Transcript Elements of the Solar-FIN system

Patented in USA China and Europe
Architect Steve Bourne, the inventor of
Solar-FIN designed this hotel to show how
the invention will look in practice.
The façade is clear glass and the SolarFIN energy controller is behind this, either
combined with normal windows or
standalone.
During the day the Solar-FIN panels
absorb solar energy and saves it for use
as required.
At night the panels can be opened to
cool the building by radiating heat to the
night sky.
The Solar-FIN panel connects to the
building structure when required to heat
or cool the thermal mass of the building.
The cost is similar to a curtain wall and so
as a standalone system payback in
energy saving is immediate
Steve Bourne BA Hons Dip Arch RIBA HKIA
Steve studied at the Oxford School of Architecture
Solar-FIN: a simple leap forward in building design
Nature is the most efficient collector of energy: A simple flower opens and closes with the sun to
collect energy. So why can’t buildings do the same? And store this energy?
By simple rotation of the Solar-FIN insulation collectors are either exposed to the sun as required
to gain heat. To cool the building at night again the insulation can be opened so that the
collector can be cooled by radiating heat to the night sky. Potential heating is up to 1000kw/m2
and cooling is 100 W/m2
To retain and protect the heat or cold collected the insulation is closed. The secret of the system
is that the insulation always retains its integrity, overcoming all the problems of previous systems.
Furthermore with new patented technology the Solar-FIN collector can be connected to the
building structure when required either to heat or cool the building, transferring heat or cold to
the building mass through highly conductive steel reinforcement to the concrete thermal mass
storage medium.
For long term heat or cold storage either hot or cold air in excess of the daily requirements can
be transferred to underground storage media.
Fast space heating and cooling can be achieved by integrating convection systems.
Solar-FIN can be combined with other solar technologies to produce electricity, hot water and
air with no detriment to its performance.
Building orientation and angle
For maximum efficiency the building should have the
following characteristics:Roof: this is the best place to put the system.
• For heating the roof should be inclined to the same angle
as the latitude and so say for London the pitch would be 28
degrees.
• For cooling the roof should be flat so that it radiates to the
night sky with the outer glass removed/open
Façade: An inclined façade will be more efficient.
However for practical reasons the façade may be vertical
in which case the orientation will be south east or south
west (Northern hemisphere)as the sun is lower offering a
more efficient angle of incidence, and still picking up the
maximum heat at noon.
The following diagrams illustrate the working of the system in
plan and section. For ease of illustration the section shows a
façade but this also equally applies to a roof.
SE and SW facing facade
The components of the Solar-FIN system
A collector: This can be a simple circular concrete
column or beam for cost effective solutions as it
has good thermal mass and is easy to make. Other
storage mediums could be water as this is easy to
move and transfer heat to storage tanks for use
later. Substances that change state have potential
significant latent heat storage capacity.
Rotating insulation: Polyurethane or other stiff insulation with a reflective facing will be
mounted on a “lazy susan” type turntable and can be rotated with ease manually or
with a motor. The joints will be sealed on all sides to prevent air movement.
Insulation of the collector: the collector has to be isolated from the structure to avoid
over heating or cooling. It is critical to the success of the system that heat is moved
only as required.
Connector: This invention simply connects the collector to the building mass through
the reinforcing bars which are extremely good conductors of heat. For the pick up
and distribution of energy the contact area should be large as possible to maximize
transmission. The component could be a simple screw or a hydraulic cylinder.
All of the components are simple to make and assemble and are inexpensive.
Plan
Elements of the Solar-FIN system: The collector and rotating insulation
One element only is shown for simplicity. This can be on a roof or a wall.
The key to control of the system is that the insulation (shown in green)
can rotate either exposing the collector to the sun or the night sky, or
protecting the collector from heat gain or loss. The rotating
insulation gives the user the option to collect or dissipate heat as
required.
In section, the collector is a heat storage medium insulated from
the structure, but can be connected as required to the reinforcing
bars to transfer heat or cold to the structure. This is a patented
method and overcomes the problem of heat or cold being
transferred to the structure when it is not required.
Plan
Heat collection
When the sun shines the Solar-FIN collector heats up. Importantly
the inside of the building is protected from this heat by the
insulation which is at the rear of the collector AND between the
collector and structure. The air gap also becomes hot because of
the green house effect.
Plan
Heating
When heat is required in the building the insulation is rotated to
protect the collector from outside and to radiate the heat internally.
The second invention now is used: a connector physically joins the
collector to the reinforcement of the building so that heat is passed
into the thermal mass of the structure by conduction.
In section the patented Solar-FIN connector moves to make physical
contact between the collector and the steel reinforcement of the
slab so that the heat collected is conducted to the general building
thermal storage mass.
Plan
Protection from over heating
During long hot periods the insulation protects the building from
overheating. The air gap can be ventilated expelling (or if required
using or storing) air that can be over 80 degrees centigrade. The
collector remains cool and can pick up excess heat from the interior or
the thermal mass of the structure.
Plan
Cooling.
The collector is warm either heated by the interior( lights, equipment
and people) or purposely taking heat from the structure using the
Solar-FIN connector between the reinforcement and the collector.
There are now several ways the collector can dissipate the excess
heat.
Plan
Cooling by radiation
A clear night sky is a perfect receiver of radiant heat. An example of
this is in desert conditions where overnight the land can cool to
freezing point by the morning despite the very high day time
temperatures. The system is more efficient with the glass opened.
