WO2001031272A2 - Construction element for forming sections cooled by evaporation - Google Patents

Abstract

Construction element (1) formed by porous material which can be absorbed and retain water, comprising a plurality of cavities (2) which can be filled with water and a plurality of configurations (3) which form surfaces (4) in contact with environmental air; the water evaporates through said surfaces (4) once exposed to air and/or solar radiation. Said construction element has a planar configuration and is susceptible of being placed adjacent to other similar construction elements to cover relatively large areas and forming a heat barrier, including means for interconnecting cavities (2) of similar adjacent construction elements (1) thereby forming a closed assembly of interconnected cavities (2), and means for connecting said assembly of cavities (2) to a water source.

Description

CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT FOR COOLED SECTION FORMATION

BY EVAPORATION

Field of the invention This invention concerns a constructive element for forming evaporated-cooled sections, which is formed by a porous material capable of absorbing water and comprising at least one surface, whose water is evaporated through said surface as it is exposed to air and / or solar radiation, said construction element being flattened and capable of being placed adjacent to other similar construction elements to cover relatively large areas The energy necessary to maintain the evaporation of water through the pores of the material comes of the internal energy of the water itself, which cools

The present invention is useful as a thermal barrier to prevent heat from entering inside enclosures, such as residential buildings, offices and the like, for which relatively large areas of the outer surfaces of roofs and / or walls of said buildings, especially those most exposed to solar radiation In an exemplary embodiment, the invention is also useful for cooling the air inside the enclosure Cooling large areas of exterior surfaces exposed to solar radiation, such as patios, terraces, plazas, sidewalks and similar, it also contributes to contain environmental warming in urban spaces, providing a greater general feeling of freshness Technical background

The cooling of a liquid by evaporation through a porous material has been known since ancient times and profusely used in clay containers to contain water, such as the botijo Recently, JI Zubizarreta and G Pinto, in the work "An Ancient Method for Coolig Water Explained by Mass and Heat Transfer "experimentally demonstrates the phenomenon and provides mathematical tools by which they quantify the decrease in the temperature of the water contained in a botijo and the amount evaporated as a function of the outside temperature, the ambient humidity and the weather

A modern application of evaporation cooling is described in JP 08312018, which involves coating large surfaces with bodies capable of absorbing and retaining rainwater, which is evaporated. subsequently under the effect of solar radiation forming a thermal barrier This patent also provides for the provision of deposits to collect rainwater, which later, when necessary, will be sprayed on the coated surfaces through a system of sprinkler pipes This system It has the disadvantage of cooling only a thin area close to the outer surface of evaporation of said bodies, in addition to ensuring a homogeneous distribution of water between the different surface areas, so that in areas where solar radiation affects probably retained water will be consumed before in the areas protected from the sun and wind, being difficult to implement in vertical or inclined walls In addition, this method depends entirely on the rainwater

Patent FR 2697323 describes a method of generating air conditioned by natural energy in which a column of a single piece of ceramic is vertically attached to an exterior wall of an enclosure. The column has peripheral chambers filled with water and an air duct. central communicated from the bottom to an air inlet to the enclosure and from the top to an air outlet of the enclosure The evaporation of the water from the column cools the air in the central duct, which establishes a convection air circulation, taking hot air from the upper part of the enclosure and introducing cold air through the lower part of the enclosure The replacement of evaporated water is carried out, from an inlet connected to a water source, by the absorption produced by the osmotic depression created by evaporation This system It is intended for air conditioning inside an enclosure but does not allow cooling large areas exposed to radiation n solar to create thermal barriers and / or refresh an exterior or interior environment, in addition to involving an intrinsic constructive complexity

Patents EP-A-0281631, EP-A-0409984 and WO 91/08424 propose a system and / or an installation for the evaporative cooling of air in an object based on a plurality of dry channels and alternating wet channels through which they circulate respective main and subsidiary air currents However, such an installation, which also does not provide a thermal barrier, is bulky, complex and expensive to implement. Brief exposition of the invention.

