GB2528984A

GB2528984A - Tile for transferring thermal energy

Info

Publication number: GB2528984A
Application number: GB1414125.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martyn Lucas
Original assignee: SUNSCAPE SYSTEMS Ltd
Current assignee: SUNSCAPE SYSTEMS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-08-08
Filing date: 2014-08-08
Publication date: 2016-02-10
Also published as: GB201414125D0

Abstract

A tile 300 for transferring thermal energy and a method for its manufacture is described. The tile comprises a tile body 302 encapsulating a reservoir 104 arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprises an inlet 110a through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet 110b through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir allowing thermal energy to be transferred to the fluid. The cross sectional area of the reservoir is larger than the cross sectional area of the inlet and outlet. The reservoir is defined by a plastic membrane defining a cavity that is encapsulated by a tile. The tile is preferably a roof tile with means to couple it to adjacent tiles both mechanically and fluidly. The tile is manufactured by providing a reservoir having an inlet and an outlet and encapsulating it in a liquid material that solidifies to form the tile body.

Description

TILE FOR TRANSFERRING THERMAL ENERGY

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tile for transferring thermal energy and a tile system for the same.

Background

Energy from the sun can be harnessed and used in different ways. For example, photovoltaic cells irradiated by the sun can produce an electrical current that can be used to drive electrical devices. The suns radiation can also increase the thermal energy, for example, temperature, of materials on which it is incident. Further, by increasing the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding an obj ect, the sun can also heat materials indirectly, i.e. by conduction. Such heat can be put to use for example by heating water for use in hot water systems, or can be converted into electrical energy by, for example, IS a thermionic generator.

An area commonly exposed to the sun's radiation, and/or the heat of the atmosphere, is the outside surfaces of buildings, such as their roofs and walls, As a result, roofs, for example, are often heated to high temperatures. Left unharnessed, the heat stored in heated roofs can dissipate into the building to which they are attached, and to the surrounding environment, where the opportunity to put the heat to use is essentially lost, It would therefore be advantageous to harness the heat stored in such areas and put it to use.

GB2473447 discloses a tile, the underside of which may be secured to a body section comprising a convoluted channel formed therein, The channel has an inlet and an outlet for allowing water to enter or leave the channel. When installed on a roof the channel of each tile is coupled to a common flow duct and a common return duct. A pump pumps water from the flow duct, around the channel within each tile, and back to the return duct, Tiles exposed to the sun conduct heat to the water flowing through them, and the heated water can be transferred to a hot water outlets or a heating system.

EP0335261 discloses a solar energy collector device in the form of an inorganic-and-metal composite roof tile comprising a heat medium passageway running through the tile in the form of a conduit, The conduits are disposed underneath a solar battery.

When the tiles are overlaid with one another, the conduits of each tile may be connected together so as to be in flow communication. The tiles may be arranged and connected so that heating medium may flow directly through successive tiles from an inlet pipe to a withdrawal pipe.

It is desirable to provide an improved tile for transferring heat to and/or from a fluid.

Summary

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tile for transferring thermal energy, the tile comprising a tile body encapsulating a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir, whereby thermal energy can be transferred between tile and the fluid in the 1 5 reservoir, According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tile system comprising a plurality of tiles.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a tile comprising: providing a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir; encapsulating the reservoir in a tile body, thereby forming the tile.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a tile, the apparatus being arranged to: receive a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir; and receive a liquid tile material to encapsulate the reservoir in the liquid tile material.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of example only, which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary tile; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary membrane for use in a tile; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an exemplary membrane for use in a tile; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an exemplary roof tile 300; Figure 5 shows a side view of an exemplary roof system; Figure 6 shows a side view of an exemplary roof system; Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an exemplary roof system; Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the connection of cavities according to an exemplary roof system.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary tile 300, The tile 300 comprises a tile body 302 encapsulating an internal reservoir 104. The reservoir 104 is fluidically connected to the exterior of the tile 300 by entrances including an inlet 11 Oa and an outlet 1 lOb, which may take the form of conduits. The inlet 1 lOa and outlet 1 lOb enable fluid (such as liquid, for example) to flow into and out of the reservoir 104 respectively. The cross sections of the inlet I ba and outlet 0b are smaller than the cross section of the reservoir 104. The internal reservoir 104, inlet I ba and 1 lOb may be formed as a cavity in the tile body 302. Alternatively, the reservoir 104 and the entrances iiOa and hUb may be formed as a membrane 100 made from a different material to the tile body 302 and encapsulated within the tile body 302 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

The reservoir 104 of tile 300 may be fluidically connected to reservoirs 04 of other tiles 300 to form part of a roof system for roofing a building (see e.g. Fig 6). Fluid may be passed through the reservoirs 104 of the tiles 300 so connected, and in doing so heat may be transferred from the tiles to the fluid. While fluid in resident in the reservoir 104 of each tile 300 it is heated such that the temperature of the fluid increases. Then, when the fluid passes to subsequent tiles it is further heated while it is resident in those tiles. After flowing through all of the tiles in a series, the relatively warm fluid may then be directed to a heating system of a building, where the heat may be transferred from the fluid for useful purposes. The now relatively cool fluid may be passed back into the reservoirs 04 of the tiles 300 and the process repeated. Alternatively, relatively warm fluid may flow through the tiles, and heat dissipated from the tiles so as to heat an adjacent space.

