Solar panel
US4080957A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 19, 1976 |
| Grant date | Mar 28, 1978 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 19, 1996 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/44
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides a method for heating water by solar radiation using a reflux condenser system in which a heat transfer liquid is boiled by solar radiation and the vapor used to heat the water in a heat exchanger. The solar panel itself is highly efficient in operation and comprises a solar plate which incorporates a number of tubes containing the heat transfer liquid, these elements being located within an evacuated enclosure. Vapor from the boiling liquid passes up these tubes into a jacket surrounding a pipe through which the water to be heated is passed; liquid condensing within the jacket passes back to the tubes in the solar plate under gravity. The system incorporating the tubes and the jacket is maintained at a low gas pressure so that boiling of the heat transfer liquid takes place whenever there is a temperature difference between the panel and the heat exchanger.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.