U.S. patent application number 11/459735 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-21 for energy efficient building design.
Invention is credited to James R. Brock.
Application Number | 20080041364 11/459735 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38982212 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080041364 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brock; James R. |
February 21, 2008 |
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING DESIGN
Abstract
The present invention relates to an energy efficient housing and
to a method of providing an energy efficient housing wherein
building material and house structure aim to provide a system
effectively using external temperature for house needs. The house
is built of multilayered blocks having layers of concrete and layer
of mixture of concrete, cellulose fiber and sand surrounded with
exterior and interior stucco finish layers prepared by a simplified
process. The concrete layer has a plurality of air passages with
baffles used for transferring of hot and cool air which change the
temperature from the house walls and roof heated with sun radiation
or cooled by cold outside air. The hot air is transferred to a hot
air reservoir for further household needs and cool air is
transferred to a cold air reservoir.
Inventors: |
Brock; James R.; (Ranchos de
Taos, NM) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHITHAM, CURTIS & CHRISTOFFERSON & COOK, P.C.
11491 SUNSET HILLS ROAD, SUITE 340
RESTON
VA
20190
US
|
Family ID: |
38982212 |
Appl. No.: |
11/459735 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/621 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 5/0017 20130101;
Y02E 10/40 20130101; F24F 2005/0064 20130101; F24S 20/66 20180501;
Y02E 10/44 20130101; Y02B 10/20 20130101; Y02A 30/272 20180101;
Y02E 60/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/621 |
International
Class: |
E04D 13/18 20060101
E04D013/18 |
Claims
1. An energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and/or roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation, comprising: walls made of
multilayered panels or blocks having a plurality of air passages
for transferring heat from the walls heated by solar radiation in
at least a first layer and an insulating second layer; heat
reservoir means for collecting heat transferred from said walls
through said air passages; cold reservoir means from which heat is
transferred to said walls through said air passages; heated air
distributors comprising a first plurality of pumps.
2. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, further
comprising roof panels made of structural steel and multilayered
panels having a plurality of air passages for transferring heated
air from the walls heated by solar radiation.
3. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, further
comprising floor panels formed of structural steel based
multilayered panels.
4. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, wherein
said multilayered panels have four layers: internal moisture
resistant finish layer, mixture of concrete with paper and sand
layer, concrete layer and external moisture resistant finish
layer.
5. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, wherein
said multilayered blocks have four layers: internal moisture
resistant finish layer, mixture of concrete with paper and sand
layer, concrete layer and external moisture resistant finish
layer.
6. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, wherein
said multilayered panels have six layers: internal stucco layer,
first layer of a mixture of concrete with paper and sand layer,
river rocks filling, second layer of a mixture of concrete with
paper and sand layer, concrete layer and external finish stucco
layer.
7. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 6, wherein a
plurality of baffles between river rocks filling layer and inside a
house and layer with plurality of air passages are provided.
8. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, wherein
non-heated air is distributed by a second set of pumps.
9. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 1, wherein
said heat reservoir and cold reservoir comprise spaces containing
with stones.
10. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 2, wherein in said
mixture of concrete with paper and sand layer contains two parts of
concrete, eight parts of sand and one part of paper or cellulose
fiber.
11. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as recited in claim 2, wherein
said internal moisture resistant finish layer and external moisture
resistant finish layer are stucco layers.
12. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 3, wherein in said
mixture of concrete with paper and sand layer contains two parts of
concrete, eight parts of sand and one part of paper or cellulose
fiber.
13. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 1, wherein said heat
reservoir means in formed separately from said walls.
14. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 1, wherein said heat
reservoir is at least partially included within said walls.
15. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 14, when said walls
include baffles adjacent a top or bottom of said heat reservoir
means to regulate heat transfer to or from said heat reservoir
means.
16. The energy efficient housing heat from exterior walls and roof
surfaces heated by solar radiation as in claim 15, wherein said
baffles further control air exchange with an interior of said
energy efficient housing.
17. A multilayered building panel for building an energy efficient
housing, comprising: an exterior stucco layer; a dense concrete
layer having a plurality of air passages; a paper, sand and
concrete layer; an interior stucco layer.
