Stoves and furnaces – Solar heat collector – With means to convey fluent medium through collector
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-03
2003-05-27
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3743)
Stoves and furnaces
Solar heat collector
With means to convey fluent medium through collector
C126S637000, C126S641000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568386
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a solar thermal system and, more particularly, to a solar thermal system wherein solar heat is utilized in a state of saturated steam or superheated steam with a pressure close to 1 atmospheric pressure.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 5
is a perspective view partly in section schematically showing the principal part of a conventional solar thermal system, and in the figure, reference numeral
51
represents an absorbing plate. The absorbing plate
51
is made of a stainless steel plate, an aluminum plate, or the like, almost in the shape of a rectangle in a plan view. A black coating (not shown) is applied to the top
51
a
of the absorbing plate
51
, whereby solar heat can be easily absorbed. Multiple flow tubes
52
, made of a metal such as copper or stainless steel almost in the shape of a tube, are arranged in parallel at prescribed places on the absorbing plate
51
, and the tube walls of the flow tubes
52
and the absorbing plate
51
are united in a body by welding or the like. Headers
53
and
54
almost in the shape of a hollow quadrangular prism are integrally joined to both ends of the flow tubes
52
at the side walls
53
a
and
54
a
, and hole portions of the flow tubes
52
communicate with hollow portions of the headers
53
and
54
(neither shown). A case
55
almost in the shape of a box shown by a chain line is arranged around the absorbing plate
51
, the flow tubes
52
, and the headers
53
and
54
, and the space between the inner walls of the case
55
, and the absorbing plate
51
and the headers
53
and
54
is filled with an insulation (not shown) such as glass wool. A transmission body
56
is arranged above the absorbing plate
51
and the flow tubes
52
so as to cover them, and the transmission body
56
is made of reinforced glass, a transparent plastic material, or the like which easily transmits solar light almost in the shape of a board. The transmission body
56
is closely fitted to the upper portion of the case
55
through packing (not shown), and the distance D between the transmission body
56
and the absorbing plate
51
or the flow tubes
52
is set as short as possible in order to prevent a heat loss caused by convection. A flat-plate solar thermal collector
50
comprises these absorbing plate
51
, flow tubes
52
, headers
53
and
54
, case
55
, transmission body
56
, and associated parts.
One end portion
54
b
of the header
54
is connected through a supply pipe
57
a
, a pump
57
c
, a selector valve
57
d
, and a feed water pipe
57
e
, to a feed water tank (not shown). In addition, to the selector valve
57
d
, one end of a supply pipe
57
b
is connected, while the other end thereof is connected to the lower portion inside a vessel
61
. A medium supply system
57
comprises these supply pipes
57
a
and
57
b
, pump
57
c
, selector valve
57
d
, feed water pipe
57
e
, and associated parts.
The vessel
61
made of a metal almost in the shape of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped is arranged at a prescribed place below the flat-plate solar thermal collector
50
, an insulating member
62
is fitted around the vessel
61
, and the outer surface of the insulating member
62
is protected by a protective member
63
made of a metal plate. An air vent portion
61
a
is formed at a prescribed place in the upper portion of the vessel
61
, so that air in the vessel
61
can easily flow out or in through the air vent portion
61
a
with changes in volume of high temperature water
65
within the vessel
61
. One end of a discharge pipe
64
a
is connected to a prescribed place in the upper portion of the vessel
61
, while the other end thereof is connected through a valve
64
b
to one end portion
53
b
of the header
53
. A heat storage means
60
comprises these vessel
61
, insulating member
62
, protective member
63
, piping
64
a
, valve
64
b
, and associated parts.
One end of a piping
66
is fitted to a prescribed place inside the vessel
61
, while the other end thereof is connected through a pump to heat-using equipment (neither shown) such as a heat exchanger, a heat pump, a feed water heater, a bathtub, a heating apparatus, and an absorption refrigerating machine. A solar thermal system comprises these flat-plate solar thermal collector
50
, medium supply system
57
, heat storage means
60
, heat-using equipment, and associated parts.
In the use of the solar thermal system with the above construction, the flat-plate solar thermal collector
50
is set and fixed in a prescribed direction and at a prescribed tilt angle so that the absorbing plate
51
should be densely irradiated with solar radiation, and that the header
53
should be in a higher position than the header
54
. The valve
64
b
is opened, the selector valve
57
d
is switched to the feed water pipe
57
e
side, and by driving the pump
57
c
, water is supplied at a prescribed flow rate through the piping
57
e
, the selector valve
57
d
, the pump
57
c
, the piping
57
a
, and the header
54
to the flow tubes
52
as shown by arrows in the figure. Then, solar heat absorbed by the absorbing plate
51
is transferred through the flow tubes
52
to the water by thermal conduction or the like, so that the high temperature water
65
with almost 1 atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 80-90° C. or so is generated. The high temperature water
65
passes through the header
53
, the discharge pipe
64
a
, and the valve
64
b
so as to be stored in the heat storage means
60
. When the temperature of the high temperature water
65
stored in the heat storage means
60
becomes low, the selector valve
57
d
is switched to the supply pipe
57
b
side, and by allowing the water to flow through the flat-plate solar thermal collector
50
again, the temperature of the high temperature water
65
is maintained.
When a prescribed amount of the high temperature water
65
is stored in the heat storage means
60
, by driving the pump of the piping
66
, the high temperature water
65
is supplied to the heat-using equipment side.
FIG. 6
is a sectional view schematically showing another conventional solar thermal system, and in the figure, reference numerals
51
,
52
,
53
-
54
, and
55
represent an absorbing plate, flow tubes, headers, and a case, respectively, almost the same as those shown in FIG.
5
. To the tops of the absorbing plate
51
, the flow tubes
52
, and the headers
53
and
54
, almost the same black coating (not shown) as shown in
FIG. 5
is applied. The space between the inner walls of the case
55
, and the absorbing plate
51
and the headers
53
and
54
is filled with an insulation
71
. Transmission bodies
72
a
and
72
b
are fitted double above the absorbing plate
51
and the flow tubes
52
, whereby a heat loss outward caused by conduction is restricted. Furthermore, in order to prevent a heat loss caused by convection, a clearance
72
c
between the transmission bodies
72
a
and
72
b
, and a gap
73
between the transmission body
72
a
and the absorbing plate
51
are kept at a prescribed low pressure. A flat-plate solar thermal collector
70
comprises these absorbing plate
51
, flow tubes
52
, headers
53
and
54
, case
55
, insulation
71
, and associated parts.
A heat exchanger
74
is placed below the flat-plate solar thermal collector
70
, and the heat exchanger
74
comprises a vessel
74
a
around which an insulating member (not shown) is fitted, and a coil-like inner piping
74
b
vertically running within the vessel
74
a
. The header
53
is connected through a piping
76
a
to the upper end of the inner piping
74
b
, while the header
54
is connected through a piping
76
b
, a compressor
75
, and a piping
76
c
to the lower end of the inner piping
74
b
. On the other hand, the upper portion of the heat exchanger
74
is connected through a piping
79
a
to an inlet portion
77
a
of a steam turbine
77
, being a piece of heat-using equipment. And an outlet portion
77
b
of the steam turbine
77
is connected through a piping
79
b
, a condenser
7
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