The present invention provides a construction element that can be placed adjacent to other similar construction elements to cover relatively large areas of surfaces to be cooled. Said construction element is of flattened configuration and is formed of a porous material, comprising a plurality of water-filled cavities and a plurality of formative configurations of surfaces in contact with the surrounding air, optionally susceptible to receiving solar radiation, whose cavities are located within said constructive element in such number and with such an arrangement that they ensure that the water inside impregnates said porous material until it exudes through said surfaces in contact with the air. The aforementioned configurations are intended to provide a maximum surface area exposed to air or solar radiation.

The construction element comprises means for connecting its water-filled cavities with cavities belonging to other adjacent analogous construction elements, and means for connecting the ends of several groups of cavities connected to each other to form a set of interconnected cavities. Said set of cavities is connected to a water power source to replace the water that is lost by evaporation. The determination of the amount or flow of water that must be provided to keep the cavities full can be done in several ways. If the power supply is at a pressure significantly higher than atmospheric, such as an urban water supply network, for example, a pressure regulator adjusts the amount of water supplied to the set of cavities based on a predetermined pressure within the same. If the power supply is at or near atmospheric pressure, as is the case of an open tank located approximately at the level of the cavities, the feeding is carried out by an aspiration produced by the osmotic depression created by the evaporation of the Cavity water.

With said construction elements arranged in the manner described, sections capable of covering relatively large areas of exterior surfaces of ceilings and / or enclosure walls, such as residential buildings, offices, sports facilities, agricultural, industrial and similar, whose sections can be formed, can be formed. they are cooled by the evaporation of water that permeates them through their porous surfaces, acting as an effective thermal barrier and mitigating the heating of the surrounding air. You can also cover pavements, such as courtyards, plazas, sidewalks and the like.

