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re: storing solar heat
14 feb 1997
nick howes wrote:
>my monolithic dome house is designed to use (exclusively) solar heat and
>has a calculated thermal time constant of more than 30 days.
wow, you seem to be doing things right :-)
>it has 8" of polyurethane foam insulation envelope...
vs the normal 3" or so...
>an 8" thick concrete floor, 4" thick concrete walls...
vs the usual 3" slab and 2" walls? could this have equivalent solar
performance if the thermal mass were the roof of the dome, with a horizontal
thermal break and a ceiling fan to blow down warm air from the upper mass
at higher than room temperature, as required to keep the lower part of the
dome warm. mc's structural engineer didn't seem too comfortable including
a 3" horizontal ring between the lower and upper parts with only foam and
reinforcing rod or pvc pipes, but he seemed very conservative.
>...and 6" thick polyurethane shutters over the windows. (the shutters are
>controlled by electrical actuators and provide shading as well as nightime
>insulation.)
i wonder if this might have been done more conveniently by leaving off some
of the concrete and cutting a couple of holes in the foam and putting some
polycarbonate glazing over the outside or using a translucent airform to
make an air heater with a one-way passive gravity plastic film flap or a
simple motorized interior damper...
nick
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