NL2023966B1

NL2023966B1 - Apparatus for cooling

Info

Publication number: NL2023966B1
Application number: NL2023966A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Blaauw Menno
Original assignee: Univ Delft Tech
Priority date: 2019-10-04
Filing date: 2019-10-04
Publication date: 2021-06-01

Abstract

Apparatus for cooling comprising a source of water, supply means and means for evaporation of water, wherein the supply means are connected to the source of water and to the means for evaporation of water and are arranged to supply the water from the source of water to the means for evaporation of water, wherein the supply means are provided with capillary channels for the transportation of the water.

Description

Apparatus for cooling The invention relates to an apparatus for cooling com- prising a source of water, supply means and means for evapora- tion of water, wherein the supply means are connected to the source of water and to the means for evaporation of water and are arranged to supply the water from the source of water to the means for evaporation of water.

US 4,064,706 teaches a control device for evaporative roof cooling systems in which a lack of moisture on a sample surface actuates a valve to spray water onto a roof. The lack of moisture opens the circuit between two spaced electrodes lo- cated on the sample surface, causing a control relay to acti- vate a water spray system by supplying a voltage to one or more solenoid water valves.

US 6,886,759 discloses a personal misting umbrella comprising a water distribution tubing network that exists within the umbrella canopy. Its placement within and attachment to the spreader and rib umbrella canopy support structure ena- bles the canopy to be operated in an unhindered manner within its stored and unfurled configurations as required by the user. Upon connection of the water distribution tubing network to a source of pressurized water, such as a personalized container- air pump combination, the user can selectively fill the canopy with a fine water mist, cooling the shaded air beneath the can- opy through evaporative cooling.

EP 2 609 827 discloses a parasol with a lower screen whose central aperture is situated around a status mast of a cooling device. The cooling device is provided with a fog pro- ducer. A water dispatcher is connected with a circular ring by hoses along spokes around the mast of the parasol. A tube is extended vertically parallel to the mast and connected with a water reservoir, from which water is pumped either with elec- trically driven water pump or pneumatically to fog nozzles.

Common to the above-mentioned prior art is that the supply means to supply the water from the source of water to the means for evaporation of water, are all of the active type, i.e. the supply means require an input of energy to drive pump- ing means.

It is an object of the invention to avoid the use of an energy input to energize the supply means for supplying the water from the source of water to the means for evaporation of water.

The object of the invention is achieved by applying the features of one or more of the appended claims.

Essential to the invention is that the supply means are provided with capillary channels for the transportation of the water. The water will then be transported by capillary ac- tion, wherein the transportation is entertained by the continu- ing evaporation of water by the means for evaporation of water.

The invention can be applied in numerous ways.

In one preferred embodiment the source of water is em- bodied as a collector of rainwater, and the means for evapora- tion of water are embodied on or as part of a roof of a build- ing, wherein the supply means are provided in addition to or as part of a rain tube which is normally used for guiding water from the roof to the collector of rainwater.

In another preferred embodiment the apparatus is a parasol provided with a foot, a standard, and a sunshade, wherein the standard supports the sunshade and rests on the foot, and wherein the foot comprises the source of water and the supply means are provided in or as part of the standard. The foot can be a floor-standing foot or a hand-held foot.

It is preferable that the supply means are embodied with material that exhibits capillary channels, preferably se- lected from the group comprising cotton and glass fibers. Par- ticularly the use of glass fibers has the advantage that a plu- rality of uninterrupted capillary channels can be provided reaching the entire way from the source of water up to the means for evaporation of water.

In a suitable embodiment wherein the apparatus is a parasol, an upper side of the sunshade is white and a lower side of the sunshade, and preferably also the standard, is black. The white side of the sunshade reflects the sunlight, whereas the black side of the sunshade supports the collection of heat in the sunshade to be used for the evaporation of wa- ter. The black standard also absorbs heat, enhancing the capil- lary action.

40 The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of exemplary embodiments of an apparatus for cooling according to the invention that is not limiting as to the appended claims.

In the drawing: -figure 1 shows an apparatus for roof cooling accord- ing to the invention; and -figure 2 shows a parasol with evaporative cooling ac- cording to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a first application of the invention to provide cooling to a house 1 with a roof 2. At the side of the house 1 stands a rain barrel 3 that is used as a collector and source of rainwater.

