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Solar water heater

  • US 4,240,405 A
  • Filed: 04/30/1979
  • Issued: 12/23/1980
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1979
  • Status: Expired
First Claim
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1. Solar water heater making use of phase-change heat transfer, comprising:

  • (a) a condenser having an inlet and an outlet, which condenser is in contact with the water to be heated,(b) a solar collector having a bottom inlet and a top outlet and having an inner conduit that connects the inlet and the outlet, the conduit being suitable for exposing a heat-transfer medium in the conduit to solar energy, the collector outlet being located below the condenser,(c) conduits joining the outlet of the collector to the inlet of the condenser and the outlet of the condenser directly to the inlet of the collector to form a closed circuit,(d) a phase-change liquid heat transfer medium located within the circuit,(e) an accumulator having means for regulating the pressure therein and having an inlet that is connected to the circuit below the collector, and(f) a vapor-release drum connected in the circuit between the outlet of the solar collector and the inlet of the condenser, wherein the vapor-release drum has sufficient volume that the upper surface of the heat transfer medium always remains within the confines of the drum so that, during normal operation of the heater only the heat transfer medium which becomes vaporized is released into the inlet of the condenser.

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