An exemplary tile 300 comprising a membrane 100 and tile body 302, will now be described in more detail with reference to figures 2 to 4.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary membrane too for use in a tile 300. The membrane 100 comprises a reservoir 104. The reservoir is formed such that it extends less in a first dimension than in either a second or third orthogonal dimension. The reservoir 104 is a hollow cuboidal reservoir, whose depth is significantly less than its width or length, and its length is not significantly longer than its width, The reservoir 104 therefore resembles a hollow rectangular slab, Each edge of the reservoir 104 is rounded. The rounded edges distribute forces applied to the reservoir during manufacture and/or operation of the tile 300 thereby reducing stress concentration and the likelihood of leaks. The rounded edges also enable fluid to flow through the reservoir 04 more consistently and less turbulently.

The membrane 100 also comprises hollow protrusions that form inlets 102a, tO2b and outlets 102c, tO2d. Each of the inlets tO2a, 102b and outlets tO2c, 102d has a first end, I 12a to I 12d respectively, fluidically connected to the reservoir 104. The inlets 102a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d are conduits fluidically coupling the reservoir t04 to the exterior of the tile 300, The inlets 102a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d protrude from the reservoir 104 in the plane of the reservoir t04 and parallel to its longitudinal axis. The inlets 102a, 102b are on a first side 114 of the reservoir 104, and the outlets tO2c, tO2d are on a second side 116 of the reservoir 104 opposite the first side 114, The inlets 102a, 02b and outlets 02c, 102d have distal ends 06a to lOod respectively spaced apart from the reservoir 104, and which are bent through an angle, for example, near a right angle, so as to face in a direction near perpendicular to the plane of the reservoir 104. The inlets 102a, 102b are bent similarly so that the distal ends 106a and tO6b of the inlets 102a, 102b are both facing the same direction, In this example, however, the outlets 102c, 102d are bent such that their distal ends lOóc and lOod are facing in the opposite direction to of the distal ends 106a, 106b of the inlets 102a, 102b.

The membrane 100 may be made from plastic by a gas assisted injection moulding process or otherwise. The thickness of the walls of the reservoir 104 may be less than 3 mm or less than 2mm, or less than 1 mm, The thickness of the walls of the inlets T02a, 102b arid outlets 102c, 102d may be thicker or thinner than the wall thickness of the reservoir 104.

As seen in Figure 3 (which is similar to Figure 2 but has features removed to show the inside of reservoir 104), the hollow space 202 inside reservoir 104 is divided into two sections 202a and 202b by a dividing wall 204. The sections 202a and 202b are not Iluidically connected. The dividing wall 204 runs parallel with the longitudinal axis of the reservoir 104, and extends perpendicular to a plane defined by the reservoir 104. The dividing wall 204 is placed such that one of the inlets 102a is fluidically connected (by section 202a) to one of the outlets 102c but not to the other of the outlets 102d not the other inlet 102b; and the other of the inlets 102b is fluidically connected (by section 202b) to another of the outlets 102d but not to the other inlet 102a nor the other of the outlets 102c, In other words, flow into any one of the inlets 102a, 102b may only result in a flow out of only one of the outlets I 02c, I 02d.

The dividing wall 204 may be made out of plastic, and in the same injection moulding process used to produce the rest of the membrane 100. The thickness of the dividing wall 204 may, be less than 1 mm, or may be thicker.

In some examples, instead of a single reservoir divided into non-fluidically connected spaces by a dividing wall, the same result may be achieved by using two separate reservoirs, It will be understood that the number of reservoirs or divided spaces within a reservoir of a tile is not limited to two, and tiles may have any number of reservoirs, or equivalently, divided spaces.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a roof tile 300 according to an example.

The tile 300 comprises a tile body 302 which encapsulates the membrane 100, most of which is not visible in figure 4. Tn figure 4, the only parts of the membrane 100 which are visible are the distal ends T06c, 106d of the outlets 102c, T02d. The tile body 302 does not encase any of the distal ends 106a to T06d of the inlets 102a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d protrusions T02a to 102d of the membrane TOO, The tile body 302, in encapsulating the reservoir 104, may have similar proportions to the reservoir 104. The tile 300 is formed such that the tile extends less in a first dimension than in either a second or third orthogonal dimension. The reservoir 104 is encased by the tile body 302 such that, for a substantial portion of the reservoir 104, the dimension in which the reservoir extends the least, and the dimension in which the tile extends the least are substantially parallel. Put another way, the reservoir 104 is a substantially hollow slab defining a plane substantially coplanar with the plane of the tile 300, and the slab extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the reservoir 04 by an amount less than an extent of the reservoir 104 in a direction parallel with the plane of the reservoir.

The tile body 302 has an underside portion 306 which encases the reservoir 104 on all sides except one of the two sides parallel to the plane of the reservoir 104. The tile body 302 also comprises a surface portion 320, which is located on the opposite side of the reservoir 104 to the underside portion 306, and completes the encasing of the reservoir 104.

The surface portion 320 is substantially flat, and formed such that its outward facing surface has the appearance of a roof tile, for example a slate roof tile. This enables formation of a roof in which the appearance of a traditional slate roof is maintained so as to not compromise the aesthetic qualities of the roof The underside portion 306 and the surface portion 320 may be formed integrally with each other to encase the reservoir 104 in a water tight fashion.

