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US 4,282,858 AGranted
Solar energy system and method
AssigneeBowers Industries, Inc.
InventorRichard S. Bowers, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar energy fluid heating system and method wherein sunlight is focused on the one end of a number of light pipes and directed by the other ends of the light pipes onto a heat conductive surface at the bottom of a number of tubes within a fluid storage tank. Each of the tubes within the tank is apertured adjacent to the lower end thereof and open at the other end thereof to permit fluid circulation within the tank. The tubes may be entirely of heat conducting material to accomplish fluid heating over an increased portion of the tubes.
Claims8
A solar energy heating system comprising:
- a plurality of solar collectors each adapted for orientation toward the sun and each including a lens element for focusing sunlight;
- a fluid storage tank including a plurality of heat transfer tubes, at least the lower end of said tubes being of a heat conductor substance, being open at the upper end to permit the egress of relatively heated fluid therefrom, being closed at the lower end, and being apertured adjacent the lower end to permit the entrance of relatively cooled fluid into the tube adjacent the closed end;
- and
- fiber optic means for connecting each of said solar collectors to the closed end of one of said heat transfer tubes, said means including means at one end for positioning said one end to receive sunlight focused by one of said plurality of solar collectors and means at the other end for positioning said other end to direct sunlight against the closed end of one of said plurality of heat transfer tubes and thereby heat fluid within said storage tank.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.