Closed loop solar collector system powering a self-starting uniflow engine

A system for recirculating a working fluid through a boiler for reheating of the working fluid from a liquid state to a vaporized state thereof, comprising:

• (a) heat utilizing means, connected to said boiler, to receive said vaporized working fluid therefrom, for absorbing a first portion of the enthalpy of said vaporized working fluid for utilizing the same;
• (b) heat exchanger means for receiving said working fluid from said heat utilizing means and removing therefrom a second portion of the enthalpy thereof, whereby said working fluid condenses to its liquid state;
• (c) fluid flow control means for receiving the condensed working fluid by gravity from the heat exchanger means and positioned for feeding the condensed working fluid in controlled quantities by gravity to the boiler, said fluid flow control means including first and second tanks respectively connected to alternately receive the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and deliver the same to the boiler;
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• (d) valve means, responsive to the respective fluid levels in the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the heat exchanger means and boiler respectively when said valve means is in first and second positions thereof, said valve means being connected to the boiler for actuation by pressure of vaporized working fluid supplied from the boiler when said fluid levels in said first and second tanks reach respective predetermined levels.

A system for recirculating a working fluid in a condensed state to a boiler for reheating into a vaporized state comprising:

• (a) heat utilizing means, connected to said boiler, to receive said vaporized working fluid therefrom, for absorbing a portion of the enthalpy of said vaporized working fluid for utilizing the same;
• (b) heat exchanger means for receiving said working fluid from said heat utilizing means and removing therefrom a second portion of the enthalpy thereof, whereby said working fluid condenses to its liquid state;
• (c) fluid flow control means for receiving the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and feeding the same in controlled quantities by gravity to the boiler, said fluid flow control means including first and second tanks respectively connected to alternately receive the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and deliver the same to the boiler;
• (d) valve means, responsive to the respective fluid levels in the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the heat exchanger means and boiler respectively when said valve means is in first and second positions thereof, said valve means comprising electrically operated solenoid valve means actuated by switch means responsive to fluid levels in said first and second tanks reaching predetermined levels.

A closed loop solar energy conversion system, comprising:

• (a) a solar energy receiver for receiving solar energy to vaporize a working fluid controllably flowed therethrough;
• (b) motor means driven by said vaporized working fluid for thereby converting a portion of the received solar energy into a more readily used form of energy and supplying the same to a load;
• (c) condenser means receiving said vaporized working fluid discharged from the motor means for absorbing thermal energy from said vaporized working fluid to condense the same;
• (d) fluid supply means connected to the condenser means for receiving the condensed working fluid therefrom by gravity, said fluid supply means including first and second tanks connected to alternately receive a controlled quantity of said condensed working fluid from the condenser means and then deliver the same to the solar energy receiver;
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• (e) valve means, having positions responsive to fluid levels within the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the condenser and receiver respectively, depending on the prevailing fluid levels in the tanks, and including means for supplying a second fluid to that one of said first and second tanks which is delivering condensed working fluid to the solar energy receiver in the fill and drain cycle to prevent vacuumization of the delivering tank and instead provide a positive pressure tending to facilitate said delivery from the then delivering tank, and exhausting said second fluid from that one of said first and second tanks which is receiving condensed working fluid from the condensor in the fill and drain cycle to thereby lower the pressure within said than receiving tank to facilitate the filling thereof.

A closed loop solar collector system, comprising:

• (a) a fluid receiver for collecting solar heat to vaporize a working fluid therein;
• (b) motor means driven by said vaporized fluid for supplying power to a load;
• (c) condensor means receiving said vaporized working fluid discharged from the motor means for absorbing heat energy from said fluid, said vaporized fluid condensing after releasing its latent heat of vaporization in said condensor means;
• (d) fluid supply means connected for receiving controlled quantities of the condensed working fluid by gravity, said fluid supply means including first and second tanks connected to alternately receive said fluid from the condensor means and deliver said fluid to the receiver;
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• (e) valve means, responsive to fluid levels within the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the condenser and receiver respectively, when said valve means is respectively in first and second positions, said valve means being actuated by pressure of vaporized fluid supplied from the receiver when fluid levels in said first and second tank reach predetermined levels, and means for relieving said valve means from said pressure of vaporized fluid to enable said valve means to switch between said first and second positions, said relieving means being connected to exhaust pressure of vaporized fluid so that said vaporized fluid condenses to join the condensed fluid flow.

