US20100288266A1 - Solar Heater - Google Patents

Solar Heater Download PDF

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Publication number
US20100288266A1
US20100288266A1 US12/464,854 US46485409A US2010288266A1 US 20100288266 A1 US20100288266 A1 US 20100288266A1 US 46485409 A US46485409 A US 46485409A US 2010288266 A1 US2010288266 A1 US 2010288266A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
energy
heliostatic
orient
control system
sun
Prior art date
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Abandoned
Application number
US12/464,854
Inventor
Arthur Drevnig
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to US12/464,854 priority Critical patent/US20100288266A1/en
Publication of US20100288266A1 publication Critical patent/US20100288266A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/30—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with lenses
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
    • F24S30/40—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement
    • F24S30/45—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with two rotation axes
    • F24S30/452—Vertical primary axis
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
    • F24S50/20—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors for tracking
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S60/00—Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors
    • F24S60/30—Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors storing heat in liquids
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to the fields of solar energy collection and heaters and relates specifically to the ability to concentrate solar thermal energy and then transfer this energy to a desired region inside a fluid-filled tank in order to raise the temperature of a fluid such as water or air.
  • these systems may include one or more mirrors to make simple alterations to the path of the resulting beam.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,653 to Cornell runs the water through a reflective inner surface.
  • the systems may also include some temperature control.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,826 to Gumm includes a method to prevent the water temperature from exceeding a predefined level.
  • the tank consists of a conventional hot water heater in which case the device supplements the external energy needs and costs of heating the water.
  • the system uses multiple lenses oriented to concentrate the solar energy into a parallel beam.
  • a heliostatic control system also positions the system to continuously face the sun when visible.
  • Another control system positions mirrors so that the resulting concentrated solar beam is oriented vertically and onto a particular point.
  • the tank includes a glass window and hollow tube ending in a block of matter that provides physical isolation from the fluid but allows thermal transfer to occur.
  • the system also includes photovoltaic cells and a battery to power the control systems.
  • the attached FIGURE 1 illustrates the solar heater.
  • photovoltaic panels 4 are used to charge the battery 10 which powers the various control systems 11 .
  • These control systems link to the stepper motors 8 as well as the two orientation stepper motors 12 which control the azimuth and altitude of the upper portion of the apparatus in order to point the device at the sun.
  • the beam may optionally strike additional mirrors in order to be positioned inside the remote fluid-filled tank 12 .
  • the beam enters the tank via glass plate 13 and tube 14 which is terminated in block 15 which is thermally conductive in order to pass the heat to the fluid.

Abstract

The inventive device provides a means to concentrate solar thermal energy and transmit this energy to the fluid in a tank. This tank may be relatively distant and otherwise inaccessible to sunlight such as a hot water heater in a residence. By supplementing traditional energy sources, the invention could reduce the duty cycle of a conventional hot water heater's energy source and hence increase efficiency and lower operating cost. The device performs these duties via a series of lenses, mirrors and control systems which can be powered by integrated photovoltaic panels. The system can therefore be self-powered.

