Skirt for storing warm water in cold water tank - has inflated toroidal balloon to support weighted plastics net and felt layers which sandwich sealed sheet

摘要

Warm water can be stored in cold water by making use of the poor thermal conductivity of water. An inflated toroidal balloon (1) supports a cylindrical plastics net (2) forming a skirt which has its upper edge formed in a T section. One branch (3) of the bar of the T is attached to the balloon and the other branch (4) supports cylindrical layers of felt (5). A sealed sheet (11) is interposed between the net and the felt and the skirt is held rigid by balance weights (10). Because the warm water has a lower density than the cold water, the water level inside the skirt is higher than that outside. There is therefore a differen tial pressure between inside and outside which decreases wit depth which tends to maintain the net in a cylindrical form.