18. A process of making a multilayered building panel comprising
the steps of: forming an exterior moisture resistant layer; placing
a metal mesh on said exterior stucco layer; forming a dense
concrete layer; adding rods to said concrete layer in order to form
a plurality of passages in vertical plan of a panel; preparing a
cellulose fiber, sand and water mixture; removing excess water from
said paper, sand mixture; adding Portland cement to said paper-sand
mixture; forming a paper/cement layer; introducing raceways into
said paper/cement layer; forming interior moisture resistant
layer.
19. A process of making a multilayered building panels described in
claim 18, wherein said exterior and interior moisture resistant
layers are stucco layers.
20. A process of making a multilayered building panel as in claim
18, wherein said cellulose fiber is paper.
21. A method of preparing cellulose fiber for use in a construction
material comprising the steps of: combining one part cellulose
fiber and 8 parts of sand; adding 13 parts of water; mixing
cellulose fiber, sand and water until said cellulose fiber is
abraded; putting the prepared mixture into a press for removing
about 5 parts of excess water; adding 2 parts of Portland cement to
the mixture of cellulose fiber, sand and water; mixing Portland
cement, cellulose fiber, sand and remaining water until all
ingredients are mixed well.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to energy efficient
housing and, more particularly, to a method of providing energy
efficient housing wherein building material and structure provide a
system effectively using external temperature for heating and other
energy needs of the building.
[0003] 2. Background Description
[0004] Efficiency of buildings in terms of energy consumption is
affected mostly by two major factors: source of energy and
insulation. In terms of energy source, contemporary housing usually
relies on central heating systems which can be run on gas, oil,
electricity or solar energy. However, all the above sources are
costly and largely inefficient. Even buildings which use solar
panels for collecting energy still require very expensive equipment
which is usually susceptible to damage in order to collect and
preserve energy of the sun in electrical form. However, conversion
to electrical energy introduces additional inefficiency as well as
being costly and, therefore, such systems are not in widespread
use. More typically, the equipment necessary for using solar energy
usually includes solar panels which heat water or air as an energy
transfer medium for further use in the building. During the day,
the sun heats all outside walls and roof of the house but the solar
panels can capture only a small fraction of this heat since it is
not practical or aesthetically acceptable to cover all outside
building areas with solar panels even though solar energy can be
used more effectively than other energy sources.
[0005] Solar energy collection systems which use air as an energy
transfer medium are generally more convenient than systems using a
liquid energy transfer medium. The use of an air solar panel system
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,798 presents the advantages of solar heat
but eliminates the problems which can occur if water is used as the
heat transferring medium. However, the system still requires solar
panels which should be installed on a roof of a building and does
not collect energy incident on the remainder of the building.
Storage of heat also presents problems since solar energy cannot be
collected at night and known collector panels are structurally, by
their nature, good radiators of heat energy to the environment.
[0006] It is well understood that energy efficient buildings should
have particularly good insulation qualities. Unfortunately, many
materials having good insulation properties cannot carry
significant structural loads and vice-versa. However, superior
insulation qualities can be achieved by using a special materials.
For instance, cellulose as an additive to concrete can provide
advantageous insulating qualities but has proven difficult to
suitably prepare. U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,844 discloses a method and
process of making a lightweight cellulose modified aggregate
cement. According to the method, dry pulp fiber is saturated with a
fortifying solution in order to yield moldable material suitable
for use in the formation of molded construction components. Such
fortifying compounds are finely ground prior to mixture and
cellulose fiber is prepared prior to fortification by purification.
The purification is accomplished by mechanical grinding and
application of an ammonia solution. Afterwards cement is added to
the mixture. The resulting mixture is used for molding construction
blocks. However, such blocks cannot be used on outside building
surfaces since they contain cellulose fibers which can be affected
by moisture.
[0007] Therefore, there is a need for simple, energy efficient
housing wherein the solar energy can be collected and preserved
more effectively using materials which are more suitable for
construction. Specifically, a system is needed wherein all heat
given by the sun to the outside walls of the building is
effectively collected and preserved for household needs. Moreover,
there is currently no known construction method or structure which
can effectively use a building environment as an energy source or
sink consistent with simple and inexpensive construction
techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a building construction made of multilayered blocks or
panels having an interconnect for transferring heated or cooled air
from the outside part of walls heated by the sun or cooled at night
time, thus using solar energy or the absence thereof for heating or
cooling purposes in the building.
[0009] It is another object of the invention to provide a structure
which provide such advantages while being fabricated by a simple
method suitable for mass production as well as a simplified
procedure for preparing materials fro the same.
