Loading patent…
AssigneeSolarferm Limited
InventorsGabriel O’Sullivan JAMES, Tancred Giles FRICKEY
Estimating the term…
An illumination system for use in a photobioreactor containing photosynthetic microorganisms, has an array of poly gonal prism cells, each of said polygonal prism cells comprising a plurality of substantially flat rectangular panels, each panel having a top edge, a bottom edge, and lateral edges and a flat surface therebetween, wherein said panels are configured to provide illumination at said flat surface, and further configured to be connected to at least one other of said panels along each said lateral edge, and wherein the top and bottom of the cells formed by the respective top and bottom edges of the panels thereof are substantially open, thereby permitting flow therethrough of a fluid containing said photosynthetic microorganisms to be illuminated at the flat surfaces of said panels.
An illumination system for use in a photobioreactor containing photosynthetic microorganisms, comprising
The illumination system according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein at least one of said panels is a passive panel, said passive panel being configured to receive light energy from a light source external to said panel and to diffuse said light energy through the flat surface thereof.
The illumination system according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the array includes polygonal prism cells having cross-sectional shapes selected from the group consisting of triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, and octagonal, and any combination thereof.
The illumination system according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the array of polygonal prism cells is formed by a plurality of such cells arranged longitudinally alongside each other by connecting lateral sides thereof, wherein the array of cells is surrounded by a protective structure.
The illumination system of any of the foregoing claims, further comprising an auxiliary system in fluid communication with the array of polyhedron prism cells for causing the fluid containing said photosynthetic microorganism to flow through the array of tubular polyhedron prism cells.
The illumination system of any of the foregoing claims, wherein the flat surface of at least one of said panels is configured to provide illumination both sides of said flat surface.
The illumination system of any of the foregoing claims, wherein at least one of said panels is configured to receive light energy at a light input port at a first edge thereof, and to transfer said light energy from said light input port to a flat panel thereof and/or to a light output port at a second edge of said panel.
The illumination system of any of the foregoing claims, wherein at least one of said panels is configured to receive light energy at a light input port at one side of a flat surface thereof, and to transfer at least some of said light energy from said light input port to the other side of said flat surface of said panel and/or to a light output port at an edge of said panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.