US 4,196,719 AGranted

Heat storage means for solar heating system

AssigneeSolaRay, Inc.

InventorRobert K. Skrivseth

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Abstract

An improved pebble bed heat storage means is provided for a solar heating system using air as the heat transfer medium. The pebble bed is confined in a crib or bin contained in an outer housing. The sides of the bin are air pervious and are spaced from the side walls of the housing to define enlarged plenum chambers. Baffles or partitions divide each of the plenum chambers into upper and lower plenum spaces. An upper warm air inlet is provided for the upper plenum space at one side of the pebble bed and is connected by a duct to the outlet from the solar collector panels. An upper warm air outlet is provided at the upper plenum space at the opposite side of the pebble bed and is connected through a conventional furnace with the room space to be heated. A lower cool air inlet is provided for the lower plenum space at the same side of the pebble bed as the upper warm air inlet and is connected to the room space by a cool air return duct. A lower cool air outlet is provided at the lower plenum space at the same side of the pebble bed as the upper warm air outlet and is connected by a blower and a duct to the inlet of the solar collector panels.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a solar heating system for a space to be heated, said system having a solar collector for heating air and heat storage means adapted to have air passed therethrough, the improvement wherein

said heat storage means comprises a container having air pervious sides, and a mass of solid heat retention material confined within said container, said air pervious sides of said container defining vertically extending surface areas at opposite sides of said mass,
means defining a pair of segregated upper and lower plenum spaces at each of said opposite surface areas of said mass,
a first air inlet communicating with the upper plenum space at one of said surface areas,
a first air outlet communicating with the upper plenum space at the other of said surface areas,
a second air inlet communicating with the lower plenum space at said one surface area,
a second air outlet communicating with the lower plenum space at said other surface area,
first air circulating means connecting said collector to said first air inlet and to said second air outlet for circulating warm air from said collector to said mass and back to said collector, and
second air circulating means connecting said space to said second air inlet and to said first air outlet for circulating cool air from said space to said mass and back to said space.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.