PAVING OR REVETMENT PROVIDED WITH A HEAT CONVEYING ELEMENT

Abstract: The invention relates to a paving or revetment (1) comprising a top surface, such as a wearing course or a dike revetment, and a conveying element (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) for conveying a liquid, such as water, along the top surface and for the transfer of heat between the top surface and the liquid. The paving (1) is characterized in that it comprises a top layer (5) with a porous layer (4) beneath which has at least 20% voids. A closed sealing layer (3) is placed beneath the porous layer (4). The liquid conveying element (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) comprises in the longitudinal direction a discharge element (7, 8) and a supply element (6, 9), both of which connect to the porous layer (4) for the conveyance of liquid through said layer (4). The paving (1) according to the present invention forms a cheap solar collector which is entirely composed of materials which are in standard use in roadbuilding for paving roads. The system is relatively efficient, is easily overlaid and can be reused during replacement, renovation and other alterations of the top surface.

Description: Paving or revetment provided with a heat conveying element The invention relates to a paving or revetment comprising a top surface and a conveying element for conveying liquid, such as water, along the top surface and for the transfer of heat between the top surface and the liquid. It is known to heat floor surfaces by embedding current conductors or liquid conductors in the floor surface and conducting electric current or warm liquid through said conductors. It is also known to place a solar collector with a pipe system in a road surface, in which case the dark-coloured road surface acts as an absorption surface and water is conveyed along the heated absoφtion surface by way of the pipe system. The heated water is then stored in the ground or is conveyed for space heating through buildings adjoining the road. Such a solar collector system can also be used for subsequently making the stored energy available for keeping surfaces free of ice, such as, for example, carriageway surfaces in the case of bridges or locks. For large-scale use, the embedding of a pipe system in a paving of, for example, a road surface or aircraft runway is relatively expensive by comparison with the costs of primary energy, while the heat gained (exergy) is of low quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paving or revetment provided with a conveying element for heat transfer between the top surface and a liquid, such as water, which is conveyed by way of the conveying element along the top surface, and which is simple and cheap. A further object of the present invention is to provide a paving with a relatively high coefficient of heat transfer between the top surface and the heat conveying element, in which the system can be overlaid in a simple manner and can be reused during replacement or renovation. To that end, a paving or revetment according to the present invention is characterized in that the paving comprises a top layer with a porous layer underneath it having at least 20% voids, and a sealing layer situated beneath the porous layer, a discharge element being provided in a longitudinal direction, which discharge element connects to the porous layer for the discharge of the liquid from the porous layer, and at a distance from the discharge element provision being made for a supply element extending in the longitudinal direction and connecting to the porous layer for the supply of liquid to the porous layer. The top layer of the construction according to the present invention has both the function of paving layer or revetment layer and that of absoφtion surface. In terms of construction, the paving according to the invention has the same bearing power value as a corresponding construction without heat conveying properties and with only an additionally required layer thickness varying between 0 and 2 cm. The solar collector according to the present invention can be placed by means of the existing techniques for road surfacing, for example by means of an asphalt spreader, so that its cost is very low. Furthermore, the solar collector according to the invention has a relatively high coefficient of heat transfer by comparison with a system of pipes embedded in the road surface. Such plastic pipes with a diameter of 1 to 2 cm, lying approximately 6 cm beneath the surface of the paving with a centre-to-centre distance of 6 to 12 cm, are not only expensive, but also relatively inefficient. Unlike a system with pipes, the system according to the present invention can be provided in a simple manner with a new layer of paving material which has the same properties, for example for maintenance of the paving. In the case of a pipe system the pipes would ultimately lie too deep down, while cutting away the top layer can lead to damage to the pipe system. The solar collector according to the present invention is composed completely of materials which are in standard use in roadbuilding for paving the wearing course, and which can be reused in their entirety after cutting away and grinding during renovation of the system. This is of great importance, since asphalt top layers have a useful service life of 10 to 15 years. Renovation and alterations, such as road diversion or road widening, may also be necessary, and these can be carried out in a simple manner with the solar collector according to the present invention. The porous layer used preferably comprises a layer of very open-textured asphalt concrete with a predominant granule size between 6 mm and 8 mm, or between 8 mm and 11 mm, or between 11 mm and 16 mm, and with a voids ratio of at least 20%, preferably between 25 and 30%. Water can