| 摘要 |
A system for storing in a liquid storage medium a substantial part of the heat for a building. The liquid is contained within a large, vertical, cylindrical tank and is circulated to heat-receiving, or solar heated, structures and back to the tank. The stored heat is transferred to the building by forcing air through a limited passageway of which the cylindrical wall of the tank forms at least a major part. The tank wall thus becomes a major heat-exchanger. The air to be heated flows from a cooler to a warmer part of the tank surface and is then ducted throughout the building. The space within the tank is divided by an internal, heat-insulating, submersible barrier into a smaller, upper section in a larger, lower section. A hot water tank is suspended in the upper section, and the liquid in the upper section is maintained hotter than in the lower section, by additional solar panels, if necessary. The evaporator of a heat pump may be immersed in the lower section to facilitate transfer of heat to the forced air system even when the liquid in the lower section is not sufficiently hot to heat the air by direct contact between the air and the tank wall. The heat pump can also act as an air conditioner in the hot weather. Duct dampers and controls direct the air flow to provide temperature and humidity control under all conditions of solar heat supply or air conditioning. The building may be firmly connected to and preferably constructed around the tank to anchor the building solidly in place against winds of normally dangerous force.
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