A system for recirculating a working fluid through a boiler for reheating of the working fluid from a liquid state to a vaporized state thereof, comprising:

• (a) heat utilizing means, connected to said boiler, to receive said vaporized working fluid therefrom, for absorbing a first portion of the enthalpy of said vaporized working fluid for utilizing the same;
• (b) heat exchanger means for receiving said working fluid from said heat utilizing means and removing therefrom a second portion of the enthalpy thereof, whereby said working fluid condenses to its liquid state;
• (c) fluid flow control means for receiving the condensed working fluid by gravity from the heat exchanger means and positioned for feeding the condensed working fluid in controlled quantities by gravity to the boiler, said fluid flow control means including first and second tanks respectively connected to alternately receive the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and deliver the same to the boiler;
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• (d) valve means, responsive to the respective fluid levels in the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the heat exchanger means and boiler respectively when said valve means is in first and second positions thereof, said valve means being connected to the boiler for actuation by pressure of vaporized working fluid supplied from the boiler when said fluid levels in said first and second tanks reach respective predetermined levels, and means for relieving said valve means of pressure of vaporized working fluid acting thereon by exhausting said vaporized fluid where it condenses to join the condensed fluid flow, thereby enabling said valve means to switch between said first and second positions.

A system for recirculating a working fluid through a boiler for reheating of the working fluid from a liquid state to a vaporized state thereof, comprising:

• (a) heat utilizing means, connected to said boiler to receive said vaporized working fluid therefrom, for absorbing a portion of the enthalpy of said vaporized working fluid for utilizing the same;
• (b) heat exchanger means for receiving said working fluid from said heat utilizing means and removing therefrom a second portion of the enthalpy thereof, whereby said working fluid condenses to its liquid state;
• (c) fluid flow control means for receiving the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and feeding the same in controlled quantities to the boiler, said fluid flow control means including first and second tanks respectively connected to alternately receive the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and deliver the same to the boiler;
• (d) valve means, responsive to the respective fluid levels in the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the heat exchanger means and boiler respectively when said valve means is in first and second positions thereof, said valve means being actuated when fluid levels in said first and second tanks reach predetermined levels, and including means for further connecting said first and second tanks to the heat exchanger means and boiler through said valve means (1) to supply vaporized working fluid from said boiler to that one of said first and second tanks which is then draining to deliver condensed working fluid to the boiler in course of said fill and drain cycle to prevent vacuumization of said draining tank and to provide instead a positive pressure tending to assist in draining of said draining tank, and (2) to exhaust vaporized working fluid from the other one of said first and second tanks which is then filling by receiving condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means in the course of said fill and drain cycle to a low pressure side of the heat exchanger means where vaporized working fluid is condensing to join the condensed working fluid flow, said exhaustion of vaporized fluid from said filling tank serving to lower the pressure within said filling tank to assist in the filling of said filling tank with condensed fluid.

A system for recirculating a working fluid through a boiler for reheating of the working fluid from a liquid state to a vaporized state thereof, comprising:

• (a) heat utilizing means, connected to said boiler, to receive said vaporized working fluid therefrom, for absorbing a first portion of the enthalpy of said vaporized working fluid for utilizing the same;
• (b) heat exchanger means for receiving said working fluid from said heat utilizing means and removing therefrom a second portion of the enthalpy thereof, whereby said working fluid condenses to its liquid state;
• (c) fluid flow control means for receiving the condensed working fluid by gravity from the heat exchanger means and positioned for feeding the condensed working fluid in controlled quantities by gravity to the boiler, said fluid flow control means including first and second tanks respectively connected to alternately receive the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means and deliver the same to the boiler;
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• (d) valve means, responsive to the respective fluid levels in the first and second tanks, for alternately connecting each tank, in a fill and drain cycle, to the heat exchanger means and boiler respectively when said valve means is in first and second positions thereof, said valve means being connected to the boiler for actuation by pressure of vaporized working fluid supplied from the boiler when said fluid levels in said first and second tanks reach respective predetermined levels, and including means for preventing vacuumization of the then draining tank during said fill and drain cycle, and means for relieving the pressure in the tank then receiving condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger means in the fill and drain cycle to thereby facilitate filling of said receiving tank.

A system for transferring a condensed liquid, by gravity, from a source location to a demand location, comprising:

• (a) a first tank and a second tank for receiving the liquid from the source location and subsequently providing the same to the demand location, the first and second tanks also containing a pressure equalizing fluid to fill the respective balance of the available capacity of each;
• (b) first means for conveying the liquid from the source location to fill one of first and second tanks;
• (c) second means for conveying the liquid from the other one of said first and second tanks to said demand location;
• (d) valve means, responsive to the prevailing liquid levels within the first and second tanks, to alternately connect the tanks, in a fill and drain cycle, to the source location and demand location respectively when said valve means is in corresponding operative positions;
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• (e) means for increasing the pressure of the pressure equalizing fluid in that one of said first and second tanks which is delivering liquid therefrom to the demand location to prevent vacuumization of the then delivering tank, and means for reducing the pressure of the pressure equalizing fluid from that one of said first and second tanks which is receiving the liquid from said source location to facilitate filling of said then receiving tank by reducing back pressure tending to impede flow of said liquid therein, wherein said pressure equalizing fluid is a vaporized form of said liquid.