The tile body 302 comprises a tile-fixing means 318 on its upper edge (referring to the relative heights of the edges of the tile, when the tile is installed). The tile-fixing means 318 is a means by which the tile 300 may be attached to a structure for supporting the tile 300, for example, a tile-holding structure on a pitched roof The tile-fixing means 318 comprises a ridged flange extended from the upper edge of the surface section 320 of the tile body 302, which may be inserted into a corresponding tile-holding structure (see e.g. 404 of figureS) attached to a roof structure formed such that the ridged flange is held securely in the tile-holding structure, and thereby the tile 300 is artached to the roof The flange may comprise a channel arranged to channel fluid that escapes from the reservoirs 104 to an edge of the tile 300 where it may be channelled to a drain or gutter.

The tile body 302 comprises a surface-side tile interface 304, and an underside tile interface 322.

The surface-side tile interface 304 is a means by which the tile 300 may be partially overlaid by an adjacent file in the same row (not shown in Figure 4). The surface-side tile interface 304 comprises a recess to the surface section 320 along an edge adjacent to the edge containing tile-fixing means 318, such that an edge of the surface section of an adjacent tile may be placed in the recess to enable the outward facing surfaces of the tile 300 and its adjacent tile to be substantially flush.

The underside tile interface 322 comprises an extension of the surface portion 320 from the edge opposite to the edge containing the tile-fixing means 3 t8, such that the tile 300 may partially overlay a tile in an adjacent row below.

The tile-fixing means 318, surface-side interface 304 and underside tile interface 322 enable a plurality of the tiles 300 to be laid onto a roof stmcture to form a pitched roof Note, an exemplary illustration of how tiles 300 may fit together is IS presented in Figure 7, which is accompanied by a more detailed description below.

The tile body 302 may be made from a moulding process using a pre mixed shot of epoxy resin bound with a mix of slate aggregate grades. The moulding process may be an injection moulding process. The outward facing surface of the surface section 320 may have the appearance of a slate tile, Note an exemplary production process of tile 300 is illustrated in figure 9, which is accompanied by a more detailed description below.

In order that the membrane 100 of the tile 300 may be fluidically connected to the membranes of adjacent tiles, hollow flexible connectors (e.g. 308) may be used to fluidically connect the distal ends of the outlets 102c, 102d of the reservoir 104 of a first tile 300 with the inlets 102a, tO2b of a second, adjacent, tile 300. Flexible connectors (308 may be formed, for example, from a yielding material such as rubber or plastic, and may be formed such that they may be inserted into the distal end (eg.

lOôb) of the inlets 02a, 102b and/or outlets 102c, 102d, Flexible connectors 308 are formed hollow, and have two open ends. For example in figure 4, flexible connector 308 has an inlet end 310 and an outlet end 312. The inlet and outlet ends 310, 312 of each flexible connector 308 may comprise a means for providing a fluid-tight connection, for example a water tight connection, between the flexible connector 308 and the inlets 102a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d. In this example, each end 310, 312 of connector 308 comprises a hollow hung such that, for example, when the outlet end 312 of connector 308 is pushed into the distal end 106b of one of the outlets 102c, 102d 102b, the widest edges of the bung structures of the outlet end 312 will be compressed against the inner wall of the outlet lO2c, 102d, and thereby, given appropriate dimensions of the connector 308 and the outlet 102c, 102d, form a water-tight connection. This is an example of a push fit coupling. The inlet end 3 0 of the connector 308, may have similar hollow bung structures running in the opposite direction to those of the outlet end 312, and may similarly be pushed into the inlet 102a, 102b of an adjacent tile. A fluidic connection between the membrane of a tile and that of an adjacent tile may thereby be established. Moreover, this fluidic connection may also act to mechanically attach a tile to an adjacent tile, in order to prevent separation of the tiles when subjected to wind when installed on a pitched roof In this way, the coupling means may be arranged to provide both mechanical and fluidic coupling of the outlet 1 02c, I 02d ofa tile 300 with an inlet I 02a, I 02b ofan adjacent tile. This enables quick installation of the tiles. Other suitable coupling means may be used such as, for example, a snap fit coupling. A snap fit coupling may comprise a male part at an end of a flexible connector, and a female part at a distal end of an inlet 02a, I 02b or outlet I 02c, I 02d. When the male part is pushed into the female part, for example with some linear or rotational force, the male and female parts become connected so as to produce a mechanical and/or fluidic coupling between the flexible connector and the hollow protrusion.

Figure 5 is a side view of an exemplary roof system 400 showing how a tile 300 and a similar adjacent tile 300' may be connected, In the context of the example of figure 5, the tiles are on a pitched roof structure (not shown), and tile 300' is a tile of a lower row of tiles to the row containing tile 300.

Roof tile receiving portion 404' is attached to the roof support structure (not shown), for example by nailing or screwing it fast to the roof support structure, and the tile-fixing means 318' of tile 300' is inserted into the receiving portion 404' such that the tile 300' is attached to the roof support structure (not shown). For a more detailed description of the support structure attaching means, the roof tile receiving portion, and how they fit together, the reader is directed to patent application GB 1303111.7. Suffice to say here that a tile-fixing means 318 is inserted towards the back portion 406 of a corresponding roof tile receiving portion 404, and the tile 300 is pivoted (illustrated by arrow 402) so that the tile-fixing means 318 is caused to engage with the engagement portion 408 of the roof tile receiving portion 404. Further pivoting 402 of the tile 300 results in full engagement of the tile-fixing means 318 against the engagement portion 408 of the roof tile receiving portion 404, the tile-fixing means 318 becomes trapped by the engagement portion 408, and the tile 300 thereby is affixed to the tile receiving portion 404, and accordingly to the roof support structure (not shown).