In general, the more heat that affects the evaporation surfaces, the more cooling will be achieved, so that the coating is especially useful in those surfaces exposed to solar radiation. However, it also works perfectly on non-exposed surface coatings, provided they are in contact with dry, warm and ventilated air. Therefore, it is also possible to cover interior ceiling surfaces and / or walls of an enclosure leaving a ventilated air chamber between the sections formed by the constructive elements of the present invention and said interior ceiling surfaces and / or walls, in which case preferably the construction elements have a non-porous surface facing the interior of the enclosure and a porous surface facing said air chamber, which typically, although not essential, has forced ventilation by mechanical means. Said non-porous surface is intended to create an impermeable layer so as not to increase the ambient humidity inside the enclosure.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the construction element further comprises configurations, located close to the exterior surface of the construction element 1, to hold one or more waterproof pipes connected to a circuit for a heat transfer fluid, for collection and use of thermal energy from incident solar radiation. The constructive element proposes an arrangement of the characteristic elements (water-filled cavities, formative configurations of evaporation surfaces and clamping configurations of the waterproof tubes) such that the existence of the said waterproof energy-collecting tubes is not an obstacle for there are a large number of well aerated evaporation cooling surfaces. In addition, since in a cold season the thermal barrier effect is not as necessary as the effect of capturing solar energy, the construction element of the present invention also includes means for releasably securing a transparent sheet so that it It can be extended overlapping all constructive elements. The purpose of said transparent sheet is to create a temperature increase in the heat transfer fluid that circulates through the impermeable tubes through the so-called greenhouse effect, which occurs because solar radiation passes through the transparent sheet by heating the surfaces that are found under it, which however cannot dissipate heat by convection into the surrounding air due precisely to the existence of the transparent sheet itself, which would extend during a cold season, in which case the cavities would be emptied of water, running the constructive elements only as a solar energy collection system. During a warm season said transparent sheet would be removed, in which case the said thermal evaporation cooling barrier and the said solar energy capture would work together in the construction elements Explanation of the drawings The invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments thereof with references to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs 1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating examples of embodiment of the constructive element of the invention, Figs 3 and 4 are partial sectional views cross-section taken respectively along lines III-III and IV-IV of Figs 1 and 2, seen in the direction of the arrows, Fig 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the construction element of the invention, Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating connection elements between cavities of two elements c Instructions of the invention, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 2, seen in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the connection of a cavity of said construction element with a cavity. of an adjacent analogous constructive element by means of the connecting elements of Fig. 6, Fig. 8 illustrates in cross-section a connection sleeve between cavities of two constructive elements of the invention, Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along of the line VI-VI of Fig 2, seen in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the connection of a cavity of said construction element with a cavity of an adjacent analogous constructive element by means of the sleeve of Fig 5, Fig 10 it is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 2, seen in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the connection of a cavity of said construction element with a cav ity of an adjacent analogous constructive element by means of a porous hose section, Fig. 1 1 is a perspective view illustrating a further exemplary embodiment in which the constructive element of the present invention also incorporates elements useful for capturing solar energy, Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a closed enclosure with the outer surface of the roof covered with constructive elements of the present invention, forming a thermal barrier section; and Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a closed enclosure with the inner surface of a suspended ceiling covered with constructive elements of the present invention, forming both a thermal barrier section and a cooling section. Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2, there are shown two variants of embodiments of the construction element 1 of the present invention formed by a porous material, capable of absorbing and retaining water. The constructive elements 1 are of flattened configuration and capable of being placed adjacent to other similar constructive elements 1 to form sections capable of covering relatively large areas of exterior or interior surfaces of ceilings and / or walls of closed enclosures, such as residential buildings, or of pavement surfaces, such as patios or squares. Each construction element 1 comprises a plurality of water-filled cavities 2 and a plurality of formative configurations 3 of surfaces 4, 4a, 4b in contact with the surrounding air, and optionally capable of receiving solar radiation. The cavities 2 are located within said construction element 1 in such number and with such an arrangement that they ensure that the water inside impregnates said porous material until it exudes through said surfaces 4, 4a, 4b in contact with the air. This air, especially if it is dry and warm, and especially if it is in motion, or in its case the incident solar radiation, evaporates the water from the surfaces 4, 4a, 4b absorbed from the cavities 2 through the pores of the material . The energy necessary to maintain said evaporation comes from the internal energy of the water, so that it cools by cooling the bulk of the impregnated porous material, getting the formed section to act as a thermal barrier, preventing the surrounding air from being heat by radiation from overheated surfaces. When the coated surfaces are interior, in addition to the thermal barrier effect a cooling effect of the interior environment is achieved. Obviously, the water that evaporates must be replenished, for which means that are explained below are provided.

Porous ceramic materials, such as an unglazed baked clay, are included as materials useful for manufacturing the building elements 1, although other plastic materials would be equally suitable. Baked clay is the preferred material due to its excellent porosity and because it is a common material in the manufacture of construction parts, so that the production of the constructive elements of the present invention can be implemented with minimal adaptations of current processes, with costs comparable to those of other ordinary construction construction elements

In Fig. 3 a cross-section of the constructive element 1 of Fig. 1 is shown in which the water-filled cavities 2 are observed and where the configurations 3 form open-profile grooves 5a, delimited by evaporation surfaces 4a in contact with the surrounding air In this embodiment the configurations are sinuous in order to provide a large area for surfaces 4 and 4a, and the cavities 2 are alternately located with the sinuosities of the configurations 3 in order to promote impregnation of the entire material between the cavities 2 and the surfaces 4 and 4a In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 4, which is a cross-sectional view of the construction element 1 of Fig. 2, the configurations 3 form profile ducts 5b closed, open at the ends, internally delimited by surfaces 4b that are in contact with the air, in the same way as surface 4 of the upper face Thus, the water in the cavities 2 impregnates the material between said cavities 2 and the surfaces 4 and 4b, so that evaporation occurs both within the ducts 5b and through the outer surface 4

Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the construction element 1 of the present invention in which, in addition to the water-filled cavities 2, the configurations 3 form a combination of grooves 5a, open profile, delimited by surfaces 4a and ducts 5b, closed profile, delimited by interior surfaces 4b, which in combination with the upper surfaces 4 provide a set of different evaporation surfaces 4, 4a, 4b

