초록 ▼

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 relative

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.

대표청구항 ▼

A solar energy conversion system comprising: (a) two normally-liquid and non-reactive working fluids in admixture, the first of said fluids having a relatively low boiling point at atmospheric pressure and adapted to being readily vaporized at system operating pressures, and the second of said fluid

A solar energy conversion system comprising: (a) two normally-liquid and non-reactive working fluids in admixture, the first of said fluids having a relatively low boiling point at atmospheric pressure and adapted to being readily vaporized at system operating pressures, and the second of said fluids having a relatively high boiling point at atmospheric pressure and not adapted to being vaporized at system operating pressures; (b) solar energy collection means for heating said fluids therein while exposed to sunlight and converting at least a portion of said relatively low-boiling-point fluid from the liquid state to the vapor state; and (c) a continuous circuit for said heated fluids including said collection means, disengaging means downstream of said collection means for separating said relatively low-boiling-point fluid in hot vapor state from said fluids in hot liquid state, storage means downstream of said disengaging means for receiving and storing said fluids in hot liquid state, energy-utilization means downstreams of said disengaging means for receiving said relatively low-boiling-point fluid in hot vapor state and for utilizing at least a portion of the energy contained therein, pumping means downstream of said storage means for feeding said fluids in hot liquid state from said storage means to the solar energy collection means, and mixing means upstream of said collection means and downstream of said energy-utilization means and of said pumping means for mixing said relatively low-boiling-point fluid from said energy-utilization means and said fluids in hot liquid state from said storage means. A continuous process for converting solar energy into useful shaft work and heat and employing two normally-liquid and non-reactive working fluids in admixture, the first of said fluids having a relatively low boiling point at atmospheric pressure and adapted to being readily vaporized at system pressures, and the second of said fluids having a relatively high boiling point at atmospheric pressure and not adapted to being vaporized at system pressures, and said process comprising: (a) charging said working fluids, in liquid state, into a solar energy collector while said collector is exposed to sunlight, whereby both fluids absorb heat energy and at least a portion of the heated relatively low-boiling-point fluid is converted to the vapor state while the heated relatively high-boiling-point fluid is retained substantially in the liquid state; (b) conveying the heated vapor and liquid phases from the solar energy collector to a disengaging zone wherein the heated vapor and liquid phases from the collector are separated; (c) conveying the hot vapor phase from the disengaging zone through energy utilization means whereby the energy contained in said vapor phase is utilized at least in part; (d) conveying the hot liquid phase from the disengaging zone to a storage zone; (e) mixing the hot liquid phase from the storage zone with the fluid from the energy utilization means; and (f) recirculating the admixed fluids to the solar energy collector.