US 4,300,535 AGranted

Solar hot water collector

AssigneeSkyronics Aviation Inc.

InventorRonald G. Munroe

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A hot water collector to be erected on the sloped roof of an enclosure so that solar energy, i.e. the rays of the sun, will shine on the collector and heat water flowing therein. The collector features a plurality of parallel generally rectilinear channels arranged on the roof, extending transversely to the pitch of the roof and extending horizontally and transversely across the sloped roof. Water flows from one end of a channel to the other and then down to the next lower channel. The water is heated by the sun as it flows along successive channels, and heated water is removed from the lowest channel for space heating or other uses. A specific configuration of solar hot water collector consisting of an elongated metal strip and a plurality of metal mounting brackets is also disclosed, as well as a method of installing a solar hot water collector on the sloped roof of an enclosure using a plurality of elongated metal strips.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A solar hot water collector comprising:

(A) a plurality of substantially rectilinear channels, each channel
(i) being formed by an elongated strip, said strip being folded longitudinally to form the channel,
(ii) being composed of a metal having high heat conductivity and selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, an aluminum-magnesium alloy, steel, copper, brass, and bronze,
(iii) having a one end and another end,
(iv) being arranged in approximately parallel relationship on a sloped roof of an enclosure and individually extending transversely to the pitch of the roof and transversely across the roof in a substantially horizontal direction, and
(v) the ends of the channels being approximately in mutual registration;
(B) liquid flowable through the channels from said one end of each channel to said other end of each channel under the influence of gravity;
(C) liquid transfer means at said other end of each channel except the lowermost for transferring the liquid from such channel to the next lower channel solely by gravity;
(D) means for introducing the liquid into the highest channel;
(E) the liquid being heated by the sun as it flows along successive channels;
(F) the channels being both solar heat absorbers and solar heat transmitters, transmitting said heat to the liquid flowing therethrough;
and
(G) means for removing heated liquid from the lowest channel.

10 more elements

A solar hot water collector which comprises an elongated metal strip, said metal strip being composed of a metal having high heat conductivity selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, an aluminum-magnesium alloy, steel, copper, brass and bronze, said metal strip having a plurality of spaced apart rectilinear slits or slots therein, said slits or slots being longitudinally aligned in tandem along a straight line, a plurality of metal mounting brackets, means mounting said brackets in juxtaposed registration transverse to the longitudinal axis of said metal strip, one end of each mounting bracket extending through one of said slits or slots, means for attaching the other end of each of said brackets to the roof of an enclosure, so that said metal strip extends substantially horizontally across said roof, means for bending each of said brackets into a substantially U-shape, so that said metal strip becomes a U-shaped trough capable of holding a liquid, and means adjacent said one end of each of said brackets for securing said one end of each of said brackets in spaced relation to the other end of the bracket.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.