U.S. patent application number 12/556660 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-11 for insulating apparatus utilizing a quantity of water for thermal transfer and thermal mass.
Invention is credited to David C. Harrison, David J. Nevin.
Application Number | 20100059206 12/556660 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41798201 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100059206 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Harrison; David C. ; et
al. |
March 11, 2010 |
Insulating apparatus utilizing a quantity of water for thermal
transfer and thermal mass
Abstract
An enclosure for controlling the interior temperature of an
outdoor equipment enclosure or a human-or animal-occupied
structure, utilizing a quantity of water for thermal transfer and
thermal mass. The enclosure is divided into a lower main chamber
and an upper small chamber containing the water, the two chambers
are in thermal contact, and the water in the upper chamber is in
thermal contact with the roof of the enclosure.
Inventors: |
Harrison; David C.;
(Placitas, NM) ; Nevin; David J.; (Rio Rancho,
NM) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David C. Harrison
P.O. Box 25805
Albuquerque
NM
87125
US
|
Family ID: |
41798201 |
Appl. No.: |
12/556660 |
Filed: |
September 10, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61096002 |
Sep 11, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.19 ;
165/56; 29/890.03 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 29/4935 20150115;
A01K 1/0076 20130101; A01K 1/0047 20130101; Y02E 60/142 20130101;
Y02E 60/14 20130101; F28D 20/0034 20130101; Y02P 60/12 20151101;
Y02A 40/76 20180101; Y02P 60/542 20151101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.19 ;
29/890.03; 165/56 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20060101
F28D015/00; B21D 53/02 20060101 B21D053/02; F24D 3/16 20060101
F24D003/16 |
Claims
1. An insulating apparatus utilizing a quantity of water for
thermal transfer and thermal mass, said apparatus comprising: A. a
housing having a thermally insulated interior defining an internal
chamber, said internal chamber divided by a ceiling into a lower
main chamber and an upper small chamber, said housing having a top,
said top having an inside surface; B. said upper small chamber
filled with water, said water in thermal contact with said ceiling
and the said inside surface of said top of said housing; C. an
insulating panel floating in said water in said upper small
chamber, said insulating panel having a top surface, said
insulating panel having a spacer or spacers on said top
surface.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a hollow water-filled
fin extending from the small chamber into the main chamber, said
fin sharing water with said small chamber.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the water in the small chamber is
in a water container made from a material selected from the group
consisting of sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane and sheet
polyethylene.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the water container sits in
thermal contact with the ceiling and with the inside surface of
said top of said housing.
5. The device of claim 3, wherein the water container is a
tube.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein said small chamber is lined with
a water-proof material.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein said water-proof material is
spray-on polyurethane.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is an outdoor
equipment enclosure.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the internal chamber is a
human-occupied structure and the housing is a residential or
commercial building.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the internal chamber is an
animal-occupied structure and the housing is a kennel or farm
animal enclosure.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of small chambers
are placed adjacent to one another over a single main chamber.
12. A method for manufacturing an insulating apparatus utilizing a
quantity of water for thermal transfer and thermal mass, said
method comprising: A. providing a housing having a thermally
insulated interior defining an internal chamber, said internal
chamber divided by a ceiling into a lower main chamber and an upper
small chamber, said housing having a top, said top having an inside
surface; B. filling said upper small chamber with water, said water
in thermal contact with said ceiling and the said inside surface of
said top of said housing; C. providing an insulating panel floating
in said water in said upper small chamber, said insulating panel
having a top surface, said insulating panel having a spacer or
spacers on said top surface.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of
providing a hollow water-filled fin extending from the small
chamber into the main chamber, said fin sharing water with said
small chamber.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the water in the small chamber
is in a water container made from a material selected from the
group consisting of sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane and sheet
polyethylene.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the water container sits in
thermal contact with the ceiling and with the inside surface of
said top of said housing.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the water container is a
tube.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of lining
the small chamber with a water-proof material.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said water-proof material is
spray-on polyurethane.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein the housing is an outdoor
equipment enclosure.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the internal chamber is a
human-occupied structure and the housing is a residential or
commercial building.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional
application 61/096,002 filed Sep. 11, 2008.
STATEMENTS REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The embodiments of the present invention satisfy the need of
having an insulating apparatus utilizing a quantity of water for
thermal transfer and thermal mass.
[0004] Information relevant to attempts to address these problems
can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,913,985 and 5,316,872; which
patents are not admitted to be prior art with respect to the
present invention by its mention in this Background Section.