[0010] According to the invention, in order to perform energy
transfer, special building blocks or panels are used. Specifically,
the part of the block or panel facing the interior of a house or
other building is made of a mixture of concrete with fibers such as
cellulose fiber, preferably from paper, which provides exceptional
insulation properties while the outer portion is formed from a
dense concrete mixture capable of heat transfer and which is
resistant to moisture as well as being capable of bearing
substantial structural loads. Generally, the proposed block or
panel has an exterior part about 7 inch as thick, made of dense
concrete and an interior part of a block approximately 9 inches
thick and made of mixture of cellulose (e.g. paper) fiber, sand and
cement in particular proportions. The walls also have exterior and
interior finish of stucco or other moisture resistant material
about 1/2 inch thick which provides an aesthetically pleasing
appearance. The dense concrete part preferably includes air
passages or tunnels with baffles penetrated by a plurality of small
holes about 1 inch or less in diameter with about 1 inch in between
holes in a vertically spaced layout. When the outside wall is
heated by the sun, these small holes and baffles are used to
transfer as much solar heat energy as possible to air passed
through the holes and then to a reservoir filed with river stones
or analogous material which is inexpensive but has a relatively
high specific heat (the amount of energy required to raise the
temperature of a given quantity thereof by a given amount). The
portion of the block or panel facing the interior of the building,
due to containing cellulose fibers (e.g. from newspapers), has good
thermal insulation properties and has one or more channels for
utilities, vents, air passages to reservoirs and cutouts for doors,
windows etc.
[0011] Mid floors of an energy efficient building in accordance
with the invention are preferably formed with structural steel and
preferably have three layers, one of which will be a mixture of
paper, concrete and sand. A roof of an energy efficient house in
accordance with the invention is built with structural steel and
paper-cement layer with a dark waterproof, monolithic membrane to
capture as much solar energy as possible. A triangular or gabled
form of this roof provides internal tunnels for air passages to and
from the reservoirs to the walls and roof piping. According to the
present invention, reservoirs preferably include well rings filled
with river stones or some dense inert material. Preferably sump
pumps are placed around the perimeter of the reservoirs to remove
seepage. Well rings can be also placed inside this perimeter and
act as a support for the foundation if local construction code
allows. Pumps or fans are used to move air in and from reservoirs,
if heat or cooling is needed in the house, air can be moved either
directly from the wall system and/or the reservoirs to the building
interior during the day. Air from the wall system can also be used
to heat water for household use.
[0012] The wall sections are made in a plurality of pours. The
outer wall thickness is first poured as a slab, over an outer
finish surface such as stucco, if desired. Forms are added for the
baffles and rods inserted to form the holes in the baffles and the
baffles are poured in a second pour after which the rods are
removed to complete the holes in the baffles. The inner wall
sections are poured separately in a manner similar to the outer
wall sections except that pipes, conduits and/or raceways and
electrical and plumbing hardware are included. Depending on the
nature of the baffled forms, the outer wall section can be inverted
and placed on top of the inner wall section before curing or,
preferably, the inner wall section can be poured on top of the
outer wall portion and the baffle forms removed thereafter.
According to the present invention the pouring could be performed
in a substantially continuous process.
[0013] The process of preparing a mix of cement and cellulose fiber
preferably involves placing newspapers and sand in a device for
mixing concrete and adding excess water (relative to the amount
later required in the concrete) and allowing the sand to abrade the
wet newspaper by normal operation of the mixing device. When the
cellulose fiber reaches the proper consistency, the excess water is
removed and the proper amount of Portland cement is added and mixed
with the sand, cellulose fiber and remaining water which can be
supplemented as needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will
be better understood from the following detailed description of a
preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the
drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1A is a schematic presentation of the heat transfer
system in accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 1B is a schematic presentation of heating/cooling
system of FIG. 1A in an energy efficient building;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an illustration of layers of the block or panel
used by the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a panel used for the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a modified panel used for the
present invention;
[0020] FIG. 4a is an isometric view of a modified panel having air
transfer baffles between layers of a panel;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a process of
making a block or panel used for an energy efficient housing in
accordance with the invention; and
[0022] FIG. 6 is a flow-chart illustrating the process of
manufacturing a block or panel used for building an energy
efficient housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The principal purpose of the present invention is to
capture, store and use as much solar energy as possible during the
day, when the sun heats outside walls of a house and/or radiate
heat therefrom at night or when solar energy collection is not
needed or possible. Referring now to the drawings, and more
particularly to FIG. 1A, there is schematically shown an energy
efficient heat transfer system in accordance with the present
invention. While FIG. 1A, for clarity, shows only a single,
exemplary block in accordance with the invention, the entire
exterior surface of the house or any desired portions thereof may
be used as a collector or radiator of energy as shown in FIG. 1B.