In the example of figure 5, the distal end 106c' of an inlet 102a, 102b of a lower tile 300' is located towards the end of the tile 300' containing the tile-fixing means 318' (in the context of figure 4, the upper end), and is bent such that it is facing in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the tile 300' and towards the outer surface (in the context of figure 4, upper surface) of the surface section 320' of the tile 300'.

The tile 300 (of a higher row of tiles to the row containing tile 300') is in the IS process of having its tile-fixing means 318 inserted into and engaged by a tile receiving portion 404 attached to the roof support structure (not shown).

The distal end 106d of an outlet 102c, 102d of tile 300 is located towards the lower end of the tile 300, and is bent such that it is facing in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the tile 300' and away from the upper surface of the surface section 320 of the tile 300.

The distal end 106d of the outlet 102c, 102d of tile 300 is facing distal end 106c' of the inlet 102a, 102b of tile 300', and the distal ends may be fluidically connected by flexible connector 308 by pivoting 402 tile 300 as described above when flexible connector 308 has first been partially inserted into either distal end 106c' or 106d.

The same pivoting 402 will both create a fluidic connection between the tiles, and complete the insertion and engagement of the tile-fixing means 318 of tile 300 into the roof tile receiving portion 404, such that the tile 300 may be properly attached to the roof support structure. The fact that the single pivoting 402 can I cad to both in serti on of the tile in a receiving portion and the creation of a fluidic connection with a lower tile may significantly increase the ease with which such a roof system as 400 may be installed onto a roof support structure.

It should be noted that any suitable means for fluidically and/or mechanically coupling the reservoir 104 of a tile 300 to the reservoir 104 of an adjacent tile 300 may be used. For example the coupling means may be integral to the inlets 102a, 102b and/or outlets 102c, 102d of the tile. For example, the outlets 102c, 102d of a tile of an upper row of tiles may comprise a male part ofa push or snap fit coupling, and the inlets I 02a, 102b of a tile of a lower row of tiles may comprise the female part of a corresponding push or snap fit coupling. When the tile of the upper row of tiles is pivoted into position as described above, a push or snap fit may be created between the protrusions of the upper and lower tiles, and so that a fluidic and/or mechanical coupling is formed.

Once the tiles have been fluidically connected, the flexible connector 308 also acts as an attaching means to ensure tile 300 remains attached, and fluidically connected, to tile 300'. This may be advantageous, for example, for ensuring the tiles of adjacent rows remain attached to each other in the event of high winds.

As will be described in more detail below once the tiles have been properly IS connected, fluid, for example with the aid of gravity, is able to flow between the reservoir of one tile 300, through flexible connector 308, and into the reservoir of another tile 300'.

Figure 6 is a side view of a roof system 500 in an exemplary implementation on one side of a pitched roof Tiles 300, 300', and 300" are connected to roof support structure 510 in a manner as described above with reference to figureS, by each tile's tile-holding means being held by the corresponding roof file receiving portions.

Tile 300 is a tile of the highest row of tiles, tile 300' is a tile of the middle row of tiles, and file 300" is a file of the lowest row of files of the roof system 500. Tile 300 is fluidically connected to file 300' in a manner as described above with reference to figure 5, and file 300' is fluidically connected to tile 300" in the same way.

The inlets 102a, 102b of the reservoir of the uppermost tile 300 are fluidically connected to a supply pipe 502 by a fluid inlet channel, (e.g. connecfion) 518. The supply pipe 502 is an example of a fluid supply channel for supplying fluid to the tiles.

Further, the outlets 102c, 102d of the lowest tile 300" (are fluidically connected to return pipe 504 by a fluid outlet channel (e.g. connection) 512. The return pipe 504 is an example of a fluid drain channel for receiving fluid from the tiles. ii

The supply pipe 502 runs perpendicular to the inlets 102a, 102b of the tile 300, and is located at the top of the roof system 500 underneath roof apex 506. Further, the return pipe runs perpendicular to the outlets 102c, 102d of the tile 300', and is located at the bottom of the roof system 500 behind gutter 508.

Connected in such a way as described above, when a fluid is pumped into supply pipe 502, the fluid will enter connector 518 by, for example, means of overpressure in pipe 502 and/or assisted by gravity. From connector 518, by similar means, the fluid will flow, with net flow direction as indicated by a flow direction arrow 514, through the inlets 102a, 102b of the uppermost tile 300 into the reservoir 104 of that tile 300, from where it will flow through the outlets 102c, 102d of the uppermost tile 300, via a flexible connector, into the inlets 102a, 102b of middle row tile 300' and into the reservoir 104 of that tile 300'. The flow will continue with net flow direction 514 through to the lowest tile 300" and through the outlet channel 512 into the return pipe 504.

When fluid flows, in a plane perpendicular to the flow of the fluid, the cross sectional area of the reservoir is larger than the cross sectional area of the inlets arid/or the outlets, As a result, or otherwise, when fluid flows, a volumetric flux (i.e. the rate of volume flow across a unit area) of fluid in the reservoir is lower than a volumetric flux of fluid flowing through the inlet or the outlet. The effect of this is to enable the fluid to reside in the reservoir 104 for a longer period of time than it would in a pipe of the same length. Consequently, fluid in the reservoir 104 is able to absorb an equivalent amount of heat that to of a much longer pipe, which would require a meandering fluid path (in order to fit into the tile body 302) and therefore require a more powerful pump (to overcome the additional resistance to flow).

