Glass Thermal Energy: Solid Glass Beam w/ Spiral Column

[boyband]

TL;DR Summary

glass temperature core?

Could I put this on here for answers please ? If produced a solid glass beam with a spiral column thorough the middle of it would the core be hotter or cooler than the surrounding air? If colder could it be use in conjunction with ground source technology to produce hot water? I not sure how to do the spiral(or if it actually needs to be) I understand it would be very heavy, but I was hoping it would have enough strength to be structural? Would it work like a reverse radiator? Also does Iceland use it geo-thermal to produce glass products?

 

[berkeman]

If you could clarify your post a bit, that would help. What do you mean by a "spiral" inside the glass beam? Is the spiral hollow, or a spiral of metal like a spring? If hollow, what is inside it (fluid, air, other)?

Why is the column made from glass? Are you using the transparency to allow sunlight to heat whatever is in the spiral area?

And what does this part mean?

Also does Iceland use it geo-thermal to produce glass products?

 

[boyband]

If you could clarify your post a bit, that would help. What do you mean by a "spiral" inside the glass beam? Is the spiral hollow, or a spiral of metal like a spring? If hollow, what is inside it (fluid, air, other)?

Why is the column made from glass? Are you using the transparency to allow sunlight to heat whatever is in the spiral area?

And what does this part mean?

Yes I was thinking of spiral void that the refrigerant could travel. I though if you put a metal "spring" in and poured the melted glass over the spring with say Aluminium(or some metal that got a closer melting point to glass) so it forms a spiral void ?Is It possible? You would need a form to cast from ? If you touch a piece of glass it feels cooler than room temperature(although I think it will just be room temperature, but we are hot)? I'm imaging ground source heat pumps work on a constant of 10c-15c to produce heat. Thus my question would the temp stay constant in the middle of hollow glass ? I hope that's clearer?

 

[russ_watters]

Much of what you are asking is still hard to understand, but:

If you touch a piece of glass it feels cooler than room temperature(although I think it will just be room temperature, but we are hot)?

That's correct; certain materials feel cold merely because they are cooler than our skin and are very good at conducting heat away from it. You should notice that metal feels colder than glass when both are at room temperature.

I'm imaging ground source heat pumps work on a constant of 10c-15c to produce heat. Thus my question would the temp stay constant in the middle of hollow glass ? I hope that's clearer?

When hooked-up to a heat pump, a heat source will not stay at constant temperature. In order to produce heat for a room, the source must be made colder. Conservation of energy says we just move that heat from one place to another. So in order for this device of yours to be useful as a heat source, something must be adding heat to it.

 

[boyband]

Russ ,Thats the point? the fact that a ground source heat pump takes the constant temp of the loop buried to 1-2 metres ? The glass would radiate heat out and be colder@ core(10c-12c) they would be very heavy but would it be possible to produce warm water from this technology?

 

[russ_watters]

Russ ,Thats the point? the fact that a ground source heat pump takes the constant temp of the loop buried to 1-2 metres ? The glass would radiate heat out and be colder@ core(10c-12c) they would be very heavy but would it be possible to produce warm water from this technology?

Sorry if my last message was unclear, but it seems like you have it backwards. If this device is the source, the heat pump will make it colder and the environment must warm it up. That's why berkeman asked if you intended it to be heated by the sun.

 

[anorlunda]

@boyband,

There are many geothermal heating/cooling systems. You should study them.
I see no special advantage to using glass pipes.

 

[chemisttree]

Sounds like a condenser column.

 

[boyband]

That's along the lines I was thinking it condensing the refrigerant, could it be strong enough to be a structural part of a building ? solar thermal properties if cold and if hot cooling? Thank you all for your time

 

[chemisttree]

Glass is very brittle. Put your hand on the condensing coils of a running air conditioner sometime. The vibration is SIGNIFICANT! Glass just wouldn’t hold up to that. Surface defects like scratches would make it even more fragile.

 

[russ_watters]

@boyband,
There are many geothermal heating/cooling systems. You should study them.
I see no special advantage to using glass pipes.

Agreed. @berkeman did try to push this toward a solar source heat pump, which could use glass in the collector:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/solar-assisted-heat-pump

 

[russ_watters]

That's along the lines I was thinking it condensing the refrigerant, could it be strong enough to be a structural part of a building ? solar thermal properties if cold and if hot cooling? Thank you all for your time

So, again; you're describing a condenser, but in order for this to be the source for a heat pump it needs to be an evaporator.

I would not expect this to be a viable structural material for a building. It's rare to use glass for structural applications because it is so brittle. But it can be strong.

 

[chemisttree]

So, again; you're describing a condenser, but in order for this to be the source for a heat pump it needs to be an evaporator.

It would actually be both evaporator and condenser depending on the season.

 

[russ_watters]

It would actually be both evaporator and condenser depending on the season.

Could be, though thus far he's only describing winter/heating. For summer/cooling I'm not sure where the heat would reject to.