The walls 11 and roof 113 of the building, due to the special block
structure, can transfer heat from the exterior surfaces, heated by
the sun, to a heat reservoir 12. When heat is needed in the house,
air can be moved either directly from the wall system or from the
heat reservoir 12 using pumps 14 and 15 under control of valves or
diverters 21, 22. Heat also can be used to make hot water in the
house by a water heater 20. Similarly, for cooling, air can be
moved directly from walls or from cold air reservoir 13 using pumps
16 and 17. It should be noted that air preferably flows upward in
the heat exchange panels when heat is collected and downward in the
heat exchange panels when heat is being radiated such that
convection can assist or even replace the action of pumps 14-17.
Direction of air flow in the wall panels is controlled by valves
24-26. Return of air to the system is preferably accomplished
through the appropriate reservoir 12, 13 under control of valve 27.
It should be understood that the placement of valves and pumps
relative to the heat exchange panels is not critical to the
practice of the invention and, in general, will be dictated by the
building design, including consideration of day and night ambient
temperatures and other environmental factors.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 1B, the walls, ceiling (interior and
exterior) and floors of a building in accordance with the invention
are made of panels or blocks, a structure of which will be
explained later with reference to FIG. 2. Other energy collection
systems such as solar batteries 111 may placed in a roof 113 of the
house in combination with the invention and may be used to power
the pumps or fans for energy transfer. It should be appreciated
from FIG. 1B that any number a portion or all exterior surfaces may
be constructed with panels in accordance with the invention. It
should also be appreciated that the circulation system of FIG. 1A,
also shown in FIG. 1B may be modified or even duplicated to allow
ambient conditions outside the building to be exploited as fully as
possible to achieve desired effects. For example, energy may be
collected on one (e.g. south facing) or more surfaces or sides of a
building while another surface (e.g. north facing) or side (or
portion thereof) can be used to radiate heat. Separate systems may
be provided for respective heating/cooling zones of the building.
It should also be appreciated that blocks or panels similar to
those used for exterior panels can also be used on the interior of
the building as illustrated at 28 of FIG. 1B to provide radiant
heating from walls, floors or ceilings or to collect heat for
radiation to the building exterior or elsewhere in the building.
The layered structure as will be discussed below can be oriented
for control of the direction of preferred heat collection or
radiation or even layered with the heat exchange sides of the block
to the outside and the insulating sides toward the middle of the
layered structure to, for example, collect heat at a ceiling on one
level and radiate heat from the floor on another, either directly
or by heat exchange from the respective reservoirs 12, 13.
[0025] The capture, storing and usage of solar energy is made
possible due to the special structure of the building blocks or
heat transfer panels from which an energy efficient house or
building in accordance with the invention is made. As shown in FIG.
2, the preferred building panel has a multilayered structure.
Specifically, there are four distinct layers in a panel structure:
exterior finish layer 31 (e.g. stucco), dense concrete layer 32, an
insulating layer made of mixture of concrete with cellulose fiber
(e.g. paper) and sand 33, and interior (e.g. stucco, plaster or the
like) finish layer 34. Layer 32, made of dense concrete, has air
passages 35a with baffles defining chambers 39 including a
plurality of small tunnels or holes 35b between chambers 39 with
diameter of about 1 inch or smaller for air circulation. The air
passages 35a are preferably formed into a vertical layout array and
form horizontal chambers communicating air from block to block as
the blocks are assembled. Similarly, it is considered preferable
for the top and bottom of each block to be shaped to provide a
plenum at the top and bottom of the wall when the blocks are made
having a length corresponding to a level or story of a building
and/or to form air passages 35a when the blocks (regardless of the
height for which they are fabricated) are laid in courses. This
feature of the invention simplifies air routing and reduces air
flow restriction where openings are made or formed in the blocks
for doors, windows and the like. During energy collection, these
air passages allow air to be warmed and transferred to a hot air
reservoir 12 shown in FIG. 1 to be later used for household needs.
