Heat exchanger for concentrating solar collectors and method for making the heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger assembly for use with concentrating solar collectors of the type employing an elongated conduit for transporting a heat exchange fluid, the heat exchanger being positioned within an opening in the upper surface of the conduit and operating to transfer heat to the heat exchange fluid. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of stacked heat conducting heat exchanger plates having grooves oriented to form flow passage extending in the direction of fluid flow. The heat exchanger includes an alignment feature to insure proper alignment of the flow passages with the direction of heat exchange fluid flow. The grooved heat exchange plates may be fabricated by stamping from a sheet of heat conducting material to facilitate manufacturing of the heat exchanger. In another embodiment, the plates are positioned normal to the fluid flow direction with openings in the plates serving to form flow channels. The heat exchanger is usuable with collectors employing either photovoltaic cells or a solar radiation absorbing flat plate collector.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.