Patent Publication Number: US-2011073103-A1

Title: System for heating water and cooling a house

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/247,406, filed Sep. 30, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to heating systems and more specifically to a system for heating water and cooling a house. 
     Due to low power cell efficiency, water heating, large heat losses, and high air conditioning usage, current buildings are not energy efficient. Typical power cells are efficient to 15 to 25%. 
     By combining solar energy, water heating, and passive cooling with spherical power cells, such as new cells from Japan, a system may be suited for these uses. It would be desirable to have a system that efficiently heats water and passively cools a house. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a system for water, electricity, and cooling includes a power cell including a first tube to contain the water so that the water cools the power cell, a power unit that produces the electricity from light, a mirror that reflects the light onto the power unit, and a lens that helps focus the light onto the power unit; a water heater including a second, generally transparent tube to contain the water that is warmed by the light, a third tube inside the second tube to contain the water that is further warmed by the light, and a reflective material on the second tube that helps reflect the light onto the third tube; and a thermal barrier including a base made of material that provides thermal isolation and shade for cooling. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a system for a building includes a power unit that produces electricity from sunlight; a tube to contain water that cools the power unit; a mirror that reflects the sunlight onto the power unit; a lens that helps focus the sunlight onto the power unit; and a thermal barrier that provides thermal isolation and shade to the building. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing hot water, electricity, and cooling to a building includes containing water in a tube of a power cell, so that the water cools the power cell; producing the electricity from light utilizing a power unit; reflecting the light onto the power unit with a mirror; focusing the light onto the power unit with a lens; warming the water in a second, generally transparent tube of a water heater with the light; reflecting the light onto a third tube of the water heater with a reflective material on the second tube so as to further warm the water; and thermally isolating and cooling the building with a thermal barrier. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of an embodiment of a water heating and passive house cooling system according to the present invention, in use upon a roof; 
         FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of power lensing and a reflective power multiplier according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of a water heating and a reflective focus to increase heating according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of a passive cooling and basic mounting of system according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The preferred embodiment and other embodiments, which can be used in industry and include the best mode now known of carrying out the invention, are hereby described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further embodiments, features and advantages will become apparent from the ensuing description, or may be learned without undue experimentation. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, except where otherwise indicated. The following description of embodiments, even if phrased in terms of “the invention” or what the embodiment “is,” is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but describes the manner and process of making and using the invention. The coverage of this patent will be described in the claims. The order in which steps are listed in the claims does not necessarily indicate that the steps must be performed in that order. 
     An embodiment of the present invention generally provides a system for heating water and cooling a house. Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention may generally use spherical power cells to increase power using water lens, heat water and cool the house passively. 
     An embodiment of the present invention relates to a lens and mirror system, to using water pressure to create the lens, and to cooling the power cells for a long life by avoiding thermal breakdown. The water may be heated by the power cells, and the water may then proceed to the next stage, the water heating system, which will increase the heat of the water and continue the use of solar energy to increase further heating and remove the heat from the building. 
     An embodiment of the product may include water sources and electricity provided to a power panel. Embodiments may be used to create a water lens to increase power concentration to power cells, thus increasing power of the power cell and keeping the cells cool for longer life. Partially heated water may then return to a dual tube water heater. A first large tube may be included for lower temperature water. The water may then return through a conduit into a black copper water tube that is focused by the water in the previous tube. Thus, the output water may be completely heated and may remove heat from the roof. 
     An embodiment may include a thermal barrier under the system to increase thermal isolation and to increase material stability. Analysis has shown that up to 90% of the heat may be removed from the building&#39;s roof with this system by first cooling the power cells with the low temperature water. This makes the cells last longer. This partial heated water then returns to a household water heating stage that is preheated. The water is further heated by focusing light to a black copper pipe that produces a higher temperature, and this then removes more heat from the roof and thus cools the building. 
     In an embodiment, the light, such as sunlight, may be focused by the water lens, which thus increases light energy to the power cells, which are cooled by the water, which increases the life of the power cell. The partially heated water is heated by the flow of water over the power cells, and then goes to a dual preheat and focus heating tube to increase the temperature and remove heat from the roof. 
     An embodiment may produce energy at a low cost by using few power cells. A system may work by removing the intrinsic heat energy from the roof the building thus needs less energy to cool. Tests have shown possible gains of a 180% increase to provide an efficiency of 27 to 35% rating, compared to typical power cells, which are efficient to 15 to 25%. 
       FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of a basic structure and position on roof. A system  10  may include power cells  12 , which are a primary lensing and a reflector system for the power system, water heaters  14  which are a second unit to produce water heating that comprises a dual tube to preheat and a reflector magnifier to heat water, and a reflection base or thermal barrier  54  which is a third unit that produces a shading and insulating effect to passively cool the exterior roof  56  below the panel. The basic structure may have a water flow through system that cools the power unit, which produces electricity from incoming light, and heats the water in the secondary unit and thus removes heat from the roof  56 . 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 1  shows the power cells  12  and water heaters  14  horizontally, side-by-side relative to the base. Other embodiments may include the water heater below the power cell, and may include additional minors between the power cells. Other embodiments may use a Nitrogen gas heat pipe instead of a water heater, to provide heat to heat the water. Yet other embodiments may include a flat upper surface, with a narrow, Fresnel lens that is concave relative to the power unit or solar panel at the base of the power cell. 
       FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of a power cell  12 , which includes power lensing and a reflective power multiplier. This unit may include a water filled tube to cool a power unit. Cool water  16  may enter first to a cool water inlet  32  near the top of the unit and flow across the power unit  30  at the bottom of the tube. The cooling water  16  may be included to provide longer life. A lensing material  36  may focus light on the power unit  30 . Solar reflecting material  34  on the sides may add focus and condensation of the light to the power unit  30 . The cool water  16  may exit through a cool water outlet  38 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of a water heater  14 , which includes water heating and a reflective focus to increase heating. This unit may include an inner heat pipe  46 , which may have a black enamel or nano-technology copper tube, and a glass or other transparent tube  48  covered on the back of at least the lower side with a reflective material  40 . Warm water  18  enters the tube through a warm water inlet  42  and exits through a hot water outlet  44 . As the preheated water enters the tube it becomes more heated by the focus of the light/heat from the reflective material to the heat pipe. 
       FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of passive cooling and basic mounting of the system. A mounting base  50  may be made of recycled plastic. The mounting base  50  may rest upon the roof surface  56 , which may be horizontal or slanted, and the base  50  may support a front mounting surface  52  for the power cells  12  and water heaters  14 . A thermal barrier  54  may provide insulation and a structural base for the reflectors and may provide a shading effect to the roof. A shadow from the thermal barrier  54  may provide cover above the roof  56  and may reduce 90% of the heat to the house. Because of the focusing and position of the lensing systems, the system  10  may be mounted in a north/south or east/west direction. The whole roof may be covered as much as possible. 
     An embodiment of a device may include power cells, a mirror to reflect light onto the power cells, lensing material to focus light on the power cells and to hold the cooling water, a body of water that acts as a lens to the power cells and which cools the power cells, a conduit to remove the water so as to remove heat from the device, a secondary conduit to pre-heat water and to remove heat from the roof and to act as a focusing material to focus light/heat to a tertiary conduit, a tertiary conduit that light/heat is focused onto to provide a higher heating value to provide a higher temperature for the outlet water, a structural base to provide mounting for the panel and to provide mounting for the insulating/shading material, and insulating material to provide a thermal barrier between the heat removal panel and the house so as to lessen the heat factor into the house through the roof.