Multimode solar energy collector and process
OwnerWilliam J. D. Escherinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar energy collector providing both concentrating-tracking functions and non-concentrating diffuse absorption functions in a single unit. The solar energy collector and process may provide both a higher temperature heat transfer fluid and a lower temperature heat transfer fluid for utilization in various processes, such as environmental conditioning, which may advantageously utilize thermal energy of two different temperatures. The solar energy thermal collector and process of this invention provides a high temperature thermal output in combination with a simplified tracking capability.
Claims29
A multimode solar energy collector comprising:
- a transparent tubular body portion having end closures sealing each end of said body portion providing a fluid-tight cavity within the tube, a concentrator-reflector within the tube, a focal-line solar energy absorber in the focus of said concentrator-reflector, means for removal of absorbed energy from said focal-line solar energy absorber to the exterior of said tube, a diffuse solar energy absorber within the tube adapted to be in the path of reflected or diffuse solar radiation, a low temperature fluid conduit in thermal exchange relation with said diffuse solar energy absorber, heat exchanger fluid in said conduit and means for introducing and withdrawing the heat exchange fluid from said collector, said concentrator-reflector adapted to be in the path of direct solar radiation and focusing said direct radiation to said focal-line absorber and said diffuse absorber adapted to be in the path of reflected or diffuse solar radiation.
A multimode solar energy collector assembly comprising:
- a series of parallel multimode solar energy collectors each comprising;
- a transparent tubular body portion having end closures sealing each end of said body portion providing a fluid-tight cavity within the tube, a concentrator-reflector within the tube, a focal-line solar energy absorber in the focus of said concentrator-reflector, means for removal of absorbed energy from said focal-line solar energy absorber to the exterior of said tube, and a diffuse solar energy absorber within the tube adapted to be in the path of reflected or diffuse solar radiation, a low temperature fluid conduit in thermal exchange relation with said diffuse solar energy absorber, heat exchange fluid in said conduit and means for introducing and withdrawing the heat exchange fluid from said collector, said concentrator-reflector adapted to be in the path of direct solar radiation and focusing said direct radiation to said focal-line absorber and said diffuse absorber adapted to be in the path of reflected or diffuse solar radiation;
- a collector mounting means for mounting each of said collectors;
- moving means providing tracking-rotation of each said concentrator-reflector;
- and
- a reflective backing surface below each said collector adapted to reflect solar radiation upward toward each said collector.
A process for multimode solar energy absorption comprising;
- maintaining a focal-line solar energy absorber in the focus of a concentrator-reflector, both being in a fluid-tight cavity within a transparent tube, placing said concentrator-reflector in the path of direct solar radiation, focusing said direct solar radiation to said focal-line absorber, removing absorbed energy from said focal-line absorber to the exterior of said tube, and passing heat exchange fluid in thermal exchange relation with a diffuse solar absorber within said cavity, diffuse solar radiation being reflected to said diffuse absorber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.