NL2021065B1 - Building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts. - Google Patents
Building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts. Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NL2021065B1 NL2021065B1 NL2021065A NL2021065A NL2021065B1 NL 2021065 B1 NL2021065 B1 NL 2021065B1 NL 2021065 A NL2021065 A NL 2021065A NL 2021065 A NL2021065 A NL 2021065A NL 2021065 B1 NL2021065 B1 NL 2021065B1
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- heat
- building
- air
- heat exchangers
- heat pump
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Abstract
The invention, a building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts, is a Peltier heat pump with large surface natural convection and heat radiation heat exchangers that do not require fans to increase the heat transfer coefficient on the air side. A number of Peltier elements are placed in a distributed manner in between and in contact with two parallel large surface heat exchangers, where the remaining space between the heat exchangers is filled with thermally insulating material. The overall embodiment of heat exchangers, Peltier elements and insulating material forms the wall of a building. One of the heat exchangers is in thermal contact with the indoor air in the building, the other heat exchanger is in thermal contact with the outdoor air. When sufficient DC electrical power is supplied to one or more of the Peltier elements, a heat flow arises from the indoor air to the outdoor air or vice versa. The invention therefore enables heating and cooling of the indoor air by means of a reversible heat pump integrated in the building wall, without any moving parts. A distinguishing feature of the invention is that it contains large surface heat exchangers, that do not require fans to increase the heat transfer coefficient. Therefore the resulting heat pump does not contain any moving parts, and thus creates no noise and is less susceptible to breakdown. A further distinguishing feature of the invention is that the embodiment of heat exchangers, Peltier elements and insulation material as a whole constitutes the wall of a building. Contrary to background art heat pumps, the heat pump according to this invention does not occupy any useful building space other than the walls of the building.
Description
Technical Field
This invention relates to heat pumps for comfort heating and cooling of buildings. These buildings can be private homes, utility or commercial buildings, and industrial buildings.
Background Art
Heat pumps are devices able to transport heat from a low temperature environment to a high temperature environment. By definition, all refrigerating and freezing equipment are also heat pumps, since they transport heat from a cold environment to a warmer environment.
Peltier elements are small solid state heat pumps based on the thermoelectric effect. When direct current (DC) electrical power is supplied to the element, a heat flow arises which transports heat from one side of the element to the other side. When the power supplied is reversed in polarity, the heat flow reverses. Therefore the Peltier element is a reversible heat pump.
The Peltier element is a solid state device, and does not contain any moving parts. For practical use of Peltier elements in transporting heat from one air volume to another air volume, heat exchangers are attached to both sides of the Peltier element to allow for collection of heat from one air volume and dissipation of heat to the other air volume. In background art space heating applications and background art space cooling applications with Peltier elements, the heat exchangers that collect heat from an air volume or that discharge heat to an air volume are without exception equipped with fans in order to increase the heat transfer coefficient on the air side.
Due to the presence of fans on the air heat exchangers attached to the Peltier element the overall embodiment of thermoelectric air to air heat pumps contains moving parts in background art. The presence of fans causes noise, it makes the embodiment more susceptible to breakdown, and energy is needed to operate the fans.
Summary of invention
The invention, a building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts, is a Peltier heat pump with large surface natural convection and heat radiation heat exchangers that do not require fans to increase the heat transfer coefficient on the air side. A number of Peltier elements are placed in a distributed manner in between and in contact with two parallel large surface heat exchangers, where the remaining space between the heat exchangers is filled with thermally insulating material. The overall embodiment of heat exchangers, Peltier elements and insulating material forms the wall of a building. One of the heat exchangers is in thermal contact with the indoor air in the building, the other heat exchanger is in thermal contact with the outdoor air. When sufficient DC electrical power is supplied to one or more of the Peltier elements, a heat flow arises from the indoor air to the outdoor air or vice versa.
The invention therefore enables heating and cooling of the indoor air by means of a reversible heat pump integrated in the building wall, without any moving parts.
