SOLAR COOLING SYSTEM

• US 20160195313A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solar Snow Corporation
• Original Assignee: Solar Snow Corporation
• Inventors: Finkleman, Harold
• Granted Patent: US 10,712,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2005/0064 using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0007 cooling apparatus specially adapted for use in air-conditioning F24F5/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/001 Compression cycle type
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0014 using absorption or desorption
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0042 characterised by the application of thermo-electric units or the Peltier effect
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/74 with trough-shaped or cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 15/00 Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating continuously, e.g. absorption type
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 15/04 the refrigerant being ammonia evaporated from aqueous solution F25B15/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 15/10 with inert gas F25B15/004, F25B15/006, F25B15/008, F25B15/12, F25B15/14, F25B15/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2315/00 Sorption refrigeration cycles or details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/002 using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/007 in sorption type systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 35/00 Boiler-absorbers, i.e. boilers usable for absorption or adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 39/00 Evaporators; Condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 39/02 Evaporators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/27 Relating to heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC] technologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/62 Absorption based systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers

Abstract

In many parts of the world the electricity supply is unreliable and/or electricity costs are high, which means that in many cases conventional air cooling systems that are compressor-based and electrically powered are unreliable due to electrical power outages and/or they are expensive to operate. Some aspects of the invention provide an air cooling system. The air cooling system may include a solar energy gathering component that drives a cooling system. The air cooling system may include an absorption cooling system or a thermoelectric cooling system. The cooling system may include a solar collector matched with an air venting system. The cooling unit may hang on the inside of a window or on another vertical surface and utilize the heat and/or radiation from the sun to activate a cooling mechanism that, in turn, provides cooling via the cooling system.

Claims

1. An air cooling system comprising:

a cooling element configured to generate cooling when driven by energy; and

a solar energy gathering component configured to generate energy to drive a cooling system to generate cooling,

wherein at least one of the cooling element and the solar energy gathering component are adapted to be suspended.

2. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling element and the solar energy gathering component are integrated to form a cooling unit.

3. The air cooling system of claim 2, wherein the cooling unit is adapted to be suspended.

4. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the cooling element and the solar energy gathering component are adapted to be suspended in a window, on a wall or on another vertically oriented surface.

5. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the solar energy gathering component is a solar heating component and the energy is heat.

6. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the energy is electricity.

7. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is an absorption cooling system that generates the cooling through an absorption cooling process driven by heat.

8. The air cooling system according to claim 7, wherein the absorption cooling system comprises a continuous cycle absorption cooling system.

9. The air cooling system according to claim 6, wherein the absorption cooling system comprises:

a boiler configured to absorb heat generated by the solar heating component to cause refrigerant to vaporize out of a solution of refrigerant and absorbent;

a condenser functionally connected to the boiler and configured to cause the vaporized refrigerant to condense into liquid refrigerant;

an evaporator functionally connected to the condenser and configured to cause the liquid refrigerant from the condenser to evaporate; and

an absorber functionally connected between the evaporator and the boiler and configured to absorb the evaporated refrigerant from the evaporator back into the solution of refrigerant and absorbent.

10. The air cooling system according to claim 9, wherein the solar heating component comprises at least one heating element configured to absorb solar radiation and convert the solar radiation to heat to apply to the boiler of the absorption cooling system.

11. The air cooling system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one heating element of the solar heating component comprises at least one heating bar and the boiler of the absorption cooling system comprises at least one circulation tube that extends through an internal portion of the at last one heating bar to circulate the solution of refrigerant and absorbent through the heating bar to heat the solution and cause the refrigerant to vaporize out of the solution.

12. The air cooling system according to claim 11, wherein the heating bar contains thermal fluid surrounding the circulation tube.

13. The air cooling system according to claim 12, wherein the solar heating element further comprises a thermal fluid expansion chamber in fluid communication with the heating bar to permit expansion of the thermal fluid.

14. The air cooling system according to claim 11, wherein the boiler of the absorption cooling system further comprises a backflow column and a percolation tube, wherein the percolation tube is in fluid communication between the circulation tube and the backflow column to permit absorbent to flow back to the backflow column and vaporized refrigerant to flow to the condenser.

