Abstract: Cold generating apparatus, wherein it comprises a cold storage enclosure filled with a material having a solid-liquid transmission in the vicinity of the operating temperature of the apparatus, a first panel forming a radiating surface, whose radiation drops into at least one of the atmospheric windows, a substantially vertical second panel immersed in the material of the cold storage enclosure, a pipe in the form of a coil on each of the first and second panels, said pipes being connected by plastically deformable couplings to form a closed circuit and a certain quantity of a fluid which is vaporizable under the operating conditions of the apparatus within the closed circuit, the assembly constituted by the first and second panels, the closed circuit and the heat transfer fluid forming a device of the heat pipe type serving as a thermal diode which only transmits heat in the direction from the storage enclosure to the radiating surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rigid structure plate heat exchanger.The plates of this exchanger comprise a central exchange area and two parallel borders which, when stacked, form two distributor blocks. For one of each pair of spaces distribution takes place in a particular block by issuing directly on to the face of the stack, while for the other space in the pair it takes place by issuing on to a line of passages obtained by facing perforations throughout the stack. The perforations are elongated in the flow direction of the fluids from one distributor block to the other. The borders of the plates are staggered on either side of the plane of the central area. One of the borders is in planar contact with the border of the upper plate. The other border is in contact with the border of the lower plate leading to a so-called concertina structure closing alternate spaces in each distributor block.

Abstract: Open ducts for ground heating of hothouses consist of flattened tubes of flexible material such as plastic. The tubes are slit open lengthwise, folded back over tensioned cords and secured by fasteners so as to form the edges of the ducts, the two ends of which remain tubular and are connected to the inlet and outlet pipes of a warm-water circulation system.

Abstract: An installation for cultivating plants on a soil, characterized in that it comprises at least one heat-exchanger, each of said exchangers being constituted by an elongated flat flexible hose with a then wall resting on the soil, and feed means for circulating liquid of a preselected regulated temperature through each of said hoses.