Heat transfer system

• US 4,219,076 A
• Filed: 03/02/1978
• Issued: 08/26/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glen P. Robinson Jr
• Original Assignee: Glen P. Robinson Jr
• Inventors: Robinson, Glen P. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Albert W.
• Application Number:
  US05/882,609
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104 S, 165/105, 165/18, 126/271, 126/400
• US Class Current: 165/104.14
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 10/95 having evaporator sections and condenser sections, e.g. heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2080/07 Arrangements for one-way heat transfer, e.g. thermal diodes
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 90/00 Solar heat systems not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/02 in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes heat pipes used in solar heat collectors F24S10/95; in radiators F28D1/0226; in nuclear reactors G21C15/257
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/0034 using liquid heat storage material
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0078 Heat exchanger arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0082 Multiple tanks arrangements, e.g. adjacent tanks, tank in tank
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/44 Heat exchange systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A heat storage and/or recovery system using multiple heat storage tanks to selectively store heat from a solar collector and recover the stored heat to operate a heat driven system. The heat from the solar collector is transferred into the storage tanks through an input heat transfer link configuration using vapor heat transfer which automatically transfers heat into a storage tank that will accept the heat but effectively prevents the flow of heat from the storage tanks back to the solar collector while the heat in the storage tanks is transferred to the heat driven system through a recovery heat transfer link configuration also using vapor heat transfer which automatically transfers heat to the heat driven system from a storage tank capable of supplying heat but effectively prevents the flow of heat from the heat driven system back into the storage tanks.

Claims

1. A heat transfer system comprising:

a first heat storage tank;

a second heat storage tank;

a first heat storage fluid in said first heat storage tank;

a second heat storage fluid in said second heat storage tank;

a heat sink means for receiving heat including an operating fluid to be heated;

a working fluid having a prescribed vaporization temperature and pressue range;

an input heat exchange means including a first input heat exchanger and a second input heat exchanger, said first input heat exchanger carrying said working fluid therein in a heat exchange relationship with said first heat storage fluid and located at a first input elevation, and said second input heat exchanger carrying said working fluid therein in a heat exchange relationship with said second heat storage fluid and located at a second input elevation; and

an output heat exchange means including first output heat exchanger and a second output heat exchanger, said second output heat exchanger serially connected with said first output heat exchanger to said heat sink means so that the operating fluid of said heat sink means passes serially through said first and second output heat exchangers, said first output heat exchanger located at a first output elevation higher than said first input elevation and said second output heat exchanger located at a second output elevation higher than said second input elevation;

said first input heat exchanger operatively connected to said first output heat exchanger for placing the vaporized working fluid from said input heat exchanger in a heat exchange relationship with the operating fluid in said heat sink means to that heat from said first heat storage fluid is transferred to the operating fluid in said heat sink means through said first output heat exchanger as long as the temperature of said first heat storage fluid is above the working fluid vaporization temperature and higher than the temperature of the operating fluid of said heat sink means passing through said first output heat exchanger to cause the vaporized working fluid in said first output heat exchanger to condense and the condensed working fluid to flow back into said first input heat exchanger under the force of gravity for revaporization in said first input heat exchanger while heat is prevented from being transferred from the operating fluid to said first heat storage fluid when fluid passing through said first heat exchanger is greater than the temperature of said first heat storage fluid, and said second input heat exchanger operatively connected to said second output heat exchanger for placing the vaporized working fluid from said input heat exchanger in a heat exchange relationship with the operating fluid in said heat sink means so that heat from said second heat storage fluid is transferred to the operating fluid in said heat sink means through said second output heat exchanger as long as the temperature of said second heat storage fluid is above the vaporization temperature and higher than the temperature of the operating fluid of said heat sink means passing through said second output heat exchanger to cause the vaporized working fluid in said second output heat exchanger to condense and to flow back to said second input heat exchanger under the force of gravity for revaporization in said second input heat exchanger while heat is prevented from being transferred from the operating fluid to said second heat storage fluid when the temperature of the operating fluid is greater than the temperature of said second heat storage fluid.

2. The heat transfer system of claim 1 wherein the temperature of said first heat storage fluid is normally higher than the temperature of said second heat storage fluid and wherein the operating fluid of said heat sink means passes first through said second output heat exchanger to initially heat the operating fluid and then through said first output heat exchanger to further heat the operating fluid as long as the temperature of said first heat storage fluid is higher than the temperature of said second heat storage fluid.

3. The heat transfer system of claim 1 wherein the temperature of said first heat storage fluid is normally higher than the temperature of said second heat storage fluid and wherein the operating fluid of said heat sink means passes first through said first output heat exchanger and then through said second output heat exchanger so that heat is not transferred to the operating fluid from said second output heat exchanger as long as the temperature of the operating fluid after passage through said first output heat exchanger is higher than the temperature of said second heat storage fluid.