In order to cool relatively small areas, construction elements 1 of the required size could be manufactured in one piece, although it will generally be necessary to place a plurality of adjacent construction elements 1 to form a section capable of covering a larger area

In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, each construction element 1 further comprises a front portion capable of overlapping a rear portion of another analogous constructive element located adjacent to the front, and a lateral portion capable of overlapping a lateral portion of another analogous constructive element located laterally adjacent, so that a plurality of adjacent constructive elements of the present invention are capable of forming a cover as a roof with the properties of cooled section and thermal barrier explained above

Obviously, a person skilled in the art of manufacturing ceramic pieces could easily introduce a multitude of variations and combinations into the shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention. Figures 6 to 10 show means for connecting facing cavities 2 of elements adjacent constructs 1 Although said connection means have been illustrated with reference to the exemplary embodiment of Figs. 1 and 3, said means are equally valid for both the example of Figs. 2 and 4 and for the example of Fig. 5, that of FIG. 11, which is explained in detail below, or any other. In an exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, said connection means comprise a connection piece 20 comprising a tube divided into two parts 21a, 21b by an outer wall 22 located transversely in its middle zone An outer surface of each of said two parts 21a, 21b of the tube has one or more annular projections 2 3, illustrated in the example as conical teeth that decrease in diameter in the direction of the free ends of the tube. Said connection piece 20 is of a relatively hard elastic material, such as a plastic material. Preferably, to ensure a perfect seal, on each of the two parts 21a, 21b of the tube, respective sleeves 24a, 24b of an elastomeric material are fitted tightly. , such as a rubber The outer diameter of said sleeves 24a, 24b when fitted on the two parts of the tube is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cavities 2, so that in the assembly (illustrated in Fig 7), said part of connection 20 is located with each of the two parts 21a, 21b of the tube embedded in the open ends of said cavities 2, aligned, of adjacent construction elements 1, with the respective sleeves 24a, 24b interposed and compressed between the surfaces interiors of the cavities 2 and said exterior surface with said annular projections 23 of each of the two parts 21a, 21b of the tube, said said actuator acting Wall 22 as a positioner and separator between the two adjacent construction elements 1 However, the use of the sleeves 24a and 24b of Figs 6 and 7 is not essential when for the connecting piece 20 a sufficiently elastic material is used in addition to relatively hard, and when the inner surface of said recesses of the cavities 2 It is sufficiently smooth and regular. In Figs. 8 and 9 another example of embodiment is shown for said connecting means, which comprise a connecting sleeve 6 (Fig 8) and a flared mouths 2a formed at the ends of the cavities 2 (Fig 9 ) Said connection sleeves 6 have ends 6a, 6b suitably, illustrated in the example as conical, for connection to plug in the corresponding openings 2a, whose flares are, in that example, also conical. The sleeves 6 can be a slightly elastic material, such as a plastic or a hard rubber, or a rigid material, such as a metal, preferably resistant to oxidation, or provided with an annealing treatment Antioxidant Preferably, an adhesive material 7 is applied between the openings 2a of the cavities 2 and the ends 6a, 6b of the connecting sleeves 6 It is convenient that the inner surface of said flared openings 2a be relatively smooth and uniform, possibly being possibly polished

In another embodiment, illustrated in Fig. 10, said connection means comprise a hose 8 of porous walls, such as those used in agriculture and gardening, laid through the aligned cavities 2 belonging to a plurality of construction elements Adjacent 1 Such porous hose 8 is connected to a water power source, which exudes through its walls to soak the porous material of the building element 1

The ends of several groups of aligned cavities 2, of adjacent construction elements 1, connected to each other by any of the means illustrated in Figs 6 to 10, or others, can be connected to each other by means such as collecting tubes (not illustrated) ), located transversely to the cavities 2 at the ends of the coated surface, to which all open ends of the cavities 2 are connected forming a closed set of interconnected cavities 2 To compensate for the loss of water due to evaporation, said closed assembly is typically provided with a connection to a water power source With this arrangement, a single water source is sufficient to feed a plurality of building elements 1 covering a large surface

