Claims
- 1. In a building, a temperature-conditioning system comprising a hollow, primary, load-bearing frame structure, said primary load-bearing frame structure comprising roof beams, floor beams and upright supports, the upright supports comprising columns extending vertically from a ground surface for transmitting the primary roof and floor loads to the ground surface, said hollow frame structure being of metal, thermal conducting material, a liquid, fire-extinguishing, heat-transfer medium contained in said hollow roof beams, floor beams and upright supports and circulatable therethrough, the interior of said load-bearing frame structure defining communicating, liquid-conducting tubular ducts having a thin wall thickness relative to the duct cross section, thin, sheet-like metal panels comprising ambient heat collectors of a thermal-conducting material carried by and disposed on the hollow load-bearing frame structure and in direct thermal-transmitting contact therewith, a heat sink within said frame structure and in communication with the hollow, primary, load bearing frame structure and containing said liquid, fire-extinguishing, heat-transfer medium, and means including a heat pump operatively connected to said hollow, primary load-bearing frame structure for circulating the fire-extinguishing, liquid heat transfer medium through the interior of the hollow roof beams, floor beams and upright supports of said load-bearing frame structure so as to extract ambient heat from said thin, metal panels and transfer said ambient heat to said heat sink through the hollow roof beams, floor beams and upright supports and affording a measure of fire protection to the building.
- 2. In a building, a temperature-conditioning system comprising a hollow, load-bearing frame structure of a metal, thermal-conducting material, the interior of said frame structure defining communicating, liquid-conducting ducts having a thin wall thickness relative to the duct cross section, panels carried by the hollow, load-bearing frame structure and in direct thermal contact therewith, a heat sink containing a liquid, fire-extinguishing medium, and means inclduing a heat pump operatively connected to said hollow, load-bearing frame structure for circulating the fire-extinguishing, liquid heat transfer medium through the interior of the hollow, load-bearing frame structure so as to extract heat from said panels and to transfer said heat to said heat sink, the hollow, load-bearing frame structure being supported by upright support means and is spaced from a ground surface from which said upright support means extends, the hollow, load-bearing frame structure extending laterally of the upright support means, the upright support means comprising said heat sink.
- 3. In the structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow, load-bearing frame structure is a regular polygon in plan and comprises a plurality of side wall members.
- 4. In the structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upright support means comprises a member of tubular form centrally-disposed relative to said frame structure.
- 5. In a structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow, load-bearing frame structure includes a tubular member extending upwardly to an upper region of the frame structure and supports a roof structure, said tubular member being located substantially centrally of said frame structure, said roof structure comprising hollow members communicating with said tubular member and extending in cantilevered relation from said tubular member.
- 6. In a structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hollow roof structure members comprises roof beams of metal, and exterior roof panels secured in thermal contact to the roof beams.
- 7. In a structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow, load-bearing frame structure comprises vertically-extending, spaced wall supports of metal, said panels are secured in thermal contact between spaced pairs of said hollow, vertically-extending supports.
- 8. In a structure as claimed in claim 1 including a heat exchanger operatively-disposed in said heat sink, and a liquid-circulating system including temperature conditioning means operatively connected to said heat exchanger for conditioning the temperature within said building frame structure.
- 9. In a structure as claim in claim 1 wherein the heat sink is divided internally into two separate chambers, each containing a portion of the liquid, fire-extinguishing medium, means for drawing the liquid medium from one chamber, circulating it through said frame structure and returning it to said one chamber, and means for drawing said liquid medium from the other chamber, and heat exchangers within said frame structure for receiving the liquid medium from said other chamber whereby the temperature within the frame structure is conditioned.
- 10. The structure as claimed in claim 9 wherein said heat sink comprises an upright structure disposed within said frame structure, said separate chambers comprising upper and lower chambers defined within said upright structure.
- 11. The structure as Claimed in claim 9 including back-up heater means connected to said heat sink for heating the liquid medium therein.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
8119095 |
Jun 1981 |
GBX |
|
8136419 |
Dec 1981 |
GBX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 388,674 filed June 15, 1982. (Now abandoned).
US Referenced Citations (13)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
388674 |
Jun 1982 |
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