These baffles and holes also induce a degree of turbulence in the
air flow to enhance heat transfer to the air from the dense
concrete while also causing flow over the interior surface of the
holes to maximize air temperature rise. The number of baffles, so
formed, may be varied as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, to adjust
the amount of energy transfer which occurs for a given rate of air
flow and/or to adjust flow due to pumping and/or convection. This
warm air could be later used directly to warm the house inside
and/or for heating water 10. During night time, when the exterior
walls cool down, an analogous process can be performed for
radiating heat to the building exterior to produce cool air that
can be transferred to a cold air reservoir 13. The cool air also
can be pumped directly from the building exterior if it is below
reservoir air temperature. The cool air can be used later for
cooling purposes inside the house.
[0026] The layer 33 of a building block or panel can preferably be
fabricated 9 inches or thicker and includes a mixture of cellulose
fiber, sand and cement. More specifically, newspapers and other
paper products can be used for this mixture. The proportions of
paper, sand and cement in this mixture are preferably approximately
1:8:2. With this amount of cellulose in the mixture a fire
resistant layer is produced which, at the same time, can securely
hold nails and other common construction fasteners and provide good
insulation for the house compared with regular dense concrete. The
layer 33 also preferably contains support columns for the upper
floors 112 and roof 113 and also contains channels 36, 37 for
utilities. If it is necessary in view of ambient climate, the layer
33 can contain voids filled with insulation such as fiber glass or
plastic foam. Cutouts for doors and windows are also made in this
layer as well as layers 31 and 32 with air passages around the
perimeter thereof in layer 32. The layer 33 is covered with stucco,
plaster or other finish material layer 34 facing interior of the
building. Interior walls or other surfaces which could be applied
inside of the energy efficient building are preferably made of the
paper mix and stucco, omitting or reducing the dense concrete layer
to the extent possible in view of anticipated loads and/or heat
transfer needs. These wall panels also contain channels and
fittings, as desired for vents, air passages to reservoirs and
cutouts for doors, etc.
[0027] Intermediate floors are formed with structural steel and
panels suitable therefor preferably comprise three layers. The
upper surface would preferably be poured first with stucco to form
a stone like surface. Other layers in all interior walls, ceilings
and floors which are not to be used for energy transfer as
described above comprise concrete containing the paper filler and
can contain ducts for air distribution which may or may not provide
for heat transfer. For some building panels where load-bearing
strength is less important, the proportion of paper filler could be
increased to reduce weight.
[0028] The roof of an energy efficient house is built principally
with structural steel (some or all of which may be provided as
reinforcement for the block, as generally (e.g. omitting dense
concrete layer depicted at 32 of FIGS. 2-3) and the paper-cement
mixture as described above. After placement of roofing panels, a
system of piping is laid down and covered with a dark waterproof,
monolithic membrane 111 to capture as much solar energy as possible
as shown at 41, 42 of FIG. 1B. The monolithic membrane 111 should
tilt south where possible. The roof has preferably triangular form
and since this shape can provide internal tunnels for air passages
to and from the reservoirs to the walls and roof piping.
[0029] The reservoir for collecting heat 12 and for collecting cold
air 13 are preferably placed under the floor of the building and
preferably made in the form of well rings. The ring structure
allows a fairly deep placement with a prefabricated aspect that
allows efficiency in construction. The rings are filled with river
stones or some dense inert material such as concrete chunks. The
rings can be placed side by side with gravel or insulation between.
Gravel around the bottom of the rings is preferred with one or more
sump pumps to remove seepage. Rings can also be placed around the
perimeter of the excavation and a large reservoir of stone placed
inside this perimeter. This perimeter placement can act as a
support for the foundation if local construction code will allow.
The order of construction during installation of well rings
preferably is: first, to pour the main foundation at the bottom of
the excavation, place the rings, pour a floor over the rings filled
with stone with appropriate tunnels for air movement and access to
pumps 14, and 15. The warm air is delivered to the bottom of the
reservoir 12 and removed from the top. For cool air reservoir 13
the procedure is reverse, e.g. the cool air is delivered to the top
and removed from the bottom of reservoir 13. Otherwise the
structure of the warm air reservoir and the cold air reservoir are
substantially the same. For that reason, it may be desirable,
depending on seasonal climate differences, to provide a plurality
of reservoirs and which can be used for either cool or warm air and
to vary the number of reservoirs used for each of cool or warm air
from season-to-season depending on anticipated building needs. It
is also preferred that the reservoirs be constructed such that the
filler in the rings can be washed periodically in order to remove
dust.