However, it is desirable to have a better device than is disclosed
in the references.
SUMMARY
[0005] In overview, the present invention includes an insulating
apparatus utilizing a quantity of water for thermal transfer and
thermal mass, said apparatus comprising: [0006] A. a housing having
a thermally insulated interior defining an internal chamber, said
internal chamber divided by a ceiling into a lower main chamber and
an upper small chamber, said housing having a top, said top having
an inside surface; [0007] B. said upper small chamber filled with
water, said water in thermal contact with said ceiling and the said
inside surface of said top of said housing; [0008] C. an insulating
panel floating in said water in said upper small chamber, said
insulating panel having a top surface, said insulating panel having
a spacer or spacers on said top surface. Alternatively, the
floating insulating panel can have pieces cut from its sides and/or
interior to further facilitate the flow of water around it. The
internal chamber is adapted to contain a battery or electronics, or
humans or other animals; in other words, the housing comprises an
outdoor equipment enclosure, or a human- or other animal-occupied
structure such as a residential house or a commercial building or
an animal kennel or farm animal enclosure. In the latter cases the
invention might be located in an attic.
[0009] In an alternate embodiment, a hollow water-filled fin
extends into the main chamber, connected to the small chamber by at
least two water hoses, thereby extending the water from the small
chamber.
[0010] In an alternate embodiment, the water in the upper small
chamber is in a water container made from a material selected from
the group consisting of sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane and sheet
polyethylene. Optimally the water container sits in thermal contact
with the ceiling and with the top of the upper small chamber. The
water container can be a tube made from sheet vinyl, sheet
polyurethane or sheet polyethylene.
[0011] In the preferred embodiment, the upper small chamber is
lined with a water-proof material. In the preferred embodiment the
water-proof lining is spray-on polyurethane.
[0012] The water in the upper small chamber comprises a simple
thermosiphon. As the water in the bottom of the small chamber
heats, it expands, becomes more buoyant and rises. In other words
the heat both causes the fluid motion upwards and is itself
advected upwards or carried by the fluid upwards, a process
referred to as natural convection or free convection. As the heated
water rises it is simultaneously replaced by colder water returning
by gravity from above. The heated water loses its heat through the
top of the enclosure to the sky. In hotter days this loss through
the top occurs only at night, through a process referred to as
night sky cooling.
DRAWINGS
[0013] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
embodiments of the device and/or methods will become better
understood with reference to the following description, appended
claims and accompanying drawings where:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment
of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the preferred embodiment of the
invention.
REFERENCE NUMERALS FOR DRAWINGS
[0016] 10 enclosure [0017] 11 insulating panel [0018] 12 floor of
the housing [0019] 13 housing [0020] 15 spacer [0021] 20 ceiling
[0022] 30 top portion of the housing [0023] 31 bulge [0024] 32 fill
cap [0025] 40 lower main chamber of the enclosure [0026] 60
fastening means [0027] 70 upper small chamber [0028] 75 top of the
main chamber [0029] 95 pieces cut from sides of insulating panel
[0030] 97 top surface of float [0031] 98 bottom of the small
chamber [0032] 100 top of the small chamber [0033] 110 water [0034]
111 water container [0035] 120 lid [0036] 130 fin [0037] 131 water
hose
DESCRIPTION
[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment and best mode
present invention is an insulating apparatus 10 utilizing a
quantity of water 110 for thermal transfer and thermal mass, said
apparatus 10 comprising: [0039] A. a housing 13 having a thermally
insulated interior defining an internal chamber 40, said internal
chamber divided by a ceiling 20 into a lower main chamber 40 and an
upper small chamber 70, said housing 13 having a top 30; [0040] B.
said upper small chamber 70 lined with spray-on polyurethane and
filled with water 110 and situated in said upper small chamber 70,
being in thermal contact with said ceiling 20 and the inside of the
top portion 30 of the housing 13; [0041] C. an insulating panel 11
floating in said upper small chamber 70, said insulating panel 11
having a spacer or spacers 15 on its top surface 97. The internal
chamber is adapted to contain a battery or electronics, or humans
or other animals; in other words, the housing comprises an outdoor
equipment enclosure, or a human- or other animal-occupied structure
such as a residential house or a commercial building or an animal
kennel or farm animal enclosure. In the latter cases the invention
might be located in an attic. In other embodiments the upper small
chamber can be lined with sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane or sheet
polyethylene, or filled with a tube made from sheet vinyl, sheet
polyurethane or sheet polyethylene.
