US 4,312,325 AGranted

Solar heating system

AssigneeRed Bud Industries, Inc.

InventorsKenneth Voges, Elroy A. Schoenbeck, Mark F. O'Hara, Thomas E. Schmitt

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A solar heating system includes an array of solar collectors and a manifold through which the collectors are supplied with water, this water being derived from a storage tank located below the collectors. The water is circulated through the collectors by a pump, and within the collectors the water is heated, but when the pump is not operating, the water drains from the collectors into the tank so it will not freeze and damage the collectors. Each solar collector includes a housing, a collector panel in the housing and containing a cavity through which water is circulated, supply and drain pipes which extend the full height of the housing behind the panel and are connected through ports with opposite ends of the panel cavity, and a light transmitting material over the housing. The supply and drain pipes of some of the collectors are plugged into corresponding supply and drain fittings on the manifold at bushings which fit into aligned ends of the pipes and fittings. The supply and drain pipes of other collectors are plugged into the supply and drain pipes of those collectors which are along the manifold, again the connections being at bushing.

Claims35

Dependent claims

For use in a solar heating system, the combination comprising:

at least one solar collector having its one end mounted higher than its other end and including a surface that is capable of absorbing a substantial amount of heat from the rays of the sun, means for enclosing a cavity behind the heat absorbing surface with the cavity being capable of holding a heat transfer fluid, a supply pipe extending along the cavity-enclosing means and having its ends easily accessible at the upper and lower ends of the collector, the supply pipe having its interior in communication with the lower region of the cavity, and a drain pipe extending along the cavity enclosing means and having its ends easily accessible at the upper and lower ends of the collector, the drain pipe having its interior in communication with the cavity at the upper region of the cavity;
a manifold located below and adjacent to the lower end of the collector and including a pressure pipe having a supply fitting, and a return pipe located alongside the pressure pipe and having a drain fitting;
and first coupling means for connecting the supply pipe of the collector and the supply fitting of the manifold and second coupling means for connecting the drain pipe of the collector and the drain fitting of the manifold, all to enable the heat transfer fluid to flow from the pressure pipe of the manifold, through the cavity of the collector where it is heated, and thence into the return pipe of the manifold, the first and second coupling means being detachable from the collector and further being configured to enable the respective pipes and fittings that they connect to be joined together and taken apart by moving the collector with respect to the manifold, whereby the collector may in effect be plugged into the manifold and also another collector of similar construction may be plugged into the said one collector at the upper end thereof to communicate with the pressure and return pipes of the manifold through the supply and drain pipes of said one collector.

For use in a solar heating system, the combination comprising:

a pressure pipe for conveying heat transfer fluid and having an outlet fitting;
a return pipe located adjacent to the pressure pipe for likewise conveying the heat transfer fluid and having an inlet fitting;
a first solar collector located above the pressure and return pipes and including a housing having upper and lower ends, means defining a cavity for holding the heat transfer fluid within the housing, said means having a heat absorbing surface which is exposed outwardly through the housing so that it may be presented toward the sun to absorb heat from the sun, a supply pipe extending from one end of the housing to the other end and having its interior in communication with the cavity, and a drain pipe extending from one end of the housing to the other end and having its interior in communication with a region of the cavity that is remote from the region with which the supply pipe communicates;
first coupling means for connecting the outlet fitting of the pressure pipe with the lower end of the supply pipe for the first solar collector and for further proportioning the flow of the heat transfer fluid that flows out of the outlet fitting of the pressure pipe such that some of the fluid is diverted into the cavity of the first collector while the remainder is directed into the supply pipe of the first collector;
second coupling means for connecting the drain fitting of the return pipe with the lower end of the drain pipe for the first solar collector;
a second solar collector located above the first solar collector and including a housing having upper and lower ends, means defining a cavity within the housing, said means having a heat absorbing surface which is exposed outwardly through the housing so that it may be presented toward the sun to absorb heat from the sun, a supply pipe having one end opening out of the lower end of the housing and further having its interior in communication with the cavity, and a drain pipe having one end opening out of the lower end of the housing and further having its interior in communication with the cavity at a location remote from the location at which the supply pipe communicates with the cavity, the spacing between supply and return pipes at the lower end of the second solar collector being equal to the spacing between the supply and drain pipes of the first collector at the upper end of the first collector;
third coupling means for connecting the upper end of the supply pipe for the first collector to the lower end of the supply pipe for the second collector so that the remainder of the heat transfer fluid that is directed into the supply pipe of the first collector passes through the third coupling means and into the supply pipe of the second collector, where at least some of it will flow into the cavity of the second collector, the proportioning at the first coupling means being such that the flow rates of the fluid through the cavities of the first and second collectors are similar;
and fourth coupling means for connecting the upper end of the drain pipe for the first collector to the lower end of the drain pipe for the second collector.

5 more elements

For use in a solar heating system, the combination comprising:

at least two solar collectors arranged in a column with one being generally above the other, each collector being positioned such that it has its one end located higher than its other end, each collector including front and back metal sheets joined together at a fluid-tight joint and spread slightly apart in the area circumscribed by the joint so as to form a cavity for holding a heat transfer fluid, a heat absorbing surface on the front sheet, with the surface being capable of absorbing a substantial amount of heat from the rays of the sun, a supply pipe extending along the joined-together sheets for the full height thereof and having its end easily accessible at the ends of the collector, a supply port connecting the interior of the supply pipe with lower end of the cavity, and a drain pipe extending along the joined-together sheets for the full height thereof and having its ends easily accessible at the ends of the collector, a drain port connecting the interior of the drain pipe with the upper end of the cavity, the supply pipe of the lower collector being connected with the supply pipe of the upper collector and the drain pipe of the lower collector being connected to the drain pipe of the upper collector, with the connections being such that the upper collector is in effect plugged into the lower collector;
a manifold including a pressure pipe having a supply fitting and a return pipe located alongside the pressure pipe and having a drain fitting;
and first coupling means for connecting the supply pipe of the lower connector with the supply fitting of the manifold and second coupling means for connecting the drain pipe of the lower collector with the drain fitting of the manifold, all to enable the heat transfer fluid to flow from the pressure pipe of the manifold, through the cavities of the collectors where it is heated, and thence into the return pipe of the manifold, the coupling means being configured to enable the pipes of the lower collector and the fittings of the manifold to be joined together and taken apart by moving the lower collector with respect to the manifold, whereby the lower collector may in effect be plugged into the manifold, the first coupling means, which joins the supply pipe of the lower collector to the supply fitting of the manifold, comprising a metering bushing having a lower portion that engages the supply fitting of the manifold, spaced apart intermediate and upper portions which fit into the supply pipe of the lowermost collector and a connecting portion which joins the intermediate and upper portions but is narrower than those portions, the metering bushing further having a passage extending through all of the portions from one end of the bushing to the other, the metering bushing also having an orifice in the connecting portion with the orifice providing communication between the passage and the space surrounding the connecting portion, the length of the intermediate and connecting portions being such that when the bushing is properly installed in the supply pipe of the lower collector, the intermediate portion will be below the supply port that opens into the supply pipe and the upper portion will be located above that supply port, so that the cavity of the lower collector is supplied with heat transfer fluid only through the orifice, while the cavity of the upper collector in the column is supplied with heat transfer fluid that passes out of the upper end of the passage and through the supply pipe of the lower collector.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.