Heat transfer system

• US 4,299,275 A
• Filed: 05/08/1980
• Issued: 11/10/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1975
• 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 JR, ALBERT
• Application Number:
  US06/147,984
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104 S, 165/105, 126/433, 126/436
• US Class Current: 165/104.14
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 11/003 combined with solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/0034 using liquid heat storage material
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0082 Multiple tanks arrangements, e.g. adjacent tanks, tank in tank
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0086 Partitions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/20 Solar thermal
• 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:

first heat storage means capable of storing heat;

second heat storage means capable of storing heat and thermally isolated from said first heat storage means, the temperature of said first heat storage means being at least as great as the temperature of said second heat storage means;

heat sink means having an operating fluid to be heated;

recovery heat transfer link means operatively connecting said first and second heat storage means to said heat sink means to selectively transfer heat from said first and second heat storage means to said heat sink means, said recovery heat transfer link means comprising;

a recovery working fluid having a prescribed vaporizing temperature and pressure range;

a first input heat exchanger carrying recovery working fluid therein and placing the recovery working fluid therein in a heat exchange relationship with said first heat storage means;

a second input heat exchanger carrying recovery working fluid therein and placing the recovery working fluid therein in a heat exchange relationship with said second heat storage means said first input heat exchanger located at an elevation higher than said second input heat exchanger and the highest point on said second input heat exchanger communicating with the lowest point on said first input heat exchanger;

an output heat exchanger located at an elevation higher than the elevation of said first input heat exchanger and the lowest point on said output heat exchanger communicating with the highest point on said first input heat exchanger for receiving vaporized recovery working fluid from said first and second input heat exchangers and placing the vaporized recovery working fluid in a heat exchange relationship with the operating fluid of said heat sink means, said input and output heat exchangers constructed and arranged so that condensed recovery working fluid can only flow from said output heat exchanger to said input heat exchangers to permit heat transfer through said recovery working fluid only from said heat storage means to said operating fluid in said heat sink means so that as long as the temperature of said first heat storage means is higher than the temperature of said second heat storage means;

heat will only be transferred from said first heat storage means to the operating fluid in said heat sink means by vaporizing and condensing the recovery working fluid and so that, when the temperature of said first heat storage means becomes substantially equal to the temperature of said second heat storage means, heat will be transferred from both said first and second heat storage means to the operating fluid in said heat sink means by vaporizing and condensing the recovery working fluid until the temperature of the operating fluid becomes substantially equal to the temperature of said first and second heat storage means.