Sunwall
The solar wall in the Energy Flow Wall is delivered in wood and aluminium.
The outer aluminium part encloses a 2-layer thermal glass with a sandblasted appearance to obscure the PCM containers behind.
In the case that the PCM containers or the electronics in the solar wall need to be serviced, the external 2-layer thermal glass is easily removable.
Behind the glass, the PCM container is attached to the back wall, which separates the insulation from the room containing the PCM containers.
At either the bottom or top of the solar wall is a fan that receives air from the outside and both blows and extracts the air into a manifold that distributes the fresh air across the entire width of the solar wall.
If the solar wall is to be placed on the outside wall of the building, the solar wall's edges are also delivered covered in aluminium.
At the top of the solar wall is the multifunctional valve which controls the airflow through the solar wall, which opens and closes on demand from the control panel.
Phase Change Material
In the solar wall, there are containers with PCM (Phase Change Material).
The containers are designed to make optimal use of the sun's rays, whereby the PCM heats up in a short time and stores the heat from the sun for night use.
In the containers, there may be a pipe system so that the heat from the PCM can be transferred with water into the building or to a heat storage tank.
The same pipe system can be used to cool the PCM by connecting it to, for example, a pipe system outside in the ground where there is a constant low temperature.
The PCM’s storage of heat from the sun during the day ensures that the sun's heat is used at night, which is the coldest part of the day.
The PCM's functions are:
- To store the energy it receives from the sun so that it is heated up to a maximum of 75 degrees.
- During the night, the PCM gives off heat to the building's ventilation air, which passes the PCM containers on its way into the building until it has cooled down to the outside temperature and no energy is left in the PCM.
- If the Energy Flow Wall is located on the north side of the building, the sun will not heat the PCM containers and thereby the night temperature can be used to cool the building's ventilated air until the PCM has been warmed by air passing from the outside.
Phase Change Material:
In the liquid phase
Top of the Solar Wall:
Letting heated up air inside to the building working together with ventilation window
Fan in the bottom of the Solar Wall: Heating up cold air from the outside
Electronically controlled valve
In the horizontal top frame of the solar wall, the PCM, is a patent-pending multifunctional valve that is electronically controlled and acts together with the building's energy and indoor climate management.
The same valve is used at the top of the ventilation window.
Those valves regulate the air change in each room
The functions of the multifunctional valve in the top of the solar wall and the ventilation window are:
- To shut down the air stream passing the PCM containers so they can store energy during the day.
- To prevent air passing the PCM containers at too high a temperature (max. 75 degrees), bottom to top outside.
- To open for fresh air into the bottom of the upper ventilation window.
- To open for preheated air from the solar wall and into the building.
- To open for fresh air directly from outside into the building.
The functions of the multifunctional valve at the top of the ventilation window are:
- To close the ventilation window.
- To open for fresh preheated air from the ventilation window and into the building.
- To open for fresh air directly from outside into the building.
Fan
At either the bottom or top of the solar wall, a fan in connection with a manifold.
The fan is electronically connected to the indoor climate and energy management of the building.
The fan blows and extracts fresh air from the outside into the manifold that has the entire width of the solar wall.
The fan's functions are:
- To ensure that there is an even distribution of air up along the solar wall’s PCM containers.
- To ensure that there is enough air exchange in the solar wall when the temperature exceeds 75 degrees so that the PCM containers won't get too hot.
- In the Energy Flow Wall concept, there is an exhaust heat pump in the house, which ensures that the exhaust air from the building doesn't contain more energy.
It creates pressure where unheated air would enter through leaks in the building if the fan didn't equalize the negative pressure. - If the Energy Flow Wall is used in buildings without mechanical suction, the fan creates pressure in the building so that the building is ventilated.