The supply pipe 502 arid return pipe 504 may be connected to the outlet and inlet of a heat exchange system (not shown) respectively. This system may include a pump to pump the fluid to the supply pipe 502. The heat exchange system and roof system 500 may be fluidically connected so as to form a closed system, and a pump may pump the fluid around the closed system.

In an example, a heat exchanger (not shown) may pump cold fluid, for example a glycol-based fluid, to the supply pipe 502. To pump the fluid, the heat exchanger may comprise a pump, such as a low pressure water pump. As the fluid flows down the roof tiles of roof tile system 500, due to heating of the tiles by radiation 516 from the sun, the tiles 300 may conduct heat to the fluid, and the fluid may heat up. The heated fluid flows to return pipe 504, which returns heated fluid to the heat exchange system. This heated fluid may be used in a heat exchanger to transfer the heat to water of a water heating system, and in doing so, the fluid loses heat. The now relatively cold fluid is pumped again to the supply pipe 502, and the process is repeated. This process may be continuous such that fluid is continuously pumped around the closed system in order to continuously transfer heat from the tiles into the heat exchange system. This water heating system may be used in relatively cold external conditions, for heating or maintaining the temperature within the building with which the roof tile system is associated (or otherwise). The heat exchanger may frirther be connected to a heat dissipation system which dissipates heat at a location away from the building with which the roof tile system is associated, and hence be used, in relatively hot external conditions, for cooling or maintaining the temperature within that building. In another IS example, the fluid may be water that is heated directly by flowing through the tiles. For example, water from a swimming pool may be pumped through the tiles to be heated.

In some examples, the roof tile system 500 may be arranged to detect when the amount of radiation incident on the roof is sufficient to heat the fluid. For example, the roof tile system 500 may measure the temperature of the roof or the intensity of light incident on the roof. Using this measurement, the roof tile system 500 may only pump fluid through the roof tiles to be heated, when the amount of radiation incident on the roof is sufficient to heat the fluid, When the amount of radiation incident on the roof is insufficient to heat the fluid, the roof tile system may be arranged to store the fluid in a tank within the building (or elsewhere).

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an exemplary roof tile system 600. Similar to the roof system 500 as described above with reference to figure 6, figure 7 shows three rows of tiles fitted to a roof support structure 510, where the tiles of each row are fluidically connected to the tiles of the next lowest row, Figure 7 also shows an exemplary arrangement of how adjacent tiles fit together, as also described above, via the surface-side tile interface 304 for adjacent tiles in the same row, and the underside tile interface 322 for tiles in adj acent rows. The tiles 300 are in a staggered arrangement, that is, the centre line of the outer surface of a tile of one row of tiles is offset from the centre line of the outer surface of an adjacent tile in the next lowest row. The tiles are staggered such that the tiles are offset by approximately half a tile width.

Similarly to as described above with reference to figure 6, fluid may enter supply pipe 502 as represented by arrow 606, and flow to space 202a of the reservoir of tile 300 via connector 518 and inlet 102a. From there, the fluid may flow into space 202b' of the reservoir of tile 300' via flexible connector 308. Due to dividing wall 204 of the reservoir of tile 300, however, the fluid entering tile 300 via inlet I 02a may only flow out through the outlet I 02c (and a flexible connector 308), and may not flow out through any of the other fluidic connections associated with tile 300. Tile 300 also has a dividing wall (not shown for clarity), and so the fluid in space 202b' of tile 300' can only exit through the outlet I 02d' (and a flexible connector 308) into space 202a" of the reservoir of tile 300". Again, tile 300" also has a dividing wall (not shown for clarity), and so the fluid flows through the outlet 102c" of tile 300", through connector 512, and into return pipe 504. This flow through the tiles to the return pipe is represented by a IS net flow arrow SN. The fluid then flows from the return pipe 504, as represented by arrow 604, back, for example, to a heat exchange system where, after going through the heat exchanger the fluid can be pumped pack to the supply pipe 502, and the process repeated.

Between connectors 518 and S2, the fluid only has one flow path, that is, the reservoirs 104 of the tiles 300 are connected in series. This may be advantageous during installation of the roof system 600, or if a fault occurs with one of the fluidic connections of roof system 600, to determine the location of a faulty or incorrectly installed fluidic connection or tile. This is because in order to stop the flow to any one faulty connection or tile, and hence stop a corresponding leak of fluid, only the flow in one of the connectors 518 need be stopped. In this case, the flow in only one connector 518 may be stopped, for example, by a closable valve associated with connector 518 (not shown), and the rest of the system apart from the "column" associated with the leak, may continue to operate. The single flow path may also be advantageous in discovering the location of a leak since, for example, by stopping the flow from each connector 518 in turn and monitoring whether the leak stops, it can be deduced from which flow "column" the leak is originating. On the other hand, if there were no dividing walls 204 of the tiles 300, then the fluid from any one connector 518 may have many (both straight and diagonal) flow paths through many tiles before reaching return pipe 512.

Further, figure 7 illustrates how a tile system 600 with a staggered arrangement of tiles 300 is possible. In this example, a given tile in an upper row of tiles is fluidically connected to two tiles in the next lowest row of tiles, In this way, the external appearance of the tiles 300 when installed may have the appearance of a staggered tile roof This may be advantageous where conservation of the appearance of a roof, for example slate tiles in a staggered arrangement, is important or mandated.

