US20120042870A1

US20120042870A1 - Hot blast heater using solar energy

Info

Publication number: US20120042870A1
Application number: US12/971,577
Authority: US
Inventors: Sang-Hoon Lim; Yong-Heack Kang; Nam-Chun Baek; Jong-Kyu Kim; Hyun-Jin Lee
Original assignee: Korea Institute of Energy Research KIER
Current assignee: Korea Institute of Energy Research KIER
Priority date: 2010-08-18
Filing date: 2010-12-17
Publication date: 2012-02-23
Also published as: KR101123365B1; KR20120017289A

Abstract

A hot blast heater capable of heating air using solar energy and providing hot air for daily life is provided. The hot blast heater includes a chamber, a lifting part, a control part and a pump. The chamber is configured to form an accommodation space to accommodate air, has an inlet/an outlet which are formed through a lower part and an upper part of the chamber, respectively, such that indoor air is received through the inlet and air inside the chamber is discharged through the outlet, and is formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material. The lifting part is installed lengthwise along two facing sides of the window to lift the chamber such that the air inside the chamber is heated through sunlight or solar heat introduced through the window. The control part controls operations of the lifting part. The pump is installed at the outlet of the chamber to forcedly discharge the heated air inside the chamber to an indoor space. The air discharged through the outlet serves as hot blast used to warm indoor air.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0079895, filed on Aug. 18, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field
The following description relates to a hot blast heater using solar energy, and more particularly, to a hot blast heater using solar energy in which air inside the hot blast heater is heated using solar energy and is forcedly circulated such that hot blast is provided to the indoor space.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, humans are confronted with two urgent issues that have to be resolved as soon as possible. The first issue is the depletion of fossil fuel like oil and coil, and the second issue is our action to fulfill conditions of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to prevent global warming accelerated due to the increase in use of fossil fuel.
With such a trend in use of the fossil fuel, existing oil, coal, natural gas and uranium will be exhausted within 40 years, 210 years, 65 years and 50 years, respectively.
In resolving these issues, clean alternative energy called as “energy for the future” or “green energy” is gathering in importance, and virtually every countries are investing on the development and distribution of the alternative energy.
The alternative energy includes sunlight energy, solar thermal energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydrogen energy and waste renewable energy. In recent years, sunlight energy and solar thermal energy have garnered a lot of interest.
The Sun, which has a surface temperature of about 6000° C. and core temperature of about 1.5×10⁷° C., releases a great amount of energy of 9.2×1022 kcal, but is distant from the earth by 1.5×10⁸km. Accordingly, the radiant energy of the Sun reaching to the earth is about only 2 cal.
Such a radiant energy from the Sun serves as a root of energy used for our daily life, and also as the driving force of weather change and oceanic current. In addition, the radiant energy from the Sun has been applied to solar power heating systems, solar houses, and solar power generators.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, there is provided a hot blast heater using solar energy, in which air is heated using solar energy, thereby saving the fuel cost and electric charges for hot blast that is is used to warm indoor air while providing hot blast needed in a daily life.
In another aspect, there is provided a hot blast heater using solar energy, capable of ensuring easy installation and removal with simpler configuration and thus being reinstalled while changing construction sites. In addition, the hot blast heater provides lower manufacturing cost and enhances energy efficiency by collecting or reflecting solar energy without having to install an additional device for enhancing the energy efficiency.
In one general aspect, there is provided a hot blast heater using solar energy which is installed at a building having a window. The hot blast heater includes a chamber, which is formed to form an accommodation space therein to accommodate air and an inlet/an outlet which are formed through a lower part and an upper part of the chamber, respectively, such that indoor air is received through the inlet and air inside the chamber is discharged through the outlet, and is formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material; a lifting part which is vertically installed at facing sides of the window to lift the chamber such that the air inside the chamber is heated through sunlight or solar heat introduced through the window; a control part which controls operations of the lifting part; and a pump which is installed at the outlet of the chamber to forcedly discharge the heated air inside the chamber to an indoor space, wherein the air discharged through the outlet serves as hot blast used to warm indoor air.
The chamber is formed using glass.
The chamber includes a convex lens having a function of collecting light.
The chamber is provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided at a bottom surface and an interior side surface thereof with a reflection layer such that the introduced sunlight and solar heat is reflected to an inside of the water tank.
According to the hot blast heater using solar energy of the present invention, air is heated through solar energy, thereby saving the fuel cost and electric charges required for hot blast and while obtaining hot blast used for a daily life. In addition, the hot blast heater ensures easy installation and removal with simpler configuration and thus being reinstalled while changing construction sites. In addition, the hot blast heater provides lower manufacturing cost and enhances the energy efficiency by collecting or reflecting solar energy without having to install an additional device for enhancing the energy efficiency.
Other features will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an example of a hot blast heater.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a hot blast heater.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a chamber of the hot blast heater moving upward.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a chamber of the hot blast heater moving upward.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing another example of a chamber of the hot blast heater.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view showing still another example of a chamber of the hot blast heater.

