Solar Heat Collection and Storage System

Abstract

An active solar air heat storage system slowly transfers heat into water, providing heat while keeping mold and dust out of a building. A series of bidirectional air ducts separated by periodic wind gaps reduces an overhead collector array's uplift in high winds. Splitting a rock bed's airflow into multiple air channels slows air velocity and reduces air friction in the rock bed. A circular rock bed made partly of concrete blocks is held together by bands around the circle's outside. Solar heat may be gathered under driveways and walkways. A standard set of driveway bricks will allow gentle curves in the driveway while retaining a closed airflow under the driveway. Radiant heat may be trapped inside a collector.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A closed loop active solar heat collector using air as a heat transfer medium, comprising a fan, blower or other air moving device, with one or more vent doors or other devices to inhibit natural air flow when the fan or blower is off, a mounting frame, two or more parallel groups of two air raceways which absorb solar heat, where the top sides of these parallel raceways are substantially in the same plane or slightly offset from each other in this plane to take best advantage of sunlight, where this plane is tilted roughly diagonally and roughly toward the south in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, where these air raceways comprise one or more layers of solar transmitting material designed to gather solar heat on their southward-tilted top side, with straight wind spill gaps between adjoining groups of raceways for substantially all of the raceways' lengths, where the wind spill gaps constitute 2% to 20% of the total possible solar collecting surface, with a connecting air path between the two air raceways in each group of two air raceways at one end of each pair of raceways, one or more insulated manifolds containing both a supply and return air duct which connect to the multiple pairs of air raceways at the other ends of each pair of raceways, and an active solar air heat storage device, where in use forced air collects heat as it travels up the manifold supply ducts, out and back through the raceways, back down the manifolds and through the solar heat storage device in a loop, and where outside wind gust overpressures on the two or more parallel groups of raceways are alleviated by air blowing through the wind gaps. 
     
     
         2 . Claim  1 , with an air fairing at the far end of one or more of the pairs of air raceways that allows a relatively slight amount of air to circulate behind the fairing for solar heat collection behind the fairing. 
     
     
         3 . Claim  1 , where pieces of the groups of two parallel air raceways are manufactured in modular sections and attached to frames on-site. 
     
     
         4 . Claim  1 , where air raceways emanate from both sides of a manifold. 
     
     
         5 . Claim  1 , where the supply and return ducts in one or more groups of air raceways are themselves separated by a wind gap constituting 2% to 20% of the total possible solar collecting surface, for substantially all of the raceways' length except at the far end from the manifold where the air raceways are connected. 
     
     
         6 . An active solar heat storage unit using air as a heat transfer medium, comprising a fan, blower, solar chimney or other air moving device, air raceways which absorb solar heat, supply and return air channels to the heat storage unit, two or more parallel walls comprising rows of hollow concrete blocks or other hollow bricks or pipe sections with air passages through their centers, where the blocks are laid so that interior air passages substantially connect between adjacent hollow blocks, spacer objects to create small lateral air passages between adjacent blocks, layers of gravel, small rocks, sand or any other heat storage medium containing small air passages, which is laid between any two adjacent parallel rows of blocks, enclosures leading from one of the ducts to the hollow passages in each second alternating row of blocks, and an insulated, reasonably airtight enclosure around the heat storage device, where the supply and return ducts penetrate through this enclosure, where in use air is forced through the solar collectors, through the return duct to the rock bed storage unit, through the hollow passages in alternating rows of blocks, relatively slowly through a roughly fixed distance of heat storage medium between alternating rows of blocks, out through the second group of alternating rows of blocks and out the supply duct. 
     
     
         7 . Claim  6 , where the blocks have been constructed with tiny lateral air passages running from their central large air passages to their outside walls. 
     
     
         8 . Claim  6 , where the rows of blocks are laid with their internal air passages running roughly vertically, where the bottom ends of all of the rows of blocks are substantially closed off except for tiny lateral air passages, where air ducts connect to the top ends of alternating rows of blocks, with an air space inside the enclosure and above the rocks and blocks, and with pipes, finned pipes or other devices for the transfer of heat to fluids within the pipes, where in use, warm air rises and cool air sinks using the air passages in rows of blocks not covered by ducts. 
     
