Solar energy collector having an absorber element of coated foil
AssigneeOwens-Illinois, Inc.
InventorLouis Spanoudis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solar energy collector and process for its preparation are disclosed in which the collector comprises spaced apart wall members in which one wall member is adapted to face solar radiation, and the other wall member is spaced on the remote side of the first wall member and adapted to contact a heat-absorbing medium. A foil, disposed between the wall members, has coatings on its opposite sides. The side of the foil facing the wall member receiving solar radiation has a solar selective coating, and the other side of the foil facing the other wall member has an emissive coating providing relatively high emissivity in the infrared spectrum. Preferably, the foil is metallic and precoated prior to assembling with other parts of the solar collector.
Claims17
A solar energy collector comprising first and second spaced apart wall members said spaced walls defining therebetween a space, said space being evacuated, a coated foil between said wall members, and means forming a conduit for circulation of a heat-absorbing medium, in contact with the side of said second wall member remote from said coated foil, said coated foil having a solar selective coating on the side facing said first wall member, and an emissive coating thinner than said foil on the side facing said second wall member, said emission coating having high emissivity in the infrared spectrum.
A photothermal energy converter comprising a double walled glass construction having an interstitial space between said walls, said space being evacuated and containing in substantial parallelism with said walls a metallic foil coated on both sides, the side of said coated metal foil facing the outermost glass wall having a solar selective coating comprising a semi-conductor material, and the side of said coated foil facing said other wall member having an emissive coating having relatively high emissivity in the infrared spectrum.
A process for forming a solar energy collector comprising applying to one side of a foil a solar selective coating and applying to the other side of the foil an emissive coating having relatively high emissivity in the infrared spectrum, and then placing the foil between a transparent wall member adapted to face solar radiation and another wall member adapted to engage a heat-absorbing medium, the side of the foil having the solar selective coating being directed to said transparent wall member facing such solar radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.