Solar Engineering, Volume 1, Number 1, January 1976 Page: 8
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ar .Discovery '76 Solar Test House
Better knowledge of the ways in which to operate solar
heating and cooling systems may eventually lead to the utiliza-
tion of these systems for providing up to 75 to 80 percent of the
normal energy requirements for a contemporary home in the
Southwest.
This is the optimistic prediction of Dr. Gerald Lowery, proj-
ect director of the new Discovery House '76 at the University of
Texas at Arlington. The research home has been built to
demonstrate that solar energy is a practical alternative for
residential heating and cooling and for hot water generation.
The contemporary brick home designed by architect Todd
Hamilton, Assistant Professor of Architecture at UTA, settles
well into the tree-shaded residential surroundings at Pecan and
Mitchell streets in Arlington, Texas. The 1,950 square foot
home contains three bedrooms and two baths. It will eventually
house a graduate student and his family. The student will take
part in the testing program by monitoring equipment now
mounted in the garage area. Data obtained will contribute to
the continuing research program of the School of Architecture
and the College of Engineering.
The Discovery House has been realized through a combina-
tion of private efforts with the College of Engineering and the
School of Architecture. A basic grant of $60,000 was provided
by Texas Electric Service Company. Others participating with
grants and materials and skills have been manufacturers of
building materials or equipment, specialty contractors and
engineers. Much of the construction work on the house itself
has been accomplished by students employed by the Construc-
tion Research Center at the university.
The solar system now being tested at the Discovery House is
based on (1) improved solar energy collectors, which can heat
water or other heat transfer fluids to 250 degrees F; (2) thermal
storage with water as the stored medium that can be used
directly in the heating and cooling system, and (3) a cooling
system which will operate on stored solar heat.Dr. Lowery describes the Northrup concentrator solar
collector as the heart of the solar heating and cooling system.
On the gravel rooftop of the home, there are 40 collectors. This
provides a total of 400 square feet of collector surface, which
represents an investment of about $6,000, the largest expen-
diture in a solar heating system. Tests run on the Northrup
collector at the college indicate that it will heat fluids up to 250
degrees F., which makes it possible to operate a modified ab-
sorption air conditioning system. One of the unique features of
the Northrup collector is a tracking mechanism which positions
the collector for direct sunlight throughout the day giving it a
longer collection period and higher temperatures than flat plate
collectors. As part of the four-year testing program, other
types of collectors and subsystems will be tested along with
different fluids such as ethylene glycol.
The storage system includes three specially fabricated 1200
gallon tanks designed for high, medium and low temperature
storage. The high and medium temperature tanks are
pressure-rated at 150 psi and can withstand temperatures of
250 degrees. The third low temperature tank is of ordinary
fiberglass construction and will store chilled water at 34
degrees. The hot water demands of the family will also be met
from these tanks.
Another major part of the air conditioning system is the
Arkla absorption unit, which has been modified to run on hot
water from 190 to 200 degrees. The three-ton lithium bromide
Servel unit contains a DX coil, requires 55,000 BTUH heat
input at the rated load and has a fan which pushes 1200 CFM.
This system requires a cooling tower for the condenser
operation.
Among the more conventional components used with the
solar energy system is the Ruud commercial electric water
heater, which can be used when necessary to maintain the
water at 140 degrees for supplemental space heating and to
raise the temperature to 220 degrees for the absorption unit.
Additional fittings have been added to the 40-gallon hot water8 solar engineering: January 1076
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Solar Engineering Publishers, Inc. Solar Engineering, Volume 1, Number 1, January 1976, periodical, January 1976; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1319794/m1/8/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Solar Engineering Magazine.