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of the connections of membranes 100 of a series of files 300 (file bodies not shown for clarity) installed in an exemplary roof system 700, Analogous to figures 6 and 7 described above, a fluid may flow into a supply pipe 502 as per flow arrow 606, pass through the membranes 100 with net flow as per flow arrow 514, and exit through return pipe 504 as per flow arrow 604, As also described above with reference to figures 3 and 7, fluid may flow from the one of the IS inlets I 02a of membrane 100 and exit through the corresponding outlet I 02c, but because of dividing wall 204, may not exit through the other outlet 102d. Similarly, flow from the other of the inlets 102b may exit through its corresponding outlet 102d but not through the other outlet I 02c. Since the fluid does not flow diagonally therefore, the flow through the membranes may be represented by arrow 514. Figure 8 also illustrates an exemplary set of connections of membranes 100 in order to achieve an associated exemplary staggered tile arrangement.

As will be appreciated form the above description, the tiles 300 and the arrangement of tiles 300 as a roofing system, for example roofing system 600, allow for certain advantageous flow characteristics of the fluid used therein, and for certain advantageous thermodynamic characteristics of the fluid-tile interface, Examples of such advantageous characteristics are given below.

As a first example, in the above described arrangement of tiles 300 on a pitched roof, the entire flow between supply pipe 502 and return pipe 504 (exclusive) is assisted by gravity, that is, there are no elements of the flow that are not assisted by gravity. As a result, the fluid may flow through the tile system with a reduced pumping requirement.

As a second example, in the above described exemplary tile systems, the cross section and length of the reservoir of a tile are both larger than those of the connectors fluidically connecting each reservoir. When inclined therefore, for example on a pitched roof, the weight of the fluid in a reservoir will exert an increased pressure on the fluid in the associated lower end connector, as compared to, for example, reservoir geometries where the reservoir and connector have the same length and cross section.

As a result, the fluid may flow more easily through the system, and blockages may be prevented, without the need for increased backpressure from, for example, pumping.

As a result, the peak fluid pressure in the system may be reduced, and hence the sealing requirements for connectors may be reduced, and a lower power pump may be used.

As a third example, in the above described examples, the geometry of the reservoir, as compared for example to a pipe, is such that the surface area of the reservoir in contact with the surface 320 of the tile body 302 is increased, whilst the total surface area per volume of the fluid in contact with the reservoir is reduced. Since the surface 320 of the tile body 302 is the part of the tile body which may be heated the most when installed, for example, by radiation from the sun, an increased contact of the reservoir with the surface section 320 of the tile body 302 may result in an increased heat transfer to the reservoir, and hence to the fluid within the reservoir. A decreased surface area of the fluid in contact with the reservoir, however, may result in a decrease in resistance between the fluid and the reservoir, and therefore, for a given volume, result in an increase in the ease of flow through the reservoir and therefore system. This may result therefore in a reduced pumping requirement through the system, while the heat transferred to the fluid from the tiles is increased.

As a fourth example, since the reservoir is encapsulated by a rigid body, for example, an epoxy-slate aggregate body, the reservoir (in the case of a reservoir formed separately to the tile body) need not be strong enough to support the full weight of the fluid, As a result the reservoir walls may be made thin, for example less than t mm, and not necessarily from strong or rigid materials. For example, the reservoir may be made from thin plastic. As a result of the ability to use thinner material to form the reservoir, the heat conduction between the tile body 302 and the fluid within the reservoir may be increased. However, if the tile body 302 were to crack, since the fluid is contained within the system of reservoirs, reservoir protmsions, and connectors, the fluid may be prevented from leaking. Similarly, if the reservoir were to be torn, punctured or otherwise damaged (for example, during manufacture), the resin would form an additional barrier to reduce the likelihood of a leak.

As a fifth example, since the reservoir is encapsulated by a tile body 302, heat lost from the reservoir to the environment may be reduced, for example, as compared to a tile with no underside portion 306. Further, in examples where the tile body 302 is continuous, heat from the underside portion 320, for example heated by irradiance from the sun, may easily be conducted to the underside portion 306 of the tile body 302. As a result, heat may be transferred to the fluid more efficiently.

Figure 9 illustrates the components of an apparatus for manufacturing the tile 300. The apparatus is arranged to receive the reservoir and then receive a liquid tile material to encapsulate the reservoir. For example, the apparatus 300 may be a cast 800 comprising a cast base 802 and a cast lid 804.

As described above, the tile body 302 of a tile 300 may be made from an injection moulding process using a pre mixed shot of a resin, such as epoxy resin, bound IS with a mix of construction aggregate, for example slate aggregate grades. Any aggregate material suitable for forming a tile may be used, for example constmction aggregate may encompass crushed recycled glass or the like, or any other suitable material not necessarily intended for use in construction, In the mixed shot which is injected, the resin is a liquid. This mixed shot is an example of a liquid tile material.

The mixed shot includes a hardener, for example an epoxy resin catalyst, capable of hardening or solidifying the liquid mix once cast. The epoxy resin may be cured by the catalyst. The aggregate grades may be such that, in the liquid mix, they form a suspension with the resin.

