PROTOTYPE EXPERIMENTAL PLANT FOR THE INTERSEASONAL STORAGE OF SOLAR-ENERGY FOR THE WINTER HEATING OF BUILDINGS - DESCRIPTION OF PLANT AND ITS FUNCTIONS

The definitive version of an experimental heating plant for buildings which uses thermal energy extracted from an underground water tank hea ted solely by the sun with interseasonal storage is presented. The ent ire plant was planned and its functions simulated using calculus codes established at the University of Calabria. The prototype, now in use, consists of a solar radiation collecting field of 91.2 m(2), a storag e tank of 500 m(3), and a building of 1750 m(3) which has a thermal re quirement of 111 GJ for winter heating. This article describes the con structed prototype of the plant, the procedures carried out that allow the plant to function automatically, and the use, instrumentation, ac quisition of experimental data.