Two 4'x8' solar collector space heaters controlled by Okapi
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
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We had a FAQ question:
"Why not just hook some fans up directly to a small PV panel, so that when the sun goes away, the fans would simply stop?"
-While this sounds like a simple solution, it does not result in an optimal heat harvest. There are many days when there is enough solar energy to create significant heat in the solar heater box and to keep the Okapi System pumping heat into your home, but not enough solar radiation to create electricity in a PV Panel to directly run a set of fans appropriately or at all (as in the scenario posed in the question).
Okapi Systems optimize the solar heat harvest, because they keep the fans running until there is no significant heat left to harvest, regardless of the amount of clouds or passing shadows.
great idea indeed .. thanks a lot for the outstanding effort to make this idea of alternative energy happening.
Ok, what if the fans we're at the top, and inlets at the bottom, to utilize the natural tendency of hot air, rising? The fans at the bottom are having to overcome that natural phenomenon. Either way, the air is being overturned in any given space, but, the fans are having to work harder to overcome the natural draw of the outside heat that wants to escape, upwards.
+Slim Stickly A simple experiment that helps explain how weak convection is, is to blow out a candle. Smoke from the candle then moves in a horizontal direction and barely rises until the sideways momentum has dissipated. It's actually gravity that pushes cool air downwards (as it is more dense), as opposed to a tendency for hot air to rise. Inside a solar collector, when the sun is shining, there is very little cool air, so regardless of the weakness of convection, there is almost no convection in there to content with. Some of our other videos demonstrate this and our website is full of additional details www.greenhillenvirotechnologies.com/about-closed-loop-solar-air-heaters/faq
I have a solar oven that reaches temps above 350 degree with temp outside about 50. It has reflectors on sides would add to the temp before feeding the room. And placing a bigger loop inside your panel I think would give the sun more time to heat up the air. So go side then up then back to the same side then in? Hot air will be working with you. So your panels would be turn side ways. Sand retains heat very well and if place inside tubes inside you mite still be able to harvest some heat after the sun has gone down? I'm hoping to try making one for a camp trailer soon. Your's is one of the best i'v seen. Very clean looking. Thanks for sharing your work.
Really nifty idea! Tonight is the first I have seen of these. I'm seriously thinking about building one for my garage instead of electric space heaters!Question: Is there any reason to believe a "corrugated" screen construction can up the harvest potential? I believe when the sun is to either side of the panel, the effective area is equal to a flat sheet, but when the sun is directly over the panel the effective collector surface area is on the order of 1.5 - 2 times greater. Has this been done or does the added drag counteract the gain?Jus 'axinOh yeah, and why not use oil somehow in the construct as a storage medium for the heat and allow the system to operate after the sun goes down.Damn....why not just use solar cells instead or in conjunction with the screen and get your electric also!!!I LOVE THIS!!!!
Really love this stuff , keep up the good work , I'm sure you'll be fine tuning and perfecting the system for some time to come , would a larger fan with an equivalent cfm make the system a bit quieter? : )
Lexan is a poly carbonate, not glass
And what about thermoelectric wires as the suspension system...? Even more electricity! Sorry people, I'm pretty pumped up on this..
Cool stuff!
I also live in Nova Scotia.....
I would like to see this unit up close.
Where are you located?
Okay. What I would like to know is how warm does it keep the studio? What R value is the insulation in the studio? In the summer and you don't want heat coming in can it be controlled. In other words is there a way to control the temperature with this system?
Hello Nancy! Thank you for your interest! Calculating R values for an old home can be tricky as there are so many variables.
In another home, with two 4'x8' solar heaters, which is two stories, three bedrooms, livingroom, dining room and kitchen areas, with good insulation, the oil furnace is not needed until evening on really cold, sunny days!
Here is a link to that video, where, in the comments, you can find some great heating data using the Okapi Solar Air Heater App.
ua-cam.com/video/OxCroNxU9eM/v-deo.html
And an update video:
ua-cam.com/video/IOCpnq5BrBA/v-deo.html
Greenhill EnviroTechnologies Inc. I am thinking a cabin or studio that is around 20 x 26. One room with a bathoom.
Nancy L I'm still wondering what the temperature is with the solar collectors. Does it keep the a studio 70 degree? What egrees? Can you turn off in the summer?
Yes, provided your studio is well insulated, during cold, sunny days, a good sized solar heater should keep it warm, at a cosy room temperature. However, solar heaters act as complementary heating systems: you will want a primary heating system (electric or wood stove...) to keep it warm during cold nights and cloudy/stormy days.
In the summer, if you find the solar heater is keeping your studio too warm, you can cover the solar heater outside with plywood or a tarp, or even leafy hanging plants (to shade it from the sun) and simply disconnect the Okapi Fan Control System from its power source.
These solar heaters are excellent during spring and fall, also, when you need partial heating but not too much. It helps you save a lot of fuel or electricity, because once the studio is heated up on a sunny day, during the spring and fall mild temps with cool nights, the heat harvested and stored in the building might be all you need at times to retain enough heat through the night for another day.
We look forward to seeing your project! Please feel free to contact us anytime with any questions at: info@greenhillenvirotechnologies.com
We hope to hear more from you!
Final Temp? i got 130F on a tiny window unit with no fan.
With all the data generated from your Okapi system, do you have a BTU production calculations? Most systems on UA-cam are relatively low cost home projects. Where is the cost analysis to show the added BTU by paying for the control system versus just shoving in a couple fans and letting them run. You are advertising for a system and attempting to sell it for a profit. Well, sell it with actual numbers.
I don't think the system will significantly add BTU output to justify the cost. Bottom line: all these systems pump out hot air based on the individual design, but to show one is better than others, BTU output comparison is required.
Thank you for your interest, Mob7599!
*Yes, the Okapi Solar Air Heater App (soon to be released, which can receive, log and analyze data from the new Okapi Wireless Models, and much more) will show you how much heat your solar heaters can produce.*
Here is a real-time data display example:
ua-cam.com/video/uSDBQSXpjDw/v-deo.html
*On a very cold, good sunny day, the total for two 4'x8' heaters was 48.9kBTU*.
That is a significantly large amount of heat. On sunny days with these solar heaters, no oil furnace is needed until the evening, even when it is very cold out!
(We have monthly totals we can share with you as well!)
*Shared from my Okapi Solar Air Heater App on Android at 2015-03-15 **13:50:14*
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Heater: 1
Report range:
2015-03-14...
2015-03-14
2015-03-14 11:00 750 BTU
2015-03-14 12:00 3828 BTU
2015-03-14 13:00 5188 BTU
2015-03-14 14:00 4399 BTU
2015-03-14 15:00 5455 BTU
2015-03-14 16:00 4444 BTU
2015-03-14 17:00 1509 BTU
2015-03-14 18:00 85 BTU
*Total: 25658 BTU*
= 7519 w
= 7.51 kWh
----------------
Heater: 2
Report range:
2015-03-14...
2015-03-14
2015-03-14 11:00 1519 BTU
2015-03-14 12:00 2894 BTU
2015-03-14 13:00 4757 BTU
2015-03-14 14:00 4347 BTU
2015-03-14 15:00 5338 BTU
2015-03-14 16:00 3520 BTU
2015-03-14 17:00 832 BTU
2015-03-14 18:00 3 BTU
*Total: 23210 BTU*
= 6802 w
= 6.8 kWh
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www.greenhillenvirotechnologies.com/
Here is another video that may help:
ua-cam.com/video/IOCpnq5BrBA/v-deo.html