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Puren GmbH, Überlingen, Germany, in cooperation with Bayer MaterialScience AG, has developed the Bomatherm®, a solar air collector and roof-insulation system.
The device is reported to “intelligently” combine energy from solar radiation with highly efficient thermal insulation. The system is installed like a roof and is reported to serve five functions: vapor barrier, thermal insulator, rainproof roof substructure, cladding, and solar collector.
Development of the system was facilitated by a newly developed sheet technology based on Bayer MaterialScience’s polycarbonate and rigid polyurethane foam, an announcement from the companies said.
“Its key benefit is its outstanding energy efficiency,” said Guenther Winnerl, head of marketing, polycarbonate sheets, at Bayer MaterialScience. “The solar collector, which is made of highly heat-resistant Makrolon sheet, produces usable energy in the form of hot air ‘free of charge,’” Winnerl said, adding that the energy can be used directly, without further conversion, for heating.
Winnerl added that the insulation, which is based on polyurethane rigid foam, does not create thermal bridges, allowing only a negligible amount of heat energy to escape through the roof, insulating the collector against energy losses.”
The companies said the system is based on a simple principle: Cold air flows through the collector; by means of an absorber, solar energy is transmitted to the air, and warm air can be used for room heating or for heating domestic water by means of a heat exchanger. The warm air also can also be fed into a heat pump or a geothermal energy store, or used to operate agricultural and industrial driers such as those used to dry tobacco, hay, fruit, plaster, or paint.
More information: Bomatherm.
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