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> a giant block of concrete (as a ‘thermal battery’) to manage the heating and cooling Can you explain how this worked? Or how it was supposed to work? Was it

> a giant block of concrete (as a ‘thermal battery’) to manage the heating and cooling Can you explain how this worked? Or how it was supposed to work? Was it just a literal block of solid concrete? I’m so intrigued and I have so many questions!

zdragnar 6y ago
Thermal insulators (air) conduct heat poorly. Thermal conductors (metal) transfer hear rapidly, but "hold" onto limited amounts. Thermal batteries (concrete, earth, water, marble) balance heat storage and transference. Geothermal systems use the ground as a sort of battery- drawing heat in winter, dumping it in summer. Smart designs will use concrete floors in front of windows to store and release heat from the sun in winter (and rely on overhangs to keep sun out in summer). Presumably, the concrete foundation (or a really big block) could serve a similar purpose with a hydronic system transferring heat in and out of the block to and from radiators in the rest of the building. During summer months, run water from the radiators through an evaporative cooling system, to the concrete block, back to radiators. The concrete will cool down when the evaporative system is at peak efficiency, and siphon heat off when it is not. During winter, instead of going through evaporative cooling, the water could ve pumped through solar heating panels to the same effect- the concrete warms on sunny days, storing excess heat, and bleeds it back to the water on cloudier days. As you can imagine, the system would be very difficult to get correctly sized for a commercial building, and require backup heating and cooling for anything but temperate weather.
- tbihl 6y ago
  If you've never been in a place intentionally built like this, chances are you've still experienced the effect in the shape of a brick house. Especially in the spring, when the sun is strong but before it's warm, it'll sometimes be enough to cover most or all of overnight heating requirements.
  - zdragnar 6y ago
    Alas, where I live, tornados are more common than brick houses are (though not nearly as common as some places). Then again, at the rate lumber is increasing in price, maybe brick will start becoming feasible again...
- elliekelly 6y ago
  Interesting! TIL, thanks for the explanation!

zdragnar 6y ago

Thermal insulators (air) conduct heat poorly. Thermal conductors (metal) transfer hear rapidly, but "hold" onto limited amounts. Thermal batteries (concrete, earth, water, marble) balance heat storage and transference. Geothermal systems use the ground as a sort of battery- drawing heat in winter, dumping it in summer. Smart designs will use concrete floors in front of windows to store and release heat from the sun in winter (and rely on overhangs to keep sun out in summer). Presumably, the concrete foundation (or a really big block) could serve a similar purpose with a hydronic system transferring heat in and out of the block to and from radiators in the rest of the building. During summer months, run water from the radiators through an evaporative cooling system, to the concrete block, back to radiators. The concrete will cool down when the evaporative system is at peak efficiency, and siphon heat off when it is not. During winter, instead of going through evaporative cooling, the water could ve pumped through solar heating panels to the same effect- the concrete warms on sunny days, storing excess heat, and bleeds it back to the water on cloudier days. As you can imagine, the system would be very difficult to get correctly sized for a commercial building, and require backup heating and cooling for anything but temperate weather.

tbihl 6y ago
If you've never been in a place intentionally built like this, chances are you've still experienced the effect in the shape of a brick house. Especially in the spring, when the sun is strong but before it's warm, it'll sometimes be enough to cover most or all of overnight heating requirements.
- zdragnar 6y ago
  Alas, where I live, tornados are more common than brick houses are (though not nearly as common as some places). Then again, at the rate lumber is increasing in price, maybe brick will start becoming feasible again...
elliekelly 6y ago
Interesting! TIL, thanks for the explanation!