[0042] The enclosure 10 comprises a housing 13 insulated with
insulating panels 11 in the walls and floor to inhibit heat
transfer into it during the day. The ends of four of these
insulating panels 11 are set on the floor 12 of the housing 13 and
their sides are situated adjacent to the interior walls of the
housing 13. These lower insulating panels 11 adjacent to the walls
do not extend from the floor 12 to the top 30 of the housing 13.
Rather they end at least eight inches from the top 30 of the
housing 10. In the preferred embodiment the insulating panels 11
are made of two-inch thick styrofoam. In other embodiments, it is
possible to use other modes of insulating besides the insulating
panels, such as standard fiberglass wall insulation in houses.
[0043] A ceiling 20 is placed into the enclosure 10 at least eight
inches from the top 30 of the housing 13 and positioned over the
top of the main chamber 40 of the enclosure 10. In the preferred
embodiment, the ceiling 20 sits on the tops of the insulating
panels 11 that are adjacent to the walls, thereby creating an upper
small chamber 70 in the top 75 of the main chamber 40; in other
embodiments using other modes of insulating besides the insulating
panels, the ceiling may sit on supports other than insulating
panels. The ceiling 20 does not contact the walls of the housing
13, thereby ensuring a thermal break between the ceiling 20 and the
housing 13, which prevents the ceiling 20 from conducting heat from
the outside of the enclosure 10. An upper set of insulating panels
11 sits on the ceiling adjacent to the walls. These panels 11
extend to the top of the upper small chamber 70. Again, in other
embodiments, it is possible to use other modes of insulating
besides the insulating panels, such as standard fiberglass wall
insulation in houses.
[0044] In the preferred embodiment, the inside of the upper small
chamber 70 is made capable of holding water. The preferred
embodiment uses spray-on polyurethane as used on truck bedliners
and tank liners, and in roofing. Preferably the only place the
water contacts the housing 13 is on top of the main chamber 75 and
the inside of the lid 120 of the enclosure 10.
[0045] In an alternative embodiment, a flexible water-proof
container 111 is placed inside of the upper small chamber 70 and
kept in thermal contact with the ceiling 20 and with the top 100 of
the small chamber 70. The water-proof container 111 is made of a
material selected from the group consisting of sheet vinyl, sheet
polyurethane and sheet polyethylene. It is necessary that this
water container 111 be in thermal contact with the insulating
panels 11 in the upper small chamber. The water container 111 can
be made from a tube made from sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane or
sheet polyethylene.
[0046] The ceiling 20 allows the water 110 in the upper small
chamber 70 to be in thermal contact with the lower main chamber 40.
Thermosiphoning occurs in the water 110 in the upper small chamber
70 at temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit, drawing heat from
the lower main chamber 40 into the water 110 in the upper small
chamber 70, and then to the water at the top of the upper small
chamber 70 at the top of the small chamber 100 and at the top of
the enclosure 30.
[0047] An insulating panel 11 is placed horizontally into the small
chamber 70. This insulating panel 11 is proportional to the small
chamber 70: it must be small enough that most of the small chamber
70 can be filled with water 110, it must be capable of floating in
and on the water 110, and it must fit between the insulating wall
panels 11. The insulating panel 11 has a spacer or spacers 15 on
its top surface 97 to allow water 110 to circulate above it but
under the top 100 of the small chamber 70. This allows the water
110 to be in thermal contact with the top of the housing 30 or the
lid 120, white still insulating the bulk of the water 110 from the
heat on the top of the housing 30. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
2 the floating insulating panel 11 can have pieces 95 cut from its
sides and/or interior to further facilitate the flow of water 110
around it.
[0048] The small chamber 100 is then filled with water 110, covered
with a lid 120 and seated by a fastening means 60 selected from the
group consisting of screws, rivets, nuts and bolts, and clamps. The
top of the housing 30 is optionally formed with a one inch flange
extending at right angles with holes for screws, on which flange
the lid 120 is placed and attached. A gasket is optionally placed
between the lid 120 and the top of the housing 30. Optionally the
lid 120 has two cross breaks formed by bends along the diagonals to
form a bulge 31 in the approximate center. The bulge 31 gives the
lid a high point where an air bubble can form, preventing the loss
of wet surface area across the rest of the lid. On the bulge may be
placed a fill cap 32, which is gasketed and water tight.
[0049] The water 110 must be in thermal contact with the outside of
the lid 120 of the enclosure 30 to allow for thermal exchange
between the water 110 and the ambient environment. During the day
the water 110 in the small chamber 70 absorbs the heat building up
inside the main chamber 40. At night the heat from the water 110
dissipates out the lid 120 of the enclosure 30 to the ambient
environment.