Description

    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention
  • The present invention relates generally to the fields of solar energy collection and heaters and relates specifically to the ability to concentrate solar thermal energy and then transfer this energy to a desired region inside a fluid-filled tank in order to raise the temperature of a fluid such as water or air.
  • 2. Description of the Prior Art
  • Much of the prior art in the solar thermal energy field consists of passive systems which simply concentrate solar energy and perhaps apply it to water. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,256 to Korwill uses solar energy as a first stage to an integrated gas-based water heating system. U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,894 to Barry positions an insulated dome over a water-filled coil in order to collect solar energy in water.
  • In some cases, these systems may include one or more mirrors to make simple alterations to the path of the resulting beam. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,653 to Cornell runs the water through a reflective inner surface.
  • The systems may also include some temperature control. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,826 to Gumm includes a method to prevent the water temperature from exceeding a predefined level.
  • However, none of these systems encompass both a heliostatic control system to track the sun as it traverses the sky and an advanced control system of multiple mirrors to control and positing the resulting beam.
  • Furthermore, much of the prior art in the water heater field consists of methods and innovations to hold, heat and control the temperature of water using conventional energy sources such as wood, electricity, gas or oil. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,841 to Moore discusses a way to integrate a burner into the water heater. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,890 to Cowan discusses a way to place a burner on the side of the water heater and transmit the energy to the water.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • It is an object of the present invention to concentrate solar thermal energy and transfer that energy to the fluid in a tank. In one embodiment of the device, the tank consists of a conventional hot water heater in which case the device supplements the external energy needs and costs of heating the water.
  • The system uses multiple lenses oriented to concentrate the solar energy into a parallel beam. A heliostatic control system also positions the system to continuously face the sun when visible. Another control system positions mirrors so that the resulting concentrated solar beam is oriented vertically and onto a particular point.
  • From this point, additional mirrors are deployed to position the beam so that it terminates inside the remote tank. The tank includes a glass window and hollow tube ending in a block of matter that provides physical isolation from the fluid but allows thermal transfer to occur.
  • The system also includes photovoltaic cells and a battery to power the control systems.
    • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • The attached FIGURE 1 illustrates the solar heater.
    •
  • Energy from the sun 1 enters lens 2 and lens 3 and gets concentrated into solar beam 5. This beam strikes mirror 6 which is held in place by spacer 7 and oriented via stepper motor 8 to alter the beam to be vertical. This vertical beam then strikes fixed mirror 9 which re-orientates the beam to be horizontal where it exits the main portion of the apparatus.
  • For power and control, photovoltaic panels 4 are used to charge the battery 10 which powers the various control systems 11. These control systems link to the stepper motors 8 as well as the two orientation stepper motors 12 which control the azimuth and altitude of the upper portion of the apparatus in order to point the device at the sun.
  • After exiting the device from fixed mirror 9, the beam may optionally strike additional mirrors in order to be positioned inside the remote fluid-filled tank 12. The beam enters the tank via glass plate 13 and tube 14 which is terminated in block 15 which is thermally conductive in order to pass the heat to the fluid.
    • REFERENCES
  • U.S. Patent Documents Cited
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,256 November 1983 Korwill
  • U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,894 September 1940 Barry
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,653 May 1987 Cornell
  • U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,826 July 2004 Gumm et al.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,841 October 1994 Moore
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,890 April 1985 Cowan

Claims (6)

1. A solar heater for a conventional water heater comprising:
A two-lens system to concentrate solar energy into a beam multiple mirrors, actuators and control systems to position said beam into the inside a fluid-filled tank
a heliostatic control system to point the device at the sun
2. The device of claim 1 where the heliostatic control system uses date, time, compass orientation (e.g. North, South, East, West) and latitude and longitude of the apparatus to determine the location of the sun and orient the apparatus
3. The device of claim 1 where the heliostatic control system is based on sensors to determine the brightest light source in the sky and use that information to orient the apparatus
4. The device of claim 1 where the heliostatic control system uses both: date, time, compass orientation (e.g. North, South, East, West) and latitude and longitude of the apparatus for coarse adjustment to determine the location of the sun and orient the apparatus and
sensors to determine the brightest light source in the sky and use that information for fine adjustment to orient the apparatus
5. The device of claim 1 where the two-lens system consists of one converging lens and one diverging lens to create a concentrated beam.
6. The device of claim 1 where the two-lens system consists of two converging lenses.
US12/464,854 2009-05-12 2009-05-12 Solar Heater Abandoned US20100288266A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/464,854 US20100288266A1 (en) 2009-05-12 2009-05-12 Solar Heater

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/464,854 US20100288266A1 (en) 2009-05-12 2009-05-12 Solar Heater

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20100288266A1 true US20100288266A1 (en) 2010-11-18

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US12/464,854 Abandoned US20100288266A1 (en) 2009-05-12 2009-05-12 Solar Heater

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4139286A (en) * 1976-01-30 1979-02-13 Hein Leopold A Apparatus for concentrating solar energy
US4373514A (en) * 1980-04-02 1983-02-15 Lambros Lois Device for collecting, transmitting and using solar energy
US4942292A (en) * 1987-06-11 1990-07-17 Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Apparatus for following sun light
US5557478A (en) * 1989-05-05 1996-09-17 The University of Chicago Development Corporation The Argonne National Laboratory Nonimaging radiant energy device
US20050011513A1 (en) * 2003-07-17 2005-01-20 Johnson Neldon P. Solar energy collector

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4139286A (en) * 1976-01-30 1979-02-13 Hein Leopold A Apparatus for concentrating solar energy
US4373514A (en) * 1980-04-02 1983-02-15 Lambros Lois Device for collecting, transmitting and using solar energy
US4942292A (en) * 1987-06-11 1990-07-17 Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Apparatus for following sun light
US5557478A (en) * 1989-05-05 1996-09-17 The University of Chicago Development Corporation The Argonne National Laboratory Nonimaging radiant energy device
US20050011513A1 (en) * 2003-07-17 2005-01-20 Johnson Neldon P. Solar energy collector

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