Photovoltaic cell module heat extraction assembly
AssigneeReygen Resources Pty Ltd
InventorJohn Beavis Lasich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An assembly for extracting heat from a photovoltaic cell assembly for a receiver of a solar radiation-based electrical power generating system is disclosed. The assembly comprises a coolant chamber and a coolant member in the form of a plurality of heat transfer fingers of high thermal conductivity material that are located in the coolant chamber. The fingers have ends that are in thermal contact with the photovoltaic cell assembly and thereby facilitate heat transfer away from the assembly. The fingers are sufficiently flexible to accommodate differences in thermal expansion coefficient between the object and the fingers. The fingers have a relatively high surface area for heat transfer from the fingers to coolant that, in use, circulates through the coolant chamber.
Claims16
A photovoltaic cell module for a receiver of a solar radiation-based electrical power generating system comprising:
- (a) a photovoltaic cell assembly that includes at least one photovoltaic cell having an exposed surface for solar radiation;
- (b) an electrical connection for transferring an electrical energy output of the photovoltaic cell assembly to an output electrical circuit, and
- (c) an assembly for extracting heat from the photovoltaic cell, the assembly comprising a coolant chamber positioned behind the exposed surface of the photovoltaic cell assembly and being defined by (a) a housing that comprises a base and side walls extending from the base and (b) the photovoltaic cell assembly connected to upper ends of the side walls of the housing, and the coolant chamber having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet for coolant to be supplied into the chamber and for heated coolant to be removed from the chamber and a coolant member located in the coolant chamber to support the photovoltaic cell assembly and to facilitate heat transfer from the assembly to coolant in the chamber located in the coolant chamber, the coolant member comprising a plurality of heat transfer fingers of high thermal conductivity material having ends that are connected directly or indirectly to the photovoltaic cell assembly and supporting the photovoltaic cell assembly and for transferring heat from the photovoltaic cell assembly to coolant in the coolant chamber, the coolant member further comprising a partition that divides the chamber into a first compartment that is partly defined by the photovoltaic cell assembly and a second compartment that functions as a manifold for coolant flow into and from the first compartment, and with the fingers extending from the partition within the first compartment to the photovoltaic cell assembly, the fingers being sufficiently flexible to accommodate differences in thermal expansion coefficient between the photovoltaic cell assembly and the fingers and having a relatively high surface area for heat transfer from the fingers to coolant circulating through the coolant chamber, and the side walls being sufficiently flexible to accommodate differences in thermal expansion coefficient between the photovoltaic cell assembly and the side walls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.