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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Solar heating system

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5425514

A solar water heating system is described operating in a closed circuit and making use of a change of phase of a working fluid as a heat transfer medium. There is at least one collector to be exposed to sunlight for transmitting radiant solar energy to the working fluid in order to convert the fluid into a liquid-vapour mixture, the collector having an inlet and an outlet through which the liquid-vapour mixture exits. A heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet is included, the heat exchanger being of the type that allows free gravity flowing of the liquid that condenses therein. A hot water storage reservoir is connected to the heat exchanger to recover and store the heat extracted from the working fluid in the heat exchanger. First piping means connects the outlet of the at least one collector to the inlet of the heat exchanger, the first piping means including a phase-separator mounted thereon adjacent the outlet of the at least one collector to extract the liquid phase from the vapour phase in the liquid-vapour mixture exiting the collector. Second piping means returns the liquid phase extracted in the phase separator to the inlet of the at least one collector whereby the collector is constantly wet and the heat exchanger is supplied with the working fluid in vapour phase only through the first piping means. Third piping means connects the outlet of the heat exchanger to the inlet of the at least one collector through the phase separator and the second piping means. Pumping means returns the working fluid from the heat exchanger to the at least one collector through the third piping means.

Assignee:
Inst. National de la Recherche Scientifique
Patent Number(s):
US 4603685
OSTI ID:
5425514
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English