15. The air cooling system according to claim 11, wherein the solar heating component further comprises a solar concentrator configured to concentrate solar radiation on the at least one heating bar.

16. The air cooling system according to claim 15, wherein the solar concentrator comprises a reflective material that acts substantially as a two-way mirror, such that the solar concentrator is substantially transparent when viewed from a first inner side and substantially reflective when viewed from a second outer side to substantially reflect solar radiation on the at least one heating bar.

17. The air cooling system according to claim 5, wherein the solar concentrator comprises at least one trough-shaped reflector configured to concentrate solar radiation on the at least one heating bar.

18. The air cooling system according to claim 17, wherein each heating bar is positioned so that it extends substantially parallel along a length of a focal zone of a corresponding trough-shaped reflector of the solar concentrator.

19. The air cooling system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one heating bar and the at least one trough-shaped reflector are arranged substantially horizontally or substantially vertically when in operation.

20. The air cooling system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one trough-shaped reflector has an elliptical and/or parabolic profile.

21. The air cooling system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one trough-shaped reflector includes a lower parabolic curve portion of approximately 100 degrees around a focal point and an upper elliptical curve portion graduated from 101 degrees to 180 degrees.

22. The air cooling system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one heating bar is at least partially constructed of a solar radiation absorbing material to directly convert solar radiation to heat to apply to the boiler of the absorption cooling system.

23. The air cooling system according to claim 22, wherein the electricity is used to power at least one electrical heating element to generate heat to apply to the boiler of the absorption cooling system.

24. The air cooling system according to claim 22, wherein the electricity is used to power a fan.

25. The air cooling system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one heating element of the solar heating component comprises a panel solar collector to absorb solar radiation.

26. The air cooling system according to claim 25, wherein the boiler of the absorption cooling system comprises at least one circulation tube that extends through an internal portion of the panel solar collector to circulate the solution of refrigerant and absorbent through the panel solar collector to heat the solution and cause the refrigerant to vaporize out of the solution.

27. The air cooling system according to claim 25, wherein the panel solar collector comprises at least one photovoltaic cell configured to absorb solar radiation and convert the solar radiation to electricity to power at least one electrical heating element to generate heat to apply to the boiler of the absorption cooling system.

28. The air cooling system according to claim 27, wherein the panel is configured to be used in a window, on a wall or on another vertically oriented surface.

29. The air cooling system according to claim 27, wherein the panel is configured to be set into an outer wall of a structure, and wherein the air cooling system comprises a functional connection between from at least one of the absorption cooling system and a fan, through the outer wall, to the panel.

30. The air cooling system according to claim 27, wherein the at least one photovoltaic cell is at least semi-transparent.

31. The air cooling system according to claim 9, wherein the absorption cooling system is configured such that air is cooled by passing over at least a portion of the evaporator of the absorption cooling system.

32. The air cooling system according to claim 31, further comprising a venting hood partially covering at least a portion of the evaporator and being configured to distribute cooled air from the absorption cooling system that has passed over the evaporator.

33. The air cooling system according to claim 31, wherein the venting hood comprises a plurality of distribution fins positioned such that they are distributed along a length of the evaporator, the plurality of distribution fins being configured to direct distribution of air passing over the evaporator.

34. The air cooling system according to claim 33, wherein the plurality of distribution fins are positioned within the venting hood such that, for each distribution fin, a distance from an interior surface of the venting hood to a lower portion of the distribution fin is greater than a distance from the interior surface of the venting hood to an upper portion of the distribution fin.

35. The air cooling system according to claim 32, wherein the absorption cooling system further comprises at least one fan configured to move air over the evaporator.

36. The air cooling system according to claim 32, further comprising a tray for objects to be cooled by the cooled air distributed by the venting hood.

37. The air cooling system according to claim 36, wherein the tray is integrated with the venting hood by means of a hinged connection to allow the tray to be flipped-up or flipped-down.

38. The air cooling system according to claim 36, further comprising a bin for holding objects to be cooled by the cooled air.

39. The air cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one supporting element configured to support the air cooling system in a window, on a wall or on another vertically oriented surface.

40. The air cooling system according to claim 9, wherein the refrigerant comprises ammonia and the absorbent comprises water.

