Sunwall
The Sun 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.
Sun Wall, placed on the outside wall of the building, have edges covered in coloured aluminium, which results in high durability.
Phase Change Material
Inside the Sun 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.
PCM containers can also heat up domestic water. They have water pipes going through the containers, in which water absorbs the heat and runs directly into the building or to a heat storage tank.
The same pipe system can be used to cool down the PCM by connecting it to a pipe system outside in the ground, where there is a constant low temperature. Then the cold air can flow into the house if needed.
The PCM's functions:
- Store the heat received from the sun, so that it is heated up to a maximum of 75 degrees.
- Transfer the heat to the building by Sun Wall ventilation system, until there is no more heat energy left in the PCM.
- If the Energy Flow Wall is located on the north side of the building, transfer the cold air to the building by Sun Wall ventilation system, until PCM containers are getting heated up by some sun shines.
Phase Change Material:
In the liquid phase
Top of the Sun Wall:
Letting heated up air inside to the building working together with ventilation window
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 Sun 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. 7 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 in the bottom of the Sun Wall: Heating up cold air from the outside
Fan
At either the bottom or top of the Sun 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.