[0050] A hollow water-filled fin 130 or other radiator may
optionally extend into the main chamber 40, connecting the small
chamber by at least two water hoses 131. This fin 130 will
facilitate the thermal transfer from the main chamber 40 into the
water 110 in the small chamber 70.
[0051] In a hot environment where ambient temperatures never drop
below 45 degrees F., during the day the side insulating panels 11
mitigate the absorption of heat from solar radiation impinging on
the outside of the enclosure 10. The thermal mass of cooler water
110 in the adjacent upper small chamber 70 acts as a heat sink,
drawing and absorbing heat from the lower main chamber 40. Some
thermal stratification occurs in the water 110 in the upper small
chamber 70: the water 110 absorbing the heat from the lower main
chamber 40 is in the bottom of the upper small chamber 98, adjacent
to the lower main chamber 40. The insulating panel 11 floating in
the top of the small chamber 100 mitigates the absorption of heat
from solar radiation impinging on the top of the enclosure 10. At
night, the night sky serves as a heat sink. As ambient temperature
cools, the hot water in the bottom of the small chamber 98 travels
to the top of the small chamber 100, where it dissipates to the
night sky.
[0052] In embodiments in which the enclosure contains a battery or
batteries or otherwise requires venting to the exterior, the
enclosure will have a vent or vents to the exterior. In the case of
the diffusive vent, these vents will be covered, for example with
cardboard or other paper-based materials. The primary venting
mechanism however will be the convective vent, comprising two tube
openings at the top of one side of the enclosure, where the other
ends of each tube extends through the sidewall to the opposite side
of the enclosure and then drop to within a few inches of the floor
of the enclosure.
[0053] A plurality of upper small chambers 70 can be placed
adjacent to one another over a single main chamber 40. For example
the sides of the upper small chambers 70 can be defined by roof
joists in the attic of a residential house or of a commercial
building, or by ceiling joists in a single joist construction
without an attic. In other words, either the attic joist space or
the ceiling joist space comprises the upper small chambers 70. The
lower main chamber 40 can be the attic such that the invention most
directly coots the attic, or the lower main chamber 40 can be the
living space or working space proper such that the invention most
directly coots the main interior space of the structure. The roof
joists can be "I"-shaped (such as a TJI Joist.TM.) where the top of
the joist abuts the bottom side of the roof above, and the bottom
of the joist sits on the upper side of the ceiling or false ceiling
below.
[0054] The embodiments of the invention further comprise a method
for manufacturing an insulating apparatus utilizing a quantity of
water for thermal transfer and thermal mass, said method
comprising: [0055] A. providing a housing having a thermally
insulated interior defining an internal chamber, said internal
chamber divided by a ceiling into a lower main chamber and an upper
small chamber, said housing having a top; [0056] B. wherein said
upper small chamber is filled with water, said water in thermal
contact with said ceiling and the inside of said top of enclosure;
[0057] C. providing an insulating panel floating in said water in
said upper small chamber, said insulating panel having a spacer or
spacers on its top surface.
[0058] Optionally, the method for manufacturing further comprises
the step of providing a hollow water-filled fin extending from the
small chamber into the main chamber, said fin sharing water with
said small chamber.
[0059] Optionally, the water in the small chamber is in a water
container made from a material selected from the group consisting
of sheet vinyl, sheet polyurethane and sheet polyethylene.
[0060] Optionally, the water container sits in thermal contact with
the ceiling and with the inside surface of said top of said
housing.
[0061] Optionally, the water container is a tube made from sheet
vinyl, sheet polyurethane or sheet polyethylene.
[0062] Optionally, the method for manufacturing further comprises
the step of lining the small chamber with a water-proof
material.
[0063] Optionally, said water-proof material is spray-on
polyurethane.
[0064] Optionally, the housing is an outdoor equipment
enclosure.
[0065] Optionally, the internal chamber is a human-occupied
structure and the housing is a residential or commercial
building.
[0066] Some Advantages of the Embodiments of the Invention
[0067] The advantages of the embodiments of the invention include
but are not limited to providing a means for passive thermal
control over an enclosure. Every advantageous feature does not need
to be incorporated into every embodiment of the apparatus and/or
methods.
[0068] Although these versions of the invention have been described
in considerable detail, other versions are possible. Therefore, the
spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to
the description of the versions contained therein.
* * * * *