System, method and apparatus for storing and converting solar energy into heat and/or shaft work

Patent · Tue Jul 14 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6381981

Canzano, F D; Canzano, P S

A system, method and apparatus for converting solar energy into heat and/or shaft work and employing two working fluids in admixture is described. One fluid has a relatively low boiling point and is capable of being readily converted to a vapor at low, system pressure. The other fluid has a relatively high boiling point and is not capable of being readily vaporized at low, system pressure. The mixture of fluids is passed through a solar energy absorber or collector where the fluids are heated, the lower-boiling fluid undergoing conversion at least in part to the vapor phase and the higher-boiling fluid remaining in the liquid phase. The heated fluids are passed into a disengaging zone where the vapor phase is separated from the liquid phase. Thereafter, the liquid phase is passed to an energy storage zone and the vapor phase, which consists entirely of the lower-boiling fluid, may be fed to a gas motor to generate useful shaft power. Vapor from the outlet end of the gas motor or direct from the disengaging zone also may be passed through a heat exchanger to give up at least a portion of the sensible heat, and possibly also its latent heat, to a heat exchange fluid. The lower-boiling -point fluid, which may exist in both liquid and vapor phases, is admixed with the higher-boiling, liquid phase fluid from the energy storage zone, and then either reintroduced into the solar collector or by-passed around the solar collector, depending upon the availability of solar insolation.

• Assignee: IFI; EDB-81-129178
• Patent Number(s): US 4278073
• OSTI ID: 6381981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
141000* -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
ALCOHOLS
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
FREONS
GASES
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HEAT
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT STORAGE
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MACHINE PARTS
MIXTURES
MOTORS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION EQUIPMENT
SHAFTS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
STORAGE
VAPOR SEPARATORS
VAPORS
WORKING FLUIDS