The rainwater that is collected in the rain barrel 3 is guided upwards by capillary channels of supply means 4 that are provided in addition to the rain tube 5. The supply means 4 can be separate from the rain tube 5, but can also be made to form part thereof.

The rain tube 5 normally guides the water from the roof 2 to the rain barrel 3. The ad- ditional supply means 4 guide the rainwater however in the op- posite direction by the capillary action provided by the capil- lary channels in the material of the supply means 4. Suitably the material with the capillary action is selected from the group comprising cotton and glass fibers, wherein glass fibers are preferred.

Figure 2 shows another application of the invention to provide a cooling effect by evaporation of water with a para- sol.

The parasol 6 is provided with a foot 7, a standard 8, and a sunshade 9, wherein the standard 8 supports the sunshade 3 and rests on the foot 7, and wherein the foot 7 comprises a storage 10 that will be used as a source of water.

The foot 7 is shown as a floorstanding foot, but it can also be arranged as a hand-held foot.

The supply means 11 for supplying water from the storage 10 to the upper side 9’ of the sunshade 9 are provided in or as part of the standard 8. For this purpose the supply means 11 are embodied with material that exhibits capil- lary channels, preferably selected from the group comprising cotton and glass fibers.

Also in this embodiment the applica- tion of glass fibers is preferred.

Further preferable features are that the upper side 9’ of the sunshade 9 is white and the lower side 9’’ of the sunshade 9 is black.

Preferably also the 40 standard 8 is black.

Although the invention has been discussed in the fore- going with reference to exemplary embodiments to realize the invention, the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiments shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiments are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to these exemplary embodi- ments. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using these exemplary embodiments. Aspects of the invention are itemized in the following section.

1. Apparatus for cooling comprising a source of water (3, 10), supply means (4, 11) and means for evaporation of water (2, 9), wherein the supply means (4, 11) are connected to the source of water (3, 10) and to the means for evaporation of water (2, 9) and are arranged to supply the water from the source of water (3, 10) to the means for evaporation of water (2, 9), charac- terized in that the supply means (4, 11) are provided with ca- pillary channels for the transportation of the water.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the source of water is embodied as a collector (3) of rainwater, and the means for evaporation of water are embodied on or as part of a roof (2) of a building, wherein the supply means (4) are provided in addition to or as part of a rain tube (5) for guiding water from the roof (2) to the collector (3) of rainwa- ter.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the apparatus is a parasol (6) provided with a foot (7), a standard (8), and a sunshade (9), wherein the standard (8) supports the sunshade (9) and rests on the foot (7), and wherein the foot {7) comprises the source (10) of water and the supply means (11) are provided in or as part of the standard (8).

4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 - 3, character- ized in that the supply means (4, 11) are embodied with materi- al that exhibits capillary channels, preferably selected from 40 the group comprising cotton and glass fibers.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the apparatus is a parasol (9), wherein an upper side (9) of the sunshade is white and a lower side (9'’) of the sunshade is black. 5 6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3 - 5, character- ized in that the standard (8) is black.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

A cooling device comprising a water source (3, 10}, supply means (4, 11) and means for evaporating water (2, 9), the supply means (4, 11) being connected to the water source (3, 10) and with the water evaporation means (2, 9), and being arranged to supply the water from the water source (3, 10) to the water evaporation means (2, 9) characterized in that the supply means (4, 11) are provided with capillary channels for the transport of the water.

A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the water source is designed as a rainwater collector (3), and the water evaporation means are constructed on or as part of a roof (2) of a building, wherein the supply means (4) are arranged in addition to or as part of a rainwater pipe (5) for conducting water from the roof (2) to the rainwater collector (3).

A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a parasol (6) with a base (7), a stand (8) and a sunshade (8), the stand (8) being the sunshade (9). ) carries and rests on the base (7), and wherein the base (7) comprises the source (10) of water and the supply means (11) are arranged in or as part of the stand (8).

A device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the supply means (4, 11) are made of material having capillary channels, preferably selected from the group comprising cotton and glass fibres.

A device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the device is a sunshade (9), wherein a top side (97) of the sunshade is white and a bottom side (9') of the sunshade is black.

A device according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that the standard (8) is black.