This water supply can be at a pressure significantly higher than atmospheric, as in the case of an urban water supply network, in which case the amount of water supplied by said source is determined by a pressure regulator in function of the pressure inside the cavities 2

When the water from said source is at or near atmospheric pressure, such as in the case of an open reservoir located approximately at the level of the surface covered, the amount of water supplied by said source is determined by suction produced by the osmotic depression created by the evaporation of water inside the cavities 2

For reasons of economy it may be advantageous to install an open tank located at the level of the covered surface, fed by water from a pressurized network through a device to maintain a predetermined constant level in said tank, such as a mechanism for buoy, the cavities 2 of the cooled section being the ones that absorb the necessary water from said reservoir by osmotic depression. Fig. 11 illustrates an example of an additional embodiment in which the construction element 1 comprises, in addition to the mentioned formative configurations 3 of the surfaces 4, 4a, other configurations 15, located close to the outer surface of the constructive element 1, capable of holding one or more waterproof pipes 16 connected to a circuit through which a heat transfer fluid circulates, for capturing and harnessing the energy thermal radiation from solar radiation These configurations 15 form channels 17, each open superiorly through a groove 17a of a width less than the width of the bottom of said channels 17 In this way, by selecting said waterproof tubes 16 of a flexible material, they are capable of being introduced into said bottom of the channels 17 through the said grooves 17a when the whole set of construction elements 1 is already installed, with the cavities 2 of adjacent construction elements 1 connected to each other by means of, for example, the connecting parts 20 of Fig 6 This arrangement it also facilitates the temporary removal or replacement of said waterproof tubes 16

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in Fig. 11, said channels 17 are flanked by open profile grooves 5a formed by said configurations 3, whose grooves 5a are internally delimited by surfaces 4a in contact with the surrounding air In this way, the existence of the waterproof tubes 16 is not an obstacle for a large number of surfaces to exist 4th provided with good aeration

In a cold season, the thermal barrier effect is not as necessary as the effect of capturing solar energy. For this purpose, the construction element 1 of the embodiment of Fig. 1 1 also includes means for releasably securing a transparent sheet 25 so that it can be extended superimposed on the set of construction elements during a cold season, in which case the cavities 2 are emptied of water, or removed during a warm season, in which case the said thermal barrier and the said collection of solar energy The purpose of the transparent sheet is to create the so-called greenhouse effect, by virtue of which there is an increase in temperature in the area below the said transparent sheet because it allows solar radiation to penetrate but prevents thermal dissipation by convection to the surrounding air. Said fastening means comprise at least one south co 26, arranged along at least one longitudinal lateral edge of the constructive element 1, open superiorly through a mouth narrower than its bottom, in which a fold 25a of said transparent sheet 25 is housed and is held there by an elastic rod 27 introduced under pressure This arrangement allows a quick installation or uninstallation of the transparent sheet 25, which can be a simple flexible sheet of transparent plastic that can be rolled up for storage during the hot season A view is shown in Fig 12 in cross section of a closed enclosure 9 with the outer surface of the roof covered with constructive elements 1 of the present invention, forming a section that acts as a thermal barrier In this case, the roof roof is of the conventional type and comprises a base of beams 15 and vaults 16 on which a waterproofing layer 13 is extended, ta l as an asphaltic fabric, topped by a tiling 17, on which the section of constructive elements 1 rests. Said tiling 17 could be omitted, especially in the case of a new building, to be directly replaced by the plurality of adjacent constructive elements 1, which can both be of the type illustrated in Figs 1 and 3 and in Figs 2 and 4, in the latter case without the need for the ducts 5 of adjacent building elements 1 to be connected to each other, so that the surrounding air, represented by arrows Ac be in contact with all surfaces 4, 4a, 4b, or if necessary 4 and 4a, evaporation, as well as they could eventually receive solar radiation represented by arrows Rs Although not It has been illustrated, the cavities 2 are connected to each other forming a closed set of interconnected cavities 2 filled with water, and with an inlet from a water power source, as explained above. In an analogous way it could be coated externally one or more of the side walls of said enclosure, as an alternative to the roof covering or concurrently therewith