41. The air cooling system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one heating element of the solar heating component comprises an evacuated solar collector tube.

42. The air cooling system according to claim 41, wherein the evacuated solar collector tube comprises a heat-conducting rod extending at least partially through an interior of the tube and a heat conducting extension functionally connected to the heat-conducting rod, the at least one heat-conducting rod and heat conducting extension being configured to deliver heat from the tube to the boiler.

43. The air cooling system according to claim 42, wherein at least one of the heat-conducting rod and the heat conducting extension comprises copper.

44. The air cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element comprises at least one thermoelectric component.

45. The air cooling system according to claim 44, wherein the at least one thermoelectric component comprises at least one thermoelectric plate.

46. The air cooling system according to claim 44, wherein the energy is electricity.

47. The air cooling system according to claim 44, further comprising at least one fan to distribute the cooling generated by the at least one thermoelectric component.

48. The air cooling system according to claim 46, wherein the solar energy gathering component comprises a photovoltaic collector.

49. The air cooling system according to claim 48, wherein the photovoltaic collector comprises a panel photovoltaic collector.

50. The air cooling system according to claim 46, wherein the at least one thermoelectric component is attached to the solar energy gathering component.

51. The air cooling system according to claim 47, further comprising a housing configured to hold the at least one thermoelectric component and the at least one fan.

52. The air cooling system according to claim 51, wherein the housing comprises at least one vent opening that allows air to flow into the housing to be cooled by the at least one thermoelectric component.

53. The air cooling system according to claim 52, wherein the at least one fan is arranged to blow cooled air out of the housing.

54. The air cooling system according to claim 53, wherein the thermoelectric component comprises a cool side and a hot side, and air cooling system further comprises one or more thermal conductors arranged to distribute at least one of heat and cooling away from the thermoelectric component.

55. The air cooling system according to claim 53, wherein the air cooling system comprises a first thermal conductor and a second thermal conductor, the first thermal conductor being arranged to distribute heat away from the hot side of the thermoelectric component, and the second thermal conductor being arranged to distribute cooling away from the cool side of the thermoelectric component.

56. The air cooling system according to claim 55, wherein the first thermal conductor comprises steel, and the second thermal conductor comprises aluminum.

57. The air cooling system according to claim 56, wherein the first thermal conductor is a solid block, and the second thermal conductor comprises a plurality of fins.

58. The air cooling system according to claim 55, further comprising a gasket to insulate the first thermal conductor from the second thermal conductor.

59. The air cooling system according to claim 58, wherein the gasket comprises a first portion near or against the second thermal conductor and a second portion that at least partially surrounds the first thermal conductor.

60. The air cooling system according to claim 59, wherein the first portion of the gasket comprises silicone rubber and the second portion of the gasket comprises natural rubber.

61. The air cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one thermoelectric component, and means for connecting the air cooling system to the solar energy gathering component.

62. The air cooling system according to claim 59, wherein the means for connecting the air cooling system to the solar energy gathering component is a wire.

63. A thermoelectric cooling system comprising:

a thermoelectric cooling component having a cool side and a hot side;

at least one fan;

a first thermal conductor and a second thermal conductor, the first thermal conductor being arranged to distribute heat away from the hot side of the thermoelectric component, and the second thermal conductor being arranged to distribute cooling away from the cool side of the thermoelectric component; and

a housing configured to hold the at least one thermoelectric component and the at least one fan and the first and second thermal conductors.

64. The thermoelectric cooling system cooling system according to claim 63, wherein the first thermal conductor comprises steel, and the second thermal conductor comprises aluminum.

65. The thermoelectric cooling system according to claim 64, wherein the first thermal conductor is a solid block, and the second thermal conductor comprises a plurality of fins.

66. The thermoelectric cooling system according to claim 63, further comprising at least one gasket to insulate the first thermal conductor from the second thermal conductor

67. The air cooling system according to claim 66, wherein the at least one gasket comprises a first portion near or against the second thermal conductor and a second portion that at least partially surrounds the first thermal conductor.

68. The air cooling system according to claim 67, wherein the first portion of the at least one gasket comprises silicone rubber and the second portion of the at least one gasket comprises natural rubber.