US 4,289,117 A · Solar panel unit and system for heating circulating air

Abstract

A solar panel unit for collecting solar heat and imparting it to circulating air has air flow directing means, desirably in the form of a perforated, corrugated baffle plate, sandwiched between a heat collector plate and a backing plate for passing air from one margin of the unit to an opposite margin thereof, with a peripheral wall enclosing the resulting heat collector chamber. Spaced from the collector plate, with a peripheral wall enclosing the resulting dead air space, is a transparent outer panel of glass or plastic for transmitting rays of the sun to the collector plate; and spaced from the backing plate, with peripheral and partition walls dividing the resulting space into air flow passages, is thermal insulation material. The collector plate is tightly secured against the baffle plate substantially at its midpoint and curves slightly therefrom toward its periphery, where it freely engages sealing pocket members that extend along lateral sides and ends of the unit, respectively, to form expansion slip joints peripherally of the unit and, together with special corner structure, to substantially isolate the insulating, dead air space from air flow. In the system, panel units are connected end-to-end so that the air flow passages thereof intercommunicate to provide ducts, and means are provided for introducing relatively cool air into one of the ducts and for removing heated air from another of the ducts. Each of the panel units has inlet ports along one margin thereof leading from the cool air duct into the heat collector chamber, and has outlet ports along an opposite margin thereof leading from the heat collector chamber into the warm air duct. The warm air is used to heat utility water and/or heat storage media before recycling as cool air.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A substantially rectangular, solar panel unit for heating circulating air, comprising a heat collector plate freely mounted peripherally for expansion and contraction;

a backing plate spaced below the collector plate to provide heat collector space;
air-flow directing means sandwiched between the collector plate and the backing plate;
a transparent outer panel spaced above the collector plate to provide dead air space for transmitting solar rays to the collector plate while inhibiting heat loss;
peripheral walls enclosing the heat collector space and the dead air space to provide corresponding substantially closed chambers;
thermal insulation material spaced and secured below the backing plate to provide space for air circulation;
walls dividing the air circulation space into mutually parallel cool air and heated air passages, respectively, along mutually opposite sides of the unit;
air flow ports leading into the heat collector chamber from the cool air passage along one side of said collector chamber;
air flow ports leading from the heat collector chamber into the heated air passage along the other side of said collector chamber, the cool air and the heated air passages being adapted to be open at their ends, respectively, for air flow intercommunication with adjoining units in a solar heating system;
and means mounting said heat collector plate for free expansion and contraction while substantially preventing flow of air into the dead air chamber.

6 more elements

A hot air, solar heating system, comprising a plurality of solar panel units, each unit comprising means defining a heat collector chamber having a heat collector plate forming the top of said chamber and being mounted for expansion and contraction, means defining a solar-ray-transmitting dead air chamber immediately above the heat collector plate, air-flow directing means within the heat collector chamber, means at and substantially limited to the center of said heat collector plate bowing it and anchoring it to a stationary member of the unit for free expansion and contraction, and means substantially preventing flow of air peripherally of said heat collector plate into said dead air chamber while permitting free expansion and contraction of the heat collector plate;

means defining cool air flow passages and heated air flow passages immediately below and in communication with the heat collection chamber to provide for air circulation through the unit, said units being interconnected end-to-end in sealed air-flow relationship relative to one another so that the cool air passages of the respective units form an elongate cool air passage and the heated passages thereof form an elongate heated air passage;
a hot air duct connecting said heated air passage with heat utilization or storage equipment;
a cold air return duct connecting the heat utilization or storage equipment with said cool air passage;
and blower means associated with either said hot air passage of said cold air passage for circulating the air through the system.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Solar panel unit and system for heating circulating air

Life of this patent

Solar panel unit and system for heating circulating air

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13