The constructive elements 1 of Fig. 12 could be provided with said front and side portions susceptible to overlapping with opposite rear and lateral portions of adjacent analogous elements, as explained above, in which case said constructive elements would form a roof and paving 17 could be omitted

In Fig. 13, which is a cross-sectional view illustrating a closed enclosure 9 similar to that of Fig. 8, a set of constructive elements 1 of the present invention covers the interior surface of the ceiling of said enclosure 9 leaving an air chamber 14 ventilated between it and the section formed, which acts as a thermal barrier and also forms a cold roof that provides a feeling of freshness to the air inside the enclosure This solution is especially useful in enclosures whose outer surfaces are very exposed to radiation solar Rs, such as a floor located below a roof The air chamber 14 preferably has a ventilation aided by a mechanical fan 12 that circulates the dry and warm air Ac taken from the outside by said air chamber 14 In the illustrated example the constructive elements 1 themselves form a false ceiling, for which said constructive elements 1 comprise a non-porous surface the, as enameled, facing into said enclosure 9, and a porous opposite surface Ib in contact with the air of said ventilated air chamber 14 Similarly, an analogous installation could be performed on the inner face of one or more side walls , forming one or more double walls with their respective air chambers

In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figs 2 and 4, and 5, the closed profile ducts 5b are capable of being connected to each other in a manner analogous to that described for the connection of the cavities 2 In this case, if the surface covered by the construction elements 1 had a suitable inclination, through said ducts 5b a convective circulation of cooled air would be produced which, with appropriate conduits, would be useful for cooling the air inside an enclosure