[0030] FIG. 4 shows a portion of a modified wall panel structure
which can be used by the present invention. Specifically, in this
modification the wall comprises a space constructed by two layers
of paper/concrete mixture 33a, 33b defining a cavity filled with
loose river rocks or gravel 210 such that air may be circulated
therethrough. Tunnels 35b of layer 39, which may or may not include
air passages 35a, leading to a reservoir of hot air, are placed, in
this variant embodiment, closer to the outside side of the wall and
separated from the inside air only by a thin stucco layer and
relatively thinner paper-cement layers. This modified embodiment of
the invention allows all or part of the reservoir(s) to be formed
in the wall panel itself in addition to the amount of energy that
can be stored in the dense concrete layer in both this embodiment
and the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0031] In applications where temperature stability is of high
importance (as distinct from achieving a particular temperature
with improved economy), it has been found by the inventor that the
structure of FIG. 4a not only provides a substantial reservoir
capable of storing a large quantity of heat energy but that heat
transfer can be achieved very quickly, efficiently and
spontaneously merely by providing for air transfer more or less
directly between layer 39 and reservoir 210 at the tops and bottoms
of wall sections. For example, in greenhouses, it has been found
that convection is entirely sufficient for circulation of air
between layer 39 and reservoir 210 to maintain substantially
constant or adjustably moderated or stabilized temperature inside
the greenhouse when baffles such as those indicated at 41a, 41b are
provided at the top and/or bottoms of the reservoir and air tunnels
35 a, 35b. These baffles prevent the reversal of the heat
collecting or radiating operations of this variant wall panel when
temperatures in the reservoir exceed the temperatures in the air
tunnels and vice-versa or may be used to control the function of
the wall panels in regard to heat collection or radiation in
accordance with particular internal and external conditions. Of
course, additional reservoirs as described above and/or fans or
pumps to augment air circulation within the wall panels and/or for
air exchange with the building interior in much the same manner as
has been described above.
[0032] FIG. 5 shows the process of making a building block or panel
which is used to construct an energy efficient building in
accordance with the invention. According to the present invention,
wall and ceiling panels are poured in horizontal forms in a factory
situation for good quality and efficiency. The panels may then be
transported to the building site for installation on the previously
poured foundation as discussed above.
[0033] The formation of an exterior wall panel begins with step S1,
a stucco layer 21 formation, shown in diagram on FIG. 5 and in
flow-chart of a process in FIG. 6. The exterior stucco layer 21 can
be about 1/2 inch thick and may have decorative parts or pattern as
may be desired. In order to reinforce the outside finish a metal
mesh 28 is preferably placed on the stucco layer in the next step
S2. After that, in the step S3, the next 7 inches or so of exterior
wall is made of layer 22 comprising dense concrete. Further, in
order to form small tunnels 25, metal rods are placed in concrete
in step S4. After placement of the rods the layer is finished by
pouring concrete in step S5.
[0034] The next layer 23 could be about 9 inches thick and made of
special mixture of concrete with paper and sand. The process of
preparing this mixture is started by mixing cellulose fiber (paper,
newspaper or like) with sand and water in a concrete mixer or the
like until paper is abraded into fiber, step S7. An appropriate
size mixer is loaded by weight with one part of newspaper, eight
parts of sand suitable for making concrete and thirteen parts of
water. After mixing, the prepared slurry is put into a press for
removing about five parts of the excess water in step S8. After
excess water removal two parts of Portland cement is added and
mixed with slurry in step S9. Before the paper-cement mixture is
poured into the form or at any time the curing of the dense
concrete is adequate, rods, placed for forming tunnels 25, are
removed from the structure in step S6. The part of paper/cement
mixture is poured into the form and raceways 26 are added in step
S10. After that, the rest of the mixture is poured into the form,
the form can be removed in step S12. The process is finished by
formation of interior stucco layer 24 in step S13.
[0035] While the invention has been described in terms of a single
preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that
the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit
and scope of the appended claims.
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