In the first step of an exemplary manufacturing process, the shot is injected into the cast base 802, which may be made from aluminium, resin, steel or any other suitable material. The cast base 802 is then impacted, or shunted, in one or more directions parallel to the plane of the cast, or otherwise, to ensure an even distribution of the shot in the cast base 802. The cast base 802 may also be vibrated to remove or partially remove air bubbles present in the shot. The shot in cast base 802 at this stage will form the surface section 320 of a tile 300. The bottom face 816 of the cast base 802 may have the form of a relief of a roof tile, for example of a slate roof tile, such that the outer surface of the resulting tile 300 resembles the outer surface of a slate roof tile. Further, the cast base 802 may incorporate reliefs of other features of the tile 300, for example in figure 8, a raised face 814 on one edge of the cast base 802 may form the surface-side interface 304 of tile 300, shown for example in figures 3 and 6 and as described above.

After the shot has settled in the cast base 802, the membrane 00 may be placed in the appropriate position on (or slightly in) the shot within the cast base 802.

Following this, the cast lid 804 is placed over the membrane 100 and cast base 802. The cast lid 804 and cast base 802 may be brought together and affixed or coupled (as shown by the arrows in figure 8) so as to form a resin tight seal at the interface between the lid 804 and base 802. This may be achieved by applying a force to either the lid 804 or the base 802 in a direction illustrated by the arrows of figure 8. The cast lid 804 and cast base 802 are examples of portions of a cast for a tile. The cast 800 may comprise a relief 806 of the form of the central section 306 of tile 300. Once the cast base 802 and cast lid 804 have been brought together, a second shot is injected into the cast 800, for example, through an entry hole 808 to fill the void existing between the cast lid 804 and the membrane 100. This shot encases the membrane entirely, except for, as described above, the distal ends of the inlets 102a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d of the membrane 100. These distal ends may not be encased since the cast lid 804 and cast base 802 may comprise metallic protrusions (not shown) over which the distal ends of the inlets I 02a, 102b and outlets 102c, 102d fit, or recesses into which the distal ends of the inlets 102a, tO2b and outlets 102c, 102d fit, during casting. This ensures that none of the shot can enter the inlets I 02a, I 02b and outlets I 02c, 02d or the membrane 100. Following this second shot, the cast 800 may be impacted (e.g. shunted and/or vibrated) and/or heated, for example a temperature in the range 70°C -tOO°C, for some time, for example 16- 20 minutes, until the tile body 302 has cured such that it can be removed from the casts.

It will be appreciated that the curing time of epoxy based resins depends on both the curing temperature and the proportion of catalyst used. Other temperatures may be used.

The temperature may be limited by the melting temperature ofthe material used to form the membrane 100. In some examples, the cast is heated to no more than 100°C. Once cured, the resulting tile 300 may then be removed from the casts, and may be set aside for further drying. After this drying process, the tile may be used, for example, as described above in tile roofing systems.

Manufacturing the tiles by the above described exemplary process has certain advantages, examples of which will be described below.

In an example where slate aggregate is used in the moulding shots, the resultant tiles, may have the appearance (at least when viewed from the upper outer surface of surface section 320) of an ordinary slate tile whilst not requiring the use of sheeted slate.

Also, slate aggregates are often a by-product of other processes. As a result, the slate resource may be cheaper. It will be appreciated that the tiles may be made from other aggregates or materials as required.

Using a resin-based tile material increases the thermal conductivity of the tiles with respect to, for example, concrete or clay based materials. Concrete, for example, has a thermal conductivity of 0.1 -0.3 W/m,K (watts per metre Icelvin) and clay has a thermal conductivity of 0.1 -0.2 W/m.K whereas slate has a thermal conductivity of approximately 2. 1 W/m,K and epoxy resin (which may account for approximately 15% of the tile material, for example) has a thermal conductivity of approximately 11.4 W/m,K.

In an example where the tile body is formed from an epoxy-aggregate mix, the mix is cured, and so forms a rigid structure, by the addition of a catalyst. In this case, no excessive heat or pressure is required to produce the finished tile, as compared to, for example, a clay tile which must be fired in a kiln at high temperatures (e.g. 1000°C), or conventional injection moulding processes which require high pressures (e.g. -2 tonnes/cm2). In this case, therefore, the membrane 100, which may be made from, for example, plastic, may be prevented from being crushed or melted by high temperatures and/or pressures associated with conventional moulding processes.

In an embodiment of the tile 300 wherein one or more reservoirs 104 and/or fluid inlets or outlets are formed from a cavity in the tile body 302, as opposed to by a membrane 100, the tile may be manufactured by any suitable process known in the art, for example a moulding process where a reservoir may be encapsulated by the tile body 302, for example by using moulding sand to define the reservoir and/or inlets and outlets during moulding.

It will be understood that the tiles of the above described embodiments needn't be heated by solar radiation, and may be heated by any other means, for example by conduction from the atmosphere, or from the heat created, for example, by living organisms located on the tiles.

It will also be appreciated that that the tile system needn't necessarily transfer heat from the tiles into the fluid, and instead, the system may be used, for example, to transfer heat (for example from a hot house) from the fluid into the tiles to be dissipated into the (relatively cool) environment.

It will also be appreciated that the tiles may also be used, for example, as indoor or outdoor floor or wall tiles, wherein hot (or cold) fluid is pumped through the tiles in order to heat (or cool) a space adjacent to the tiles.

In order to increase absorption of energy, the tiles described herein may be dark in colour. Furthermore, the surface of the tiles may have a matt appearance in order to reduce reflection of incident radiation. For example, the tiles may be matt black.