Claims

1 - Constructive element for forming sections cooled by evaporation, whose constructive element is of the type formed by a porous material capable of absorbing and retaining water and comprising at least one surface, whose water is evaporated through said surface when exposed to air and/or to solar radiation, said constructive element being of a flattened configuration and capable of being placed adjacent to other analogous constructive elements to cover relatively large areas constituting a thermal barrier, characterized in that each constructive element (1) comprises a plurality of cavities (2 ) fillable with water, and a plurality of configurations (3) forming surfaces (4, 4a, 4b) in contact with the surrounding air, optionally susceptible to receiving solar radiation, whose cavities (2) are located within said construction element in such a number and with such arrangement that they ensure that the water inside impregnates said porous material up to exude through said surfaces (4, 4a, 4b) in contact with air 2 - Element, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for connecting said cavities (2) to other cavities (2) of other adjacent analogous construction elements (1). 3 - Element, according to claim 2, characterized in that said connection means comprise sleeves or connection pieces (6, 20) that connect facing mouths (2a) of cavities (2) belonging to different construction elements (1). adjacent analogues, whose connection sleeves (6, 20) have two distal end parts (6a, 6b, 21a, 21b) of a suitable shape for connection to a plug in said mouths (2a) facing each other, respective 4 - Element, according to claim 3, characterized because said embouchures (2a) are flared and/or internally polished 5 - Element, according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said connection means also comprise an adhesive material (7) applied between the mouths (2a) of the cavities (2) and the ends (6a, 6b) of the sleeves. connection (6) 6 - Element, according to claim 3, characterized in that each of said connecting pieces (20) is made of a relatively hard elastic material and comprises a tube divided into said two parts (21a, 21b) by an external flange (22) located transversely in its middle area, an outer surface of each of said two parts (21a, 21b) of the tube presenting one or more annular projections (23) 7 - Element, according to claim 6, characterized in that said connection means also comprise sleeves (24a, 24b) of an elastomeric material, such as rubber, with an external diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of the cavities (2), of so that, during assembly, said connection piece (20) is located with each of the two parts (21a, 21b) of the tube plugged into said mouths (2a) facing each other, with the respective sleeves (24a, 24b) interposed and compressed between the interior surfaces of the mouthpieces (2a) and said exterior surface with said annular projections (23) of each of the two parts (21a, 21b) of the tube, said flange (22) acting as a positioner and separator between the two adjacent construction elements 1 8 - Element, according to claim 2, characterized in that said connection means comprise a hose (8) with porous walls laid through aligned cavities (2) belonging to a plurality of adjacent construction elements (1). 9 - Element, according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that it comprises means for communicating with each other the ends of several groups of mutually connected cavities (2) of adjacent construction elements (1), forming a closed set of cavities (2). ) intercommunicating 10 - Element, according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said cavities (2) are connected to a water supply source 1 1 - Element, according to claim 10, characterized in that the water from said source is at a pressure significantly higher than atmospheric, the flow of water supplied by said source being established by a pressure regulator depending on the pressure inside the cavities. (2) 12 - Element, according to claim 10, characterized in that the water from said source is at atmospheric pressure, or close to it, establishing the flow of water supplied by said source by an aspiration produced by the osmotic depression created by the evaporation of water of the cavities (2) 13 - Element, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of said configurations (3) form grooves (5a), with an open profile, delimited internally by surfaces (4a) in contact with the surrounding air 14 - Element, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of said configurations (3) form channels (5b), with a closed profile, internally delimited by surfaces (4b) in contact with the air, having been provided means for connecting said ducts (5b) to other ducts (5b) of other adjacent analogous elements (1), so that air can circulate through them 15 - Element, according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it also comprises other configurations (15), located close to the exterior surface of the construction element, capable of holding one or more waterproof tubes (16) connected to a circuit through the that circulates a heat transfer fluid, to capture and use thermal energy from solar radiation 16 - Element, according to claim 15, characterized in that said configurations (15) that hold said waterproof tubes (16) form channels (17), each open at the top through a slot (17a) of width less than the width of the bottom of said channels (17), and because said waterproof tubes (16) are made of a flexible material and are capable of being introduced into said bottom of the channels (17) through said slots (17a) 17 - Element, according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that said channels (17) are flanked by open profile grooves (5a) formed by said configurations (3), whose grooves (5a) are internally delimited by surfaces ( 4a) in contact with the surrounding air 18 - Element, according to claim 15, 16 or 17, characterized in that it also includes means for releasably holding a transparent sheet (25) so that it can extend superimposed on the set of construction elements during a cold season, in which In this case, the cavities (2) are emptied of water, or removed during a warm season, in which case the aforementioned thermal barrier and the aforementioned solar energy collection work together. 19 - Element, according to claim 18, characterized in that said fastening means comprise at least one groove (26), arranged along at least one longitudinal side edge of the construction element (1), open superiorly through a further mouth. narrower than its bottom, in which a fold (25a) of said transparent sheet (25) is housed and is held there by an elastic rod (27) inserted under pressure 20 - Element, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the relatively large area covered by a plurality of construction elements (1) placed adjacently is the outer surface of a roof and/or one or more walls of an enclosure (9), such as a cabin, or the upper surface of a pavement, such as a patio or plaza. 21.- Element, according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the relatively large area covered by a plurality of construction elements (1) placed adjacently is the outer surface of a roof, where the construction elements (1) are placed on a waterproofing layer (13). 22.- Element, according to any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that each construction element 1 also comprises a front flap portion capable of overlapping a rear portion of another analogous construction element located adjacent to the front, and a flap portion lateral capable of overlapping a portion of an opposite side of another analogous construction element located laterally adjacent, so that said relatively large covered area also performs the functions of a roof. 23.- Element, according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the relatively large area covered by a plurality of construction elements (1) placed adjacently is a surface close to the interior surface of a roof and/or one or more walls of an enclosure (9), such as a cabin. 24.- Element, according to claim 23, characterized in that it comprises a non-porous surface (la), such as enameled, facing towards the interior of said enclosure (9), and said porous surface (4, 4a) on the opposite side in contact with the air of a ventilated air chamber (14), defined between the construction elements (1) and said ceiling or wall. 25.- Element, according to claim 24, characterized in that it comprises mechanical means, such as a fan (12) to help the circulation of air inside said ventilated air chamber (14). 26.- Element, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said material from which the construction element (1) is formed is a porous ceramic material, such as a fired clay without vitrification.