the water body is sometimes insufficient to maintain or increase the humidity of the greenhouse atmosphere.

 Several solutions are possible for placing humidity-laden parts on the air path.

 Here, we have chosen the solution which consists in placing bricks 170 made of porous material such as terracotta, and traversed by longitudinal passages 171 constituting as many small tunnels that the air travels without difficulty according to the arrows F2. The water rises by capillary action in the bricks 170 and the air licks the walls of the tunnels 171 to take up moisture with much more efficiency than it does on the surface of the body of water 104 herself.

 The bricks 170 are placed on supports 172 connected to the supports 105 proper or to the floats 106 and which allow the bricks 170 to soak in the water of the mass 104.

 The heat exchange coefficients between air and water are small and to improve the exchange of calories, exchangers can be placed in the spaces 109, as shown in FIG. 11.

 We see a thin sheet of aluminum alloy 180 partly submerged in the body of water 104 and folded in accordion to present a specific surface as large as possible, the folds extending in the longitudinal direction of the spaces 109 to provide air passages 181.

 The sheet 180 can be fixed to the elements 105 themselves or to the floats 106. It is also possible to add to it floating elements 182, for example made of synthetic foam 1, the range of which is calculated so that the sheet 180 floats on the water according to a correct insertion.

 In its submerged part, the tSle 180 easily takes the temperature of the water thanks to the very low thermal inertia of the aluminum alloy, especially in the form of a thin sheet. In its emerged part, the sheet 180 easily yields its calories to the air, for the same reason due to the very low thermal inertia of the aluminum alloy.

 The sheet 180 therefore serves as a real heat transfer member from water to air and, of course, in reverse operation, from air to water.

 We explained above that zone 118 could be created either only in the South (Figure 7) or only in the North, or partly in the South and partly in the North, in particular to facilitate the circulation of boats.

 We understand that we can also play on the location of the support lines 105 to create this or these zones 118 in order to obtain a thermal and / or hygrometric effect because the surface of the non-carrier-support zone 105 is large enough to provide strong enough effects. We can hide it and. unmask it by using tarpaulins or by placing waterproof sheets or capillary layers on the water depending on whether you want to reduce evaporation or increase hygrometric exchanges with air, etc.

 According to the known technique, shade nets are used to reduce the effects of direct sunlight, but these nets have the disadvantage that, being located inside the greenhouse, they accumulate calories and can unbalance the diet. greenhouse operation.

 With a structure of the type shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 3 and 6, cables can be used as means for supporting and guiding movable shade nets (not shown) and having the same advantages with respect to direct radiation without presenting any disadvantage since they are located outside the greenhouse.

 The operation of a greenhouse often necessitates the presence of a generator in order to substitute an electric current obtained on site for that whose distribution from a public network is interrupted.

 These groups include a heat engine which releases calories by its intrinsic functioning (explosion of the fuel) and by the expulsion of exhaust gases.

 Until now, we recover these calories to heat water that circulates in a network of pipes having locations chosen to heat the air in the greenhouse more or less close to plants.

 However, recovering the calories from these engines requires a bulky and costly installation because a circuit independent of that of a boiler is created.

 According to the present invention, on the contrary, this recovery can be much simpler and causes less loss. For this, the water which has circulated in the engine cooling system is sent directly to mass 104. A circuit can be very easily installed by which water is taken from the mass 104, passes through the cooling circuit of an engine, in particular of a generator group where it heats up then returns to mass 104.

 In this regard, it should be remembered that modern engines are no longer cooled directly by water but by a coolant which gives up its calories to water circulating in another circuit, so that the water does not run no risk of pollution, in particular by lubricants, the body of water 104 then remaining perfectly capable of remaining in contact with the air in the greenhouse.

 We have described above an embodiment according to which the pit 100 resulted from an excavation of a ground but in practice, one can proceed differently, for example: build a concrete basin, use a metal or material tank synthetic fiber reinforced or not, etc. depending on the size and destination of the greenhouse.

