Insulation through filling/painting of bottles
A sustainable aspect of the bottle wall is the way it
facilitates insulation. This is created through the use of the glass bottles.
On their own they hold few properties of insulation, however
through filling the bottles with a dark liquid or material, the wall is allowed
to function as a thermal mass. A saturated solution of salt and water (where no
more salt will dissolve) increases the amount of heat each bottle can retain as
salt raises the boiling point of water.
A further step in amplifying the wall’s ability to insulate
is to paint each bottle with black enamel on one side, while painting the other
side white. The black side facilitates sunlight absorption, while the white
inhibits heat transmission. Both methods reinforce the notion of darker objects
absorbing more heat (light).
The bottles then act as a ‘heat sink’. A heat sink can be
typically linked to electronic systems, where a component is used as a passive
heat exchanger, cooling the device by dissipating heat into its surrounding
environment. This process is not limited to electronics however, as filled/painted
bottles allow parts of the wall to absorb solar radiation during the day and
radiate it back during night. This allows the bottle wall to lessen the effect
of 24 hour cyclical temperature swings.
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