Blozoen
Blozoen uses solar energy to heat a swimming pool or swimming pond in a sustainable way. An absolute advantage is the exceptionally low energy cost, because solar energy is free. These solar collectors are equipped with a spirally wound heating tube that has the unique ability to efficiently convert UV light into heat, even on cloudy days
Mission & Vision
With the help of their products, the solar collectors, they try to have an impact on society both economically and ecologically. In this way, they strive to provide a cheaper and sustainable alternative to heat up today’s swimming pools and ponds.
Intro
Sustainability is no longer a choice to this day. Renewable energy is sought to counteract the use of fossil fuel. For this, alternative solutions are being sought for a sustainable way out. Consideration is given to energy that can be generated by wind, hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, soil, outdoor heat and biomass. These natural sources are inexhaustible in contrast to fossil fuels which are scarce and polluting.
Focus
Research was manufactured on global problems to find an answer to this challenge. In consultation with Blozoen, the focus was on the efficient use of solar collectors and integrating this existing operation into other applications. This project looks at smart solutions for everyday activities using renewable energy, more specifically solar energy
Solar collector
The temperatures of the pool water and the solar collectors are continuously compared. The swimming pool water constantly circulates through the dome by means of a pump. The control system controls the solar collector pump as soon as energy is available in the solar collectors. This means that the solar collectors provide energy at the slightest energy supply, for example at sunrise. So it is easy to heat your pool or swimming pond with solar energy.
Prototyping
To test the concepts for feasibility, some experiments were conducted using a test setup. With a bit of protohacking, a UV lamp was used as a heat source to then be able to test how much heat is transferred to the prototypes. The tests are very elaborate where different factors can have a certain influence on the result.
Solution
An average pool is usually fitted with three domes to heat it efficiently. With this new system, we replace one Blozoen solar collector with a custom dome with underlying external storage tank. The storage tank is constantly refilled with cold tap water to maintain the water level. A spiral through the tank is connected to the dome and indirectly heats the water. In this way the chlorinated water remains separate from the fresh water. When the tank is at temperature, the dome will switch back to the pool.
Situation 1
In the first situation, the modified dome is connected in parallel with the remaining two domes. This is done using electrically controlled valves. The pool water constantly circulates through the three domes with the help of a pump. The external storage tank is not connected to the collectors and will therefore not heat up.
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Situation 2
In the second situation, by means of the electric valves, the dome is directly coupled with the external vessel. Here the water from the dome flows through the spiral and indirectly heats the water in the tank. This water can be used for domestic plumbing so you can shower with sustainably heated water.
Shower
In addition to the indoor plumbing, the system can also be paired with an outdoor shower. With a mixer tap, you can easily control the temperature of the water.
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THE NEXT STEP
To test the operation, a water boiler was used as an external vessel. For the next step, the water boiler will be replaced with a custom-made external vessel. By incorporating this external vessel under the dome, white space is utilized. Blozoen sees this as a great opportunity to drastically increase their target group and possibly the use of hot water in the home. Based on some calculations, some results were recorded. If a 140-liter barrel is connected to the solar collector, it reaches a temperature of 45°C. On average, people shower under a temperature of 38°C. This means that 180 liters of water can be used directly if the external tank is used.