 We can indeed make greenhouses of very large dimensions for a massive production of fruit. and vegetables, for example, or more modest greenhouses, of more or less extensive prefabrication, since the invention requires less sterile space than a traditional greenhouse.

 It appears from the above description that the invention makes it possible to condition the air in enclosed spaces or not, whatever their destination: public places, gardens, greenhouses, buildings for the exercise of sports or for the use of housing etc.

Claims (35)

 I- Process for the air conditioning of possibly closed spaces, characterized in that ~ a pit is provided (1-100) under a space of which one wants to condition the air, which one fills this pit ( 1-100) with water to form a mass (4-104), which is arranged above the water mass (4-104) of the supports (6-105), the assembly of which is permeable to air and of which at least part of a lower face is situated at a height (E) sufficient for a volume of air (5-109) to remain between the surface of the water and said lower face, that air is introduced above the water (4-104) at a pressure sufficient to cause a diffusion of air directed from bottom to top through all of the supports (6-105), after modification of the temperature of the introduced air, by thermal action of the body of water (4-104).  2- Method according to. Claim 1, characterized in that either the temperature of the air in the space in question is modified from that of the body of water (4104), or the temperature of the body of water (4 -104) from that of the air in said space.  3- A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, to obtain a warming of the body of water (4-104), artificial calories are supplied to cellerci, in particular by a boiler, in a small quantity and for a long time. .  4- A method according to claim 1, çaractérisé in this 9ue, to obtain a cooling of the body of water (4-104), causing a circulation of water taken from the body (4-104), conducted on a surface fresh (20,125), or even cold, recovered then returned to the mass (4,104 ,.  5- A method according to claim 1, characterized in ~ c ~~~ gu ~ we treat the mass of water (4-104) at different levels according to the temperature gradient between the surface and the bottom of said mass d water (4-104).  6- A method according to claim 1, characterized e ~ that ~ that the mass of water is stirred (4-104) in order to cause an increase in the cold fractions of the mass and a descent of the hot fractions.  7- A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the space whose air is to be conditioned being exposed to the atmosphere, there are shading elements (substantially vertical which are located at a level higher than that of the supports (6) and which are interposed between direct solar radiation and said supports (6).  8- A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the space whose air is to be conditioned being that of a greenhouse for growing plants (108), these are arranged on movable supports (105) and said supports (105) are moved so that the shadow of fixed parts, in particular of roofing elements, is successively received by zones different from the supports (105).  9- Installation implementing the above process, characterized in that it comprises a pit (1100) intended to receive a body of water (4-104), supports (6-105) of which at least part of the lower face is located above the water level, at least one air intake (9-115) whose inlet is above the supports (6-105) and the outlet between the supports (6-105 ) and water (104), and at least one device (10-116) intended to suck in air and conduct it under the supports (6-105), means being provided to allow the passage of the air from bottom to top from below the supports (6-105) to above them.  10- Installation according to claim 11, characterized in that the supports (6) are porous.  11- Installation according to claim 9, characterized e that the supports (6) are traversed by direct passages (8).  12- Installation according to claim 9, characterized e that air passages are formed between the supports (105).  13- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in ceue supports (6) are slabs or other similar fixed elements constituting a floor on which users can be, especially in public places, either for a simple presence, or for the exercise of sporting and similar activities.  14- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the supports (105) have at least one float (106) by which they rest on the water (104).  15- Installation according to claim 14, characterized in that the, respectively each, float (106, is made of a material devoid of capillarity.  16- Installation according to claim 14, characterized in ~ gue supports (105) comprise two parallel floats (106), like catamarans, and are aligned so that the spaces (109) between the floats (106) together constitute a tunnel for air above water (104) and below supports (105).  17- Installation according to claim 14, characterized c ~~~ gue the sum of the widths of the supports (105), on the one hand and the sum of their lengths on the other hand are less than the corresponding horizontal dimensions of the pit (100) in which they are placed side by side.  18- Installation according to claim 14 characterized in that the supports (105) are arranged in parallel lines each formed by at least two supports (105) connected by means making it possible to offset them angularly to separate the supports (105) from two lines contiguous.  