flow with low flow resistance horizontally through such a layer, from the inlet to the outlet. The outlet of the porous layer is connected to a heat storage means, for example by way of a pump or heat pump, while water is conveyed by way of the inlet from a storage medium to the porous layer. The top layer of the paving can be water-impermeable, in order to prevent the water to be heated from becoming polluted, so that, for example, it cannot or must not be pumped back into the ground. It is also possible to make the top layer an open construction, in order to obtain good water drainage, and in order to place a thin water-impermeable asphalt layer or other impermeable layer such as a geotextile or a plastic or bituminous membrane between the open top layer and the conveying layer. It is likewise possible to make proper use of the water-draining function of the porous layer, for example in the case of (wide) motorways. In that case the top layer can be made porous, while the voids ratio is preferably kept of the same order of magnitude as that for the porous liquid conveying layer, but with the granule diameter of the top layer preferably being predominantly between 2 and 4 mm. The individual pores then become much smaller, so that water is able to flow easily towards the coarse-grained intermediate layer lying below, but so that (coarse) dirt is not allowed through. Fine dirt (sludge) is removed with the continuous stream of water which is conveyed through the porous layer along the wearing course to the drain construction. In this embodiment the invention is very suitable for use on motorways or as a paving for dikes and coastal defence structures, and the following five advantages are obtained: • solar energy is obtained; • rainwater is drained away vertically (prevention of aquaplaning and splashing and spray); • a considerable noise reduction by comparison with a dense top layer is obtained; • the as yet unsolved soiling problem of very open-textured asphalt concrete has been solved, which would also take care of the cleaning problem (also not yet solved); and • on very hot days the road surface is cooled, so that rutting in heavy traffic is drastically reduced. So-called double-layer very open-textured asphalt concrete which can be used in a suitable manner as a solar collector of the type described above is manufactured by applicant under the brand name of DUOLAY. For the conveyance of the water through the porous layer the lateral gradient of the road can be used, said gradient where present being approximately 2%. In such a case the supply element and the discharge element can be formed by a simple channel construction. In cases in which no gradient or an inadequate gradient is present (for example, where roads are very wide) an artificial drop can be created by providing the supply element at a raised level relative to the bottom of the discharge element, so that the water is pushed through the porous layer under the influence of the pressure gradient created by the increased height of the water in the supply element. In general, the channel constructions will be closed, in order to prevent soiling. The system according to the present invention can be used not only for heat storage in the groundwater, but also for keeping the wearing course free of ice. Should the porous intermediate layer freeze up, no damage will be caused in that case. Supplying warm water to the porous layer means that gritting costs can be reduced substantially and less damage is caused to the environment by salt. The term "wearing course", as used in this context, refers to a road surface, roof parking area, car park, aiφort apron, aircraft runway, cycle path etc. The paving according to the invention can also be used as a dike revetment, where the latter may or may not act as a wearing course. When the solar collector is used on a bridge surface, the solar collector can be used for heating the bridge surface itself; when used on a road surface, the road surface can be heated or buildings situated along the road can be heated, and the solar collector can be connected to a heating/air conditioning system of such a building. When it is used on a roof parking area, the building below can be heated, while when it is used in a car park, the supermarket which may be adjacent can be heated. In the case of an aiφort apron or runway the departure lounges or the working areas etc. can be heated. A number of embodiments of a paving according to the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the appended drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic cross section of the layer construction of the paving according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a construction in which the supply and discharge elements are formed by a channel, using the gradient of the road surface; Figure 3 shows a construction in which no height difference is present between supply and discharge element. Figure 1 shows a lateral cross section of a paving 1 provided with a base course 2 of asphalt, sand cement, concrete etc. This base course 2 is placed on a foundation of concrete or sand. A sealing layer 3 approximately 2-4 cm thick, for example in the form of a watertight asphalt layer, is placed on the base course 2. On top of the sealing layer 3 lies a porous layer 4 as a conveying element for water in the transverse direction T. The porous layer 4 is formed by, for example, a layer of very open-textured asphalt concrete with a thickness of approximately 4-6 cm and with a voids ratio between 25 and 30%. The particle size of the porous layer 4 lies predominantly between 6 mm and 8 mm, or between 8 mm and 11 mm, or between 11 mm and 16 mm. The porous layer 4 is covered by a top layer 5, which forms the wearing course of the paving, and which is, for example, formed by a layer of asphalt concrete