Elements, features, and structures are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings and the detailed description, and the size and proportions of some elements may be exaggerated in the drawings for clarity and convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses and/or systems described herein. Various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein will suggest themselves to those of ordinary skill in the art. Descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted to enhance clarity and conciseness.
Hereinafter, examples will be described with reference to accompanying drawings in detail.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an example of a hot blast heater, FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a hot blast heater, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a chamber of the hot blast heater moving upward, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a chamber of the hot blast heater moving upward.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hot blast heater 10 according to the present invention includes a chamber 100, a lifting part 200, a control part 300 and a pump 400. The chamber 100 is configured to form an accommodation space therein to accommodate air, has an inlet 120/an outlet 110 to draw and discharge air, and is formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material. The lifting part 200 is vertically installed at facing sides of a window 20 to lift the chamber 100 such that the air inside the chamber 100 is heated through sunlight or solar heat introduced through the window 20. The control part 300 controls operations of the lifting part 200. The pump 400 is installed at the outlet 110 of the chamber 100 to forcedly discharge the heated air inside the chamber 100 to an indoor space. The air discharged through the outlet 110 serves as hot blast used to warm indoor air
As described above, the chamber 100 has the outlet 110 and the inlet 120 that respectively serve to discharge the air inside the chamber 100 to the indoor space and draw indoor air to the chamber 100, and is formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material. The chamber 100 is provided in various forms such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape and a spherical shape. The chamber 100 may be formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material, for example, glass and acryl to receive sunlight and solar heat as much as possible.
The outlet 110 and the inlet 120 are provided at an upper part of the chamber 100 and a lower part of the chamber 100, respectively, such that warm air is discharged through the outlet 110 and cool air is introduced through the inlet 120 according to convection of air.
The warm air discharged through the outlet 110 may be used for heating system.
In addition, when the chamber 100 is provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a cover 500 formed using cushioning material, wood, synthetic material or fabric is stacked on or wrapped on an upper surface 100 c of the chamber 100. The chamber 100 having the cover 500 thereon moves downward to be placed supporting against an indoor floor 30 and serves as a chair or a shelf.
The lifting part 200 is installed lengthwise along two facing sides of the window 20 to lift the chamber 100 such that air introduced inside the chamber 100 is heated through sunlight or solar heat incident through the window 20.
The lifting part 200 may operate on a manual scheme or a driving scheme. In the case of a driving scheme operation, the lifting part 200 may be implemented using various forms of driving members generally known in the art.
According to an example of the present invention, the lifting part 200 may include a power generation part 210 such as a motor, a driving pulley 220 connected to the power generation part 210 and rotating forward and backward, a driven pulley 230 fixed at both upper ends of the chamber 100, a first guide pulley 240 and a second guide pulley 250, which are fixed to a wall surface 40 of the hot blast heater 10 above the driven pulley 230, and a belt 260 which is sequentially wound around the driving pulley 220 and the driven pulley 230 via the first guide pulley 240 interposed between the driving pulley 220 and the driven pulley 230 and then fixed to the wall surface 40 via the second guide pulley 250. As the driving pulley 220 is driven forward/backward and the belt 260 is wound/unwound, the chamber 100 moves upward or downward.
Alternatively, the lifting part 200 may include a pinion gear, which is engaged with an output shaft of a power generation part and is installed at both sides of the window 20, and a rack gear which is engaged with the pinion gear and ascend and descend. As the chamber 100 is connected to the rack gear through a bracket and the rack gear ascends, the chamber 100 is lifted.
In addition, the lifting part 200 may include a cylinder, a piston, a chain, a sprocket, a shaft provided at outer and inner surfaces thereof with a screw thread and a pipe.
In a case where the lifting part 200 operates according to a manual scheme, a user may directly lift the chamber 100 by use of generally known lifting members such as a pulley, a rope and a chain.
