Solar heating system and panels

Abstract

A solar heating system is provided in which is employed a source of a heatable fluid and an arrangement of solar heating panels to receive heat from the sun and heat the fluid therewith. A heat sink is provided to receive the fluid from the solar panels and to store heat received with the fluid. A heat transfer arrangement transfers heat from the heat sink to a heating system medium. The heat sink includes a tank which is connected in a closed loop with the solar heating panels to receive heatablefluid from the panels. Aggregate is provided in the tank to store heat received via the heatable fluid. The heat transfer arrangement includes a duct for the passage of air and rocks arranged in the duct for storing heat received from the tank. In one construction, the panels each comprise an array of tubes of a heat conductive material and a heatable mass in which the array is located and heated in order to heat fluid flowing through the tubes. The heatable mass may include a dark colored concrete in which are embedded sheets of screening which sandwich the tubes therebetween. Another construction includes spaced corrugated metal sheets which form an envelope which is fed by tubes attached to the top and which drain at the base. The envelope may also be made up of flattened tubes which would compartmentalize each corrugation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.