A distinguishing feature of the invention is that it contains large surface heat exchangers, that do not require fans to increase the heat transfer coefficient. Therefore the resulting heat pump does not contain any moving parts, and thus creates no noise and is less susceptible to breakdown.
A further distinguishing feature of the invention is that the embodiment of heat exchangers, Peltier elements and insulation material as a whole constitutes the wall of a building. Contrary to background art heat pumps, the heat pump according to this invention does not occupy any useful building space other than the walls of the building.
Description of embodiments
In the preferred embodiment, the building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts consists of two parallel large surface heat exchangers, with a number of Peltier elements in between those heat exchangers, where one side of each Peltier element is in thermal contact with one heat exchanger and the other side of each Peltier element is in thermal contact with the other heat exchanger. The Peltier elements are distributed over the surface of the heat exchangers. Electrical wiring is connected to the Peltier elements and emerges at the outer edge between the heat exchangers, allowing electrical power to be supplied to the Peltier elements. The remaining space in between the heat exchangers, that is not occupied by the Peltier elements or the electrical wiring, is filled with insulating material.
The large surface heat exchangers are constructed in such a way that their actual surface in contact with the outdoor air or the indoor air is larger than the wall surface they represent. Figure 1 shows a cross section of one embodiment of the large surface heat exchangers made of metal with multiple vertical internal air channels. These channels are open to the indoor air or the outdoor air, allowing air to pass through driven by natural convection. The cross section shown in figure 1 has a width of 0,54 meter and a depth of 0,035 meter. The length can vary from less than 1 meter to several meters. Several sections as shown in figure 1 are placed adjacent to each other to form a complete building wall. These sections may have means to allow for an easy and solid attachment adjacent to each other.
In an alternative embodiment of the large surface heat exchangers, the width and depth of the cross section as presented in figure 1 are different.
In yet another embodiment of the large surface heat exchangers, the cross section and the dimensions of the heat exchangers differ altogether from the cross section and dimensions of the heat exchanger shown in figure 1, and what remains is the capability to sufficiently transfer heat between the Peltier elements and the air by means of natural convection and radiative heat transfer. Such a large surface heat exchanger embodiment can, as an example, be equipped with heat conducting fins on the air side.
In the preferred embodiment the insulating material between the large surface heat exchangers is an expanded insulating foam with adhesive properties such that it keeps the large surface heat exchangers firmly in place relative to each other.
In an alternative embodiment, the insulating material can be of a different type. In the cases where the insulating material cannot keep the large surface heat exchangers firmly in place relative to each other, additional means of firmly positioning the large surface heat exchangers relative to each other are a part of the embodiment.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, one or more electronic control units are situated in between the heat exchangers, as part of the electrical wiring, and allow to control the electrical power supplied to the Peltier elements.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a solar energy collector is attached to the outdoor air heat exchanger, or parallel to and at a small distance from the outdoor air heat exchanger, leaving an air gap between the collector and the heat exchanger through which outdoor air can pass.
In yet another alternative embodiment, the invention is not used as the wall of a building but as the roof or the floor of a building.
In yet another embodiment, the invention is not used as an outer wall of the building with indoor air on one side and outdoor air on the other side, but as an interior wall in the building between two different spaces that can be maintained at different indoor temperatures.
Industrial applicability
The invention, a building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts, relates to heat pumps for comfort heating and cooling of buildings. These buildings can be private homes, utility or commercial buildings, or industrial buildings
Claims (8)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL2021065A NL2021065B1 (en) | 2018-06-06 | 2018-06-06 | Building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL2021065A NL2021065B1 (en) | 2018-06-06 | 2018-06-06 | Building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts. |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NL2021065B1 true NL2021065B1 (en) | 2019-12-11 |
Family
ID=68886667
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
NL2021065A NL2021065B1 (en) | 2018-06-06 | 2018-06-06 | Building wall with integrated reversible heat pump and without any moving parts. |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
NL (1) | NL2021065B1 (en) |
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2018
- 2018-06-06 NL NL2021065A patent/NL2021065B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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MM | Lapsed because of non-payment of the annual fee |
Effective date: 20210701 |