with a relatively low voids ratio and a thickness of approximately 3 to 5 cm. The layers 2, 3, 4 and 5 have both the function of paving layer which meets the traffic requirements as regards load and that of solar collector, in the case of which the dark properties of the top layer 5 make it very suitable for absorbing solar heat. Figure 2 shows an embodiment in which, as a result of the gradient of the road surface, which is, for example, 2%, the water is conveyed through the porous layer 4 from a supply element 6 to a discharge element 7. The supply element 6 can connect to the porous water-conducting layer in the dense base course 2, which in this case is designed as a channel around the porous layer 4. A pipe system situated in the longitudinal direction of the paving can be connected to the supply element 6 and the discharge element 7. It is also possible for a separate channel to be provided along the supply elements 6 and discharge elements 7, which are provided at regular mutual intervals. The sealing layer 3 is preferably of an insulating design, and said layer comprises, for example, asphalt with lightweight granules or cellular concrete. This will make the temperature of the porous layer rise more quickly, and the efficiency of the solar collector increases. In the embodiment according to Figure 3 the wearing course is horizontal and the supply element comprises a channel 9 whose bottom 10 is formed by the porous layer 4. The discharge element is formed by a channel 8 whose bottom 12 is situated at a lower level than the bottom 10 of the channel 9. Part of the side wall 11 of the channel 8 is formed by the porous layer 4, and water is conveyed through the porous layer from the supply channel 9 to the discharge channel 8 as a result of the difference in height between the water levels in channel 9 and channel 8. After discharge through the opening 7 by way of heat pumps or otherwise, the water heated in the porous layer 4 can be used directly for heating buildings or can be stored in the deep groundwater. According to requirements, the warm groundwater can be pumped up again and used for heating, either of the paving 1 by supplying to the supply opening 6 or the supply channel 9 or for heating of buildings situated near the road surface. A suitable combination of top layer 5 and porous layer 4 is formed by a two-layer very open-textured asphalt concrete construction such as that manufactured by applicant under the brand name of DUOLAY.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Paving or revetment (1) comprising a top surface and a conveying element (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) for conveying a liquid along the top surface, and for the transfer of heat between the top surface and the liquid, characterized in that the paving comprises a top layer (5) with a porous layer (4) underneath it having at least 20% voids, and a sealing layer (3) situated beneath the porous layer, a discharge element (7, 8) being provided in a longitudinal direction, which discharge element connects to the porous layer (4) for the discharge of the liquid from the layer, and at a distance from the discharge element (7, 8) provision is made for a supply element (6, 9) extending in the longitudinal direction and connecting to the porous layer (4), for the supply of liquid to the porous layer. 2. Paving or revetment (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the top surface is a wearing course. 3. Paving or revetment (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the porous layer (4) comprises very open-textured asphalt concrete with a voids ratio of at least 20%, preferably between 25% and 35%. 4. Paving or revetment (1) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the particle size of the porous layer (4) lies predominantly between 6 mm and 8 mm, or between 8 mm and 11 mm, or between 11 mm and 16 mm. 5. Paving or revetment (1) according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the sealing layer (3) comprises an at least virtually watertight asphalt layer. 6. Paving or revetment (1) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the sealing layer (3) comprises an insulating material. 7. Paving or revetment (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top layer (5) comprises a layer with a voids ratio between 20%) and 40%, preferably between 25% and 35%, and with a particle size predominantly between 1 mm and 3 mm, between 2 mm and 4 mm, or between 3 mm and 5 mm. 8. Paving or revetment (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wearing course slopes between the supply element (6, 9) and the discharge element (7, 8). 9. Paving or revetment (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supply element (6, 9) comprises a channel (9) whose bottom (10) and/or part of the side wall is formed by the layer of porous material (4), and in that the discharge element (7, 8) comprises a channel (8) in which a side wall (11) is at least partially formed by the layer of porous material (4), and whose bottom (12) is impermeable, the bottom (12) of the channel (8) of the discharge element being at a lower level than the bottom (10) of the channel (9) of the supply element and being provided with a liquid discharge element (7). 10. Paving or revetment (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top surface is provided on a slope of, for example, a dike, noise protection dam or water-retaining structure.

Inventors: GITZ HUBERTUS JOHANNES JOSEPHU, RIKKEN JACOBUS FREDERICUS, GITZ, HUBERTUS, JOHANNES, JOSEPHUS, RIKKEN, JACOBUS, FREDERICUS
Applicants: GITZ HUBERTUS JOHANNES JOSEPHU, RIKKEN JACOBUS FREDERICUS, STEVIN WEGENBOUW, GITZ, HUBERTUS, JOHANNES, JOSEPHUS, KONINKLIJKE WEGENBOUW STEVIN B.V., RIKKEN, JACOBUS, FREDERICUS
Application year: 1999
Main classification: F24J2
IPC codes: E01C11, E02B3, F24J2