19- Installation according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises at least one transport boat (150) floating on the body of water (4-104) and of which at least one end is of tapered shape in order to cause l spacing of contiguous supports (106), during its advancement between said supports (105).  20- Installation according to claim 19, characterized in that the boat (150) has a wedge-shaped part (152), mounted on a pivot (151) transverse to the surface of the boat (150) and capable to be placed beyond any one of the two ends of the boat (150).  21- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the supports (105) are intended to receive substrates (107), either natural or artificial, for the cultivation of plants (108).  22- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a structure composed of masts (120) resting on pillars (121) to be immersed at least partly in the body of water (104), elements roof (123-124-125) and wall elements, at least some of which are transparent, roof elements (125-125a) being associated with gutters (131) which are connected to conduits (120-135) such as the hollow masts <120) themselves, placed in communication with the outside, possibly by at least one conduit (132133), near the bottom (102) of the pit- (100) and / or at a close level from that of the edges of said pit (100), so that the water collected by the gutters (131) is conducted by gravity to the body of water (104).  23- Installation according to claim 22, characterized in that the roof elements (124-125) are supported by the masts (120) by means of cables (123).  24- Installation according to claim 23, characterized in that the structure comprises means (123) for the attachment of shading elements outside of said structure.  25- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises on the one hand at least one pump (26) connected to at least one conduit (25-27) extending from the pit (1) to the top at least one element (20) with a large surface area, in particular oriented at the North, with a view to spreading and making there flow water from the mass (4), in particular by means of at least one sprayer (28), for the purpose of cooling it by night radiation, and on the other hand, means (21-22-2324-25) for conducting the water towards the pit (1), after it has passed over said element (20), either near the bottom (2) of said pit or ( 1), on the contrary, at a level close to that of its edges.  26- Installation according to claim 25, characterized ~ e gue the large surface element is a structural element, in particular of pitched roof (125a).  27- Installation according to claim 25, characterized in ceue the means for conducting water to the pit (100) are part of a structure and are constituted by gutters (131) connected to hollow masts (120) placed in communication with the outside, possibly by at least one conduit (132-133), near the bottom (102) of the pit (100) and / or at a level close to that of the edges of said pit (100).  28- Installation according to claim 25, characterized in that it comprises at least one agitator (30-31) intended to stir the water of the mass (4) in order to mix the components of different temperatures.  29- Installation according to claim 9, charac ~~ i ~ e ~ n ~~~~ that being intended to receive plants (108), it comprises at least one ventilation duct (115) which passes through the supports (105) and which is equipped with at least one fan (116) which has to draw air over the plants (108) and discharge it under the supports (105).  30- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that at 'it comprises at least one sheet (119) of floating material, tight and with good coefficient of thermal conduction, to be placed on the water of the mass (104), particular at the outlet of the or each ventilation duct (115), in order to avoid evaporation of the water.  31- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in c u'elîe comprises static evaporators consisting of parts (170) of porous material arranged under the supports (105) and partly submerged.  32- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises heat exchangers constituted by parts (180) of material with low thermal inertia, such as an aluminum alloy, arranged under the supports (105) and in submerged part.  33- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that aue the pit (100) is formed by an excavation of land surrounded by a peripheral embankment (101), all sealed to receive a body of water (104), supports (105) being substantially at the level of the top of the embankment (101), that is to say above the level of the surrounding terrain (140).  34- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the pit is formed by a tank made of rigid material such as concrete, metal, a synthetic material possibly reinforced with fibers.  35- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it is associated with a containment structure to constitute a greenhouse having an upper part, or roof (123-124-125), which has inclined west and east slopes so that their ends (126) are lower than a central part (127) of said roof, possibly reduced to a ridge.