Abstract
Water-flow window can reduce indoor cooling load from direct solar radiation and preheat domestic hot water at the same time. It is quite suitable for hospital with patient wards and large demand of hot water, especially buildings with large area of glazing curtain-wall. Field measurement was carried out during July 2018 at a major comprehensive hospital in Shenzhen, and the inner surface of the four-storey west-facing glazing curtain-wall reached over 45.6oC in the daytime. The year-round energy-saving potential is investigated by applying water-flow window to the curtain-wall through programme simulation, with a pre-validated FORTRAN programme. The results show that the year-round solar energy utilization rate can reach as high as 9.4%, and the indoor thermal environment is better, compared with conventional window design. The preheated water can be used in wards for showering and help building energy conservation. Water-flow window has great potential for large-scale application within similar buildings.
Highlights
Water-flow window is unconventional building component that combines both active and passive solar designs. 1 With similar outlook as common window, water-flow window is composed of two parallel glazing panes acting as the front and back absorption plates of a solar thermal collector with flowing water in the middle.Positioned in external walls as building transparent envelop, this system works as an advanced window device capable of reducing indoor solar heat gain
The solar heat absorbed by the flowing water stream can be stored for domestic water preheating
The infrared images showed that the inner glazing surface temperature reached 45.6oC on a sunny afternoon
Summary
Water-flow window is unconventional building component that combines both active and passive solar designs. 1 With similar outlook as common window, water-flow window is composed of two parallel glazing panes acting as the front and back absorption plates of a solar thermal collector with flowing water in the middle. Water-flow window is unconventional building component that combines both active and passive solar designs. The solar heat absorbed by the flowing water stream can be stored for domestic water preheating. When hot water is in need, this pre-heated water stream will be heated up to required temperature by gas/electrical heater. Such design can be utilized in most circumstances where hot water is in need. The application of water-flow window to the curtain wall of a comprehensive hospital in Shenzhen is numerically analyzed. The year-round solar collection efficiency and inner surface temperature are evaluated to predict the applicability and provide necessary information for future practice
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