Cooling by ventilation
The air gap can be ventilated by opening louvers in the façade
allowing cool air in which is then heated and rises due to the stack
effect and can then be expelled outside. Wetting the collector
improves this process due to the latent heat of evaporation.
By the morning the collector has been substantially cooled and
it can be connected to the reinforcing bars to conduct cool into
the thermal mass of the building. Also the collector will radiate
cool and reduce air temperatures creating natural air currents.
Plan
Patent drawing showing on the left portion heat storage and transfer. The
insulation is closed ( facing outside) so that the collector is radiating heat
inside in a way controlled by an inner insulated wall that can be vented or
opened to allow heat to the interior in a controlled way.
The right hand portion shows the insulation open so that the collector is
being heated by the sun, but the interior is still well insulated.
Plan
Left side shows transfer of heat.
The right shows night cooling.
Heat transfer using connectors between the collector and the reinforcing bars of
the structure.
Note that the inner wall moderates the heat or cold flow and can be the
waterproof and airtight seal so that the outer glass wall can be deleted. This is
more efficient for cooling purposes and makes the system extremely cost
effective.
These sketches are for our computer test rig to ascertain the working
performance of Solar-FIN. Here is the roof plan which is flat with no glass
cover for cooling , and inclined with glass for heating. Fans are placed to
send hot air through a long term storage facility, or to ventilate the façade
or provide fast heating or cooling inside.
Inside as the Solar-FIN collector spans cross wall the top and bottom wall are
connected and provide a heat sink, and are made to an optimum thickness to suit the
climate. In a terrace house situation this is very efficient as each unit shares a heated or
cooled wall. Windows can be placed as necessary.
The end walls and under the floor are used for heat storage and either hot air can be
pumped over a rock store or water circulated for long term heating or cooling. This
store can be insulated from the living space .
This section shows a desert climate and the rock store will be cooled by air drawn in late at night
to supplement cooling during the day. The Solar-FIN collectors will cool the heat sink side walls on
a diurnal basis and act directly on the space from the roof. During the day photovoltaic's can
produce electricity so the whole building is an energy generator 24/7.
In temperate climates the roof is inclined to match the latitude for maximum efficiency. The
cross / side walls form the heat sink from the collectors and the end walls deal with long term
heating or cooling as excess heat or cold is passed over the storage medium. Arrows show
how air can bee introduced from outside and expelled or there can be internal circulation for
quick convective heating or cooling
Summary
From the diagrams it is clear that the patented Solar-FIN system is able to collect,
dissipate and store energy in a simple way with just two moving parts
1. Rotating lightweight insulation.
2. A mechanical connection between the collector and reinforcement.
• Heat or cold is collected and controlled simply and cost effectively.
• Critically the building is always insulated.
• The whole system can be linked to weather data so that the building not only
reacts to day to day needs but energy can be stored for future use.
• All of the building methods are conventional and inexpensive.
• As the system is the same cost as a curtain wall, payback is immediate.
• Energy cost saving is about US $30/m2 / annum. We note that solar voltaic cells
take up to 20 years to payback the cost ; solar-fin starts saving money
immediately.
• Heating and cooling buildings is one of the major energy expenses.
• The system can also incorporate all of the existing solar technology.
• The façade can be a super graphic that changes, with an advertising income
that further increases value.
• Grants of about 20% of the cost of the system are often available.
The end result is a comprehensive and cost effective solution for managing
the temperature of a building, which if combined with other systems will
make a neutral carbon footprint perfectly feasible.
Combined solutions
• Cooling buildings is hard : the heat collected in the façade can
be over 80 degrees centigrade and this can be used with heat
pumps to very efficiently freeze the ground and this acts as a heat
store, and can be used directly .
• Photo voltaic cells can be used on the Solar-FIN face to
generate electricity. We have proprietary technology that can
make this up to 80% efficient rather than current dismal 25 %
efficient. (The same technology also boosts windmill performance
from 17% efficient to 85% efficient.) The building then can become
a net energy provider.
•Abundant hot air from the façade can be used for space and
water heating, slow cooking and industries like laundries etc
maximizing the potential of the free excess energy; this is ideal for
the hotel and other industries.
10% of the World’s energy is used for heating and cooling
buildings. Solar-FIN will make a substantial difference, saving
energy and costs to any developer that uses it. Payback is
immediate. A really SMART energy solution.
Solar-fin: the full potential
During the process of this invention all of the components have been kept
simple and buildable in order to keep costs down. The building is used for
thermal storage and this works well for some time and is very good with, say, a
desert climate where the building cools at night and generates electricity
during the day.
In our research we have found Zeolite pellets, which are now being made
commercially. These “boil stones” store four times as much heat as water with
little energy loss and offer enormous potential for long term heat storage. Water
and rock heat storage are also simple and cost effective.
Solar-FIN solves the major energy consumption of heating and cooling buildings
with offshoots of abundant hot air and water heating capabilities, simply and
cost effectively, and can be combined with solar voltaic to produce electricity.
Being the same cost as a curtain wall, we trust that people will see that SolarFIN’s payback is immediate with energy savings of a building that is proactive in
heating and cooling, the highest energy usage in a building. Our hope is that by
dealing with the most energy intensive issues each building can become its own
power generation plant massively reducing world wide energy consumption.
Patented in United States of America, Europe and China
Contact Steve Bourne email [email protected] (852) 2110 6762
Solar-FIN is a copyrighted name