     
         9 . Claim  6 , where the roughly parallel rows of blocks are roughly arrayed in concentric circles, with inner channels running vertically, and where the ends of the blocks in the outermost concentric circle are substantially touching each other, for stability. 
     
     
         10 . Claim  9 , where the rock bed heat storage unit is substantially underground, and where soil, other fill or insulation pushes in on all sides of the outermost concentric circle of concrete blocks. 
     
     
         11 . Claim  9 , with roughly circular bands wrapped around the outermost circle of concrete blocks holding one or more of the outermost courses of blocks in their circular shape. 
     
     
         12 . Claim  9 , where a duct leads to the alternating concentric circles of blocks not including the outermost circle by running through the bottom of the rock bed, where these circles of blocks are blocked on their top ends, and where the air passages on the other concentric circles of blocks are open to the enclosure's air on their top ends. 
     
     
         13 . Claim  6 , where the rows of blocks are laid with their internal air passages running roughly horizontally, with open air spaces within the enclosure on each end, with substantially no connecting air channel between these two open air spaces, where the supply air duct connects with one of the open air spaces and the return air duct connects with the other open air space, where alternating rows of blocks are substantially closed off at one end from one open air space and where the second group of alternating rows of blocks are substantially closed off at their other end from the other air space, so that in use, air is forced into the first set of alternating rows of blocks, through a roughly fixed distance of heat storage medium, and out the second set of alternating rows of blocks. 
     
     
         14 . Claim  6 , where the walls created by the outermost two rows or the outermost circle of blocks substantially lean inward on the rock bed, so that adjacent walls are slightly less parallel, so as to better support the rock bed's stability. 
     
     
         15 . Claim  6  with pipes, finned pipes or other fluid-holding heat transfer devices in the air enclosure. 
     
     
         16 . A closed loop active solar heat collector using air as a heat transfer medium, with a fan, blower or other air moving device, with one or more vent doors or other devices to inhibit natural air flow when the fan or blower is off, with an air-based heat storage unit, with a supply duct, with a return duct, and with four or more insulated solar collector blocks or bricks laid in the ground or flat on the ground, each of which connect to air raceways or ducts in one or more adjoining insulated blocks, with substantially all blocks comprising a flat light-transmitting material on their tops and gaskets sealing the light-transmitting material onto the insulated block, and one or two inner air raceways, where raceways on the majority of the blocks run horizontally straight through the block, where some of the blocks bend the raceways, and where some of the blocks contain manifold air ducts so that at least three of their sides branch into raceways in adjacent blocks or into the supply or return ducts, such that in use the blocks absorb solar heat, which heats air, which is convected between the collectors and the rock bed heat storage unit, where in use the blocks fit together to create a flat pathway or driveway capable of supporting the weight of people, and where in use water can run down through the cracks between non-raceway block sides. 
     
     
         17 . Claim  16 , where the blocks have interlocking indentations and protrusions on those lateral edges that have air raceway openings. 
     
     
         18 . Claim  16 , with flexible supports or gaskets connecting the light-transmitting layer with the block's base, where in use the light-transmitting material has some give when human beings fall on the blocks. 
     
     
         19 . Claim  16 , with substantially parallel grooves on the top surface of the light-transmitting material on top of the blocks, where in use the grooves provide traction by shunting water away and they catch sunlight at oblique angles. 
     
     
         20 . Claim  16 , with a standard type of air raceway block that is 1 unit wide by 1 and 1/x units long, where x is an integer greater than 2, and where standard square blocks are 1 unit wide, and with a standard type of air raceway block that bends air raceways around a bend of roughly (arctan(x))*2 degrees, where in use, walkways, patios and driveways containing arrays of blocks in multiple parallel rows may bend seamlessly around one or more bends that are less than 90 degree bends.