The above embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one IS embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of the embodiments, Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

CLAIMSI. A tile for transferring thermal energy, the tile comprising a tile body encapsulating a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir, whereby thermal energy can be transferred between the tile and the fluid in the reservoir.
2. A tile according to claim l,wherein, in a first plane perpendicular to a direction of flow of the fluid, the cross-sectional area of the reservoir is larger than the cross-sectional area of the inlet and/or the outlet.
3. A tile according to claim or claim 2, wherein when the fluid flows, a volumetric flux of fluid in the reservoir is lower than a volumetric flux of fluid flowing through the inlet or the outlet.
4. A tile according to any preceding claim, wherein the reservoir comprises a membrane defining a cavity that is encapsulated by the tile.
5. A tile according to claim 4, wherein the membrane is of a plastics material.
6. A tile according to any preceding claim, wherein the inlet is located at a first end of the reservoir and the outlet is located at a second end of the reservoir, the second end being opposite the first end.
7. A tile according to any preceding claim, comprising a first fluid conduit fluidically coupling the inlet to a first exterior surface of the tile and a second fluid conduit fluidically coupling the outlet to a second exterior surface of the tile.
8. A tile according to claim 7, wherein the first exterior surface is substantially opposite the second exterior surface.
9. A tile according to either of claim 7 and claim 8, wherein the first fluid conduit extends from the inlet and bends such that its distal end is directed towards a first direction and the second fluid conduit extends from the outlet and bends such that its distal end is directed towards a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction.iO tO. A tile according to any preceding claim, wherein the reservoir is a substantially hollow slab defining a second plane substantially coplanar with the tile, the slab extending in a direction perpendicular to the second plane by an amount less than an extent of the slab in a direction parallel with the second plane.IS II. A tile according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar reservoirs.12. A tile according to any preceding claim, wherein the tile is a roof tile.13. A tile according to any preceding claim, comprising a coupling means arranged to couple the outlet with the inlet of an adj acent tile.14. A tile according to claim 13, wherein the coupling is provided by one of a push fit, or a snap fit, 15. A tile according to either of claim 13 and claim 14, wherein the coupling means is arranged to provide both mechanical and fiuidic coupling of the outlet of the tile with the inlet of an adjacent tile.16. A tile system comprising a plurality of tiles according to any of claims 1 to 15 coupled in series.17 A file system according to claim 16, in which the outlet of a first tile is fluidicafly coupled to the inlet of a second tile.18. A tile system according to either of claim 16 arid claim 17, comprising a push-fit coupling arranged to fonn a seal with the outlet of the first tile and the inlet of the second tile.19. A tile system according to any of claim 16 to claim 18, comprising a fluid supply channel for supplying the fluid to the plurality of tiles and a fluid drain channel for receiving fluid that has flowed through the plurality of tiles.20. A file system according to any of claim 16 to claim 19, comprising: a first roof tile comprising a first attaching means, the first attaching means for attaching the first roof tile to a second roof tile when the first roof tile arid the second roof tile are arranged together on a roof the first roof tile further comprising a flange extending from a first end portion; and a tile holding device for fixing to the roof, the tile holding device comprising a channel for receiving the flange so as to inhibit lifting of the first end portion away from the roof 21. A method of mmufacturing a tile comprising: providing a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir; encapsulating the reservoir in a tile body, thereby forming the tile.22. A method according to claim 21, in which the reservoir is formed by a gas assisted injection moulding process.23. A method according to claim 21 or claim 22, in which encapsulating the reservoir in the tile body comprises enveloping the reservoir with a liquid tile material and solidifying the liquid tile material around the reservoir, 24. A method according to claim 23, in which the liquid tile material is cured.25. A method according to any of claim 21 to claim 24, comprising moulding the liquid tile material in a cast having a profile corresponding to that of the tile body.26. A method according to claim 25, comprising injecting the liquid tile material into the cast.27. A method according to either of claim 25 and claim 26, comprising: injecting a first amount of liquid tile material into the cast; impressing the reservoir into the first amount of liquid; and injecting a second amount of liquid tile material into the cast to cover the reservoir, 28. A method according to claim 27, in which the cast comprises a first cast portion and a second cast portion and the method comprises: injecting the first amount of liquid tile material into the first cast portion; prior to injecting the second amount of liquid tile material, coupling the second cast portion to the first cast portion to form the cast.29. A method according to either of claim 27 and claim 28, comprising heating the cast.30. A method according to claim 29, in which the temperature of the cast reaches no more than 100 degrees Celsius.31. A method according to any of claim 2 to claim 30, in which the liquid tile material comprises constmction aggregate, a liquid resin, and a hardener for hardening the resin.32. A method according to claim 31, in which the construction aggregate is suspended within the liquid resin.33. A method according to either of claim 31 and claim 32, in which the liquid resin isanepoxyresin.34. A method according to any of claim 3] to claim 33, in which the construction aggregate comprises slate.35. A method according to any of claim 27 to claim 34, comprising impacting the cast after injecting the first and/or second amount of liquid tile material.36. A method according to any of claim 27 to claim 35, comprising vibrating the cast after injecting the first and/or second amount of liquid tile material.37. An apparatus for manufacturing a tile, the apparatus being arranged to: receive a reservoir arranged to hold a fluid, the reservoir comprising an inlet through which the fluid can flow into the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid can flow out of the reservoir; and receive a liquid tile material to encapsulate the reservoir in the liquid tile material.