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Title: Localized solar collectors

Abstract

A localized heating structure includes a spectrally-selective solar absorber, that absorbs incident solar radiation and reflects at wavelengths longer than 2 μm, with an underlying heat-spreading layer having a thermal conductivity equal to or greater than 50 W/(mK), a thermally insulating layer, adjacent to the spectrally-selective solar absorber, having a thermal conductivity of less than 0.1 W/(mK), one or more evaporation openings through the spectrally-selective solar absorber and the thermally insulating layer, and an evaporation wick, disposed in one or more of the evaporation openings in the thermally insulating layer, that contacts liquid and allows the liquid to be transported from a location beneath the thermally insulating layer through to the spectrally-selective solar absorber in order to generate vapor from the liquid. The thermally insulating layer is configured to have a density less than the liquid so that the localized heating structure is able to float on the liquid.

Inventors:
; ; ;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1568079
Patent Number(s):
10234172
Application Number:
15/283,914
Assignee:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B32 - LAYERED PRODUCTS B32B - LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
C - CHEMISTRY C08 - ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS C08L - COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
DOE Contract Number:  
SC0001299; FG02-09ER46577
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 10/03/2016
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Ni, George, Chen, Gang, Boriskina, Svetlana V., and Cooper, Thomas Alan. Localized solar collectors. United States: N. p., 2019. Web.
Ni, George, Chen, Gang, Boriskina, Svetlana V., & Cooper, Thomas Alan. Localized solar collectors. United States.
Ni, George, Chen, Gang, Boriskina, Svetlana V., and Cooper, Thomas Alan. Tue . "Localized solar collectors". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1568079.
@article{osti_1568079,
title = {Localized solar collectors},
author = {Ni, George and Chen, Gang and Boriskina, Svetlana V. and Cooper, Thomas Alan},
abstractNote = {A localized heating structure includes a spectrally-selective solar absorber, that absorbs incident solar radiation and reflects at wavelengths longer than 2 μm, with an underlying heat-spreading layer having a thermal conductivity equal to or greater than 50 W/(mK), a thermally insulating layer, adjacent to the spectrally-selective solar absorber, having a thermal conductivity of less than 0.1 W/(mK), one or more evaporation openings through the spectrally-selective solar absorber and the thermally insulating layer, and an evaporation wick, disposed in one or more of the evaporation openings in the thermally insulating layer, that contacts liquid and allows the liquid to be transported from a location beneath the thermally insulating layer through to the spectrally-selective solar absorber in order to generate vapor from the liquid. The thermally insulating layer is configured to have a density less than the liquid so that the localized heating structure is able to float on the liquid.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {3}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Method For The Production Of Thin Layers Of Metal-Ceramic Composite Materials
patent-application, February 2010


Localized solar collectors
patent, October 2016


Three-dimensional electrodes with conductive foam for electron and lithium-ion transport
patent, February 2015


Solar evaporator
patent, November 1988