Solar energy converters and absorbers therefor
OwnerAlastair Robertsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Solar energy converters convert solar radiation into usable heat energy by means of a reflector which collects and focuses the solar radiation onto an absorber provided with an internal chamber through which a heat exchange fluid may be passed. As the absorber is heated by radiation focussed thereon the heat may be extracted into the fluid. To minimize the volume of the internal chamber and thus increase the efficiency and sensitivity of the heat transfer, the absorber is formed with curved walls to define an internal chamber having a crescent-shaped cross-section.
Claims12
A solar energy converter comprising a reflector and an absorber, said reflector being adapted for direct exposure to solar radiation and having a concavely curved reflecting surface for collecting and reflecting solar radiation onto said absorber, and said absorber comprising a convexly curved wall and a concavely curved wall joined together to define an internal chamber of generally crescent-shaped cross-section, said absorber being arranged with respect to the reflector so that solar radiation directed by the reflector onto the absorber falls substantially perpendicularly onto substantially the whole of the convexly curved wall thereof, said internal chamber being in the form of a narrow conduit for the passage of heat exchange fluid in a turbulent flow manner so as to remove heat from said convexly curved wall of the absorber, and including thermal insulation on said concavely curved wall of said absorber to minimize heat losses therefrom.
A method for converting solar radiation into heat energy comprising directly exposing a concavely curved reflecting surface to solar radiation, exposing an absorber to said reflecting surface for collecting solar radiation reflected by said reflecting surface, said absorber comprising a convexly curved wall and a concavely curved wall, said absorber being positioned relative to said reflecting surface so that the solar radiation reflected by the reflecting surface falls substantially perpendicularly onto the whole of the convexly curved wall of the absorber, said absorber walls being joined to define an internal chamber having a generally crescent-shaped cross-section defining a narrow conduit, passing a heat exchange fluid through said internal chamber of said absorber, the flow of said fluid being turbulent within said internal chamber, the heat exchange fluid being heated by the solar radiation directed onto the absorber as the fluid passes through the internal chamber, and minimizing heat losses from the absorber by use of thermal insulation on the concavely curved wall of the absorber.
In a solar energy converter comprising a reflector and an absorber, said reflector having a concavely curved reflecting surface, said absorber including means for holding heat exchange fluid and having a solar energy absorbing wall including a convexly curved absorbing outer surface and an inner surface in contact with said heat exchange fluid;
- said reflector and said absorber being arranged so that solar radiation reflected from said reflector is concentrated onto said convexly curved absorbing surface;
- the improvement comprising
- said means comprising an internal chamber providing a space substantially cresent-shaped in cross-section through which said heat exchange fluid is capable of flowing;
- said chamber being defined by said absorbing wall and a non-absorbing wall;
- and
- said absorber being arranged with respect to said reflector to provide for said reflected solar radiation to fall substantially perpendicularly onto substantially the whole of said convexly curved absorbing surface of said absorber;
- thereby to effect conversion of substantially all of said reflected solar radiation into thermal energy contained by said heat exchange fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.