Regardless of the operation scheme, a stopper may be additionally formed on the wall surface 40 to fix the water tank 100 in a lifted state.
The control part 300 controls operations of the lifting part 200.
In a case where the lifting part 200 operates on a manual scheme, the control part 300 is implemented by a handle provided at a side of a rope or a chain. In a case where the lifting part 200 operates on a driving scheme, the control part 300 is implemented by a vertical transfer button and an on/off switch electrically connected to the power generation part 210.
The pump 400 is installed at the outlet 110 of the chamber 100 to forcedly discharge the heated air inside the chamber 100 to the indoor space.
The heated air discharged through the outlet 110 by the pump 400 serves to warm the indoor air. As described above, the hot blast heater according to the present invention is applied to a heating system.
According to an example of the present invention, the chamber 100 may be formed using glass.
In addition, according to an example of the present invention, the chamber 100 includes a convex lens having a function of collecting light.
The convex lens serves to condense light beams by its structure in which the thickness of the convex lens increases toward the center, and thus called as condenser lens.
The convex lens may form each surface of the chamber 100 or may be attached to each surface of the chamber 100. Alternatively, the convex lens may be implemented by processing each surface of the chamber 100.
In addition, a Fresnel lens, which is used in an Over Head Projector (OHP) or a tail light of a vehicle, may form each surface of the chamber 100. The Fresnel lens has a refraction angle varying between the center portion and the outer portion and serves to condense light beams similar to a convex lens.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing another example of a chamber of the hot blast heater, and FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view showing still another example of a chamber of the hot blast heater.
The chamber 100 is provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided at a bottom surface 100 a and an interior side surface 100 b of lateral side surfaces 100 b and 100 d thereof with a reflection layer 600 such that the introduced sunlight and solar heat is reflected to the inside of the chamber 100.
The reflection layer 600 is implemented by attaching a reflection film or a reflection minor to the bottom surface 100 a and the interior side surface 100 b of the chamber 100.
The reflection layer 600 reflects sunlight or solar heat, which is introduced through the upper surface 100 c and the window side surface 100 d of the lateral side surfaces 100 b and 100 d, to prevent the sunlight or solar heat from passing through the bottom surface 100 a and the interior side surface 100 b. As a result, the reflected sunlight and solar heat is provided into the chamber 100 and serves as heat source to heat the air inside the chamber 100, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency.
According to the hot blast heater of the present invention, air is heated through solar energy, thereby saving the fuel cost and electric charges for hot blast that is used to warm indoor air while providing hot blast needed in a daily life. In addition, the hot blast heater ensures easy installation and removal with simpler configuration and thus being reinstalled while changing construction sites. In addition, the hot blast heater provides lower manufacturing cost and enhances the energy efficiency by collecting or reflecting solar energy without having to install additional device for enhancing the energy efficiency.
A number of exemplary embodiments have been described above. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hot blast heater using solar energy which is installed at a building having a window, the hot blast heater comprising:

a chamber which is configured to form an accommodation space therein to accommodate air, has an inlet/an outlet which are formed through a lower part and an upper part of the chamber, respectively, such that indoor air is received through the inlet and air inside the chamber is discharged through the outlet, and is formed using light passing material or thermal conductive material;

a lifting part which is installed lengthwise along two facing sides of the window to lift the chamber such that the air inside the chamber is heated through sunlight or solar heat introduced through the window;

a control part which controls operations of the lifting part; and

a pump which is installed at the outlet of the chamber to forcedly discharge the heated air inside the chamber to an indoor space,

wherein the air discharged through the outlet serves as hot blast used to warm indoor air.

2. The hot blast heater of claim 1, wherein the chamber is formed using glass.

3. The hot blast heater of claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a convex lens having a function of collecting light.

4. The hot blast heater of claim 1, wherein the chamber is provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided at a bottom surface and an interior side surface thereof with a reflection layer such that the introduced sunlight and solar heat is reflected to an inside of the water tank.