Solar collector and solar air conditioning system having the same

• US 20120117986A1
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genevieve Hammond
• Original Assignee: James P. Hammond
• Inventors: Hammond, James Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,448,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/79
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2005/0064 using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0014 using absorption or desorption
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 10/45 the enclosure being cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 10/748 the conduits being otherwise bent, e.g. zig-zag
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 70/225 for spectrally selective absorption
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 70/25 Coatings made of metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 70/30 Auxiliary coatings, e.g. anti-reflective coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 80/30 Arrangements for connecting the fluid circuits of solar collectors with each other or with other components, e.g. pipe connections; Fluid distributing means, e.g. headers
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 80/60 Thermal insulation transparent coverings F24S80/50
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/005 in compression type systems
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2013/006 Heat conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/44 Heat exchange systems

Abstract

A solar air conditioning system and method of superheating working fluid is provided. The solar air conditioning system superheats the working fluid using radiant energy from the sun, and then delivers the working fluid as a superheated and higher-pressured gas to a condenser within the solar air conditioning system. The solar air conditioning system includes a solar collector within which the working fluid is superheated.

Claims

1. A solar air conditioning system comprising:

a compressor that compresses a working fluid;

a solar collector coupled to said compressor, said solar collector heating said compressed working fluid;

a condenser coupled to said solar collector, said condenser condensing said heated working fluid; and

an evaporator coupled between said condenser and said compressor, said evaporator evaporating said condensed working fluid.

2. The solar air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein said solar collector heats said compressed working fluid using radiant energy from the sun.

3. The solar air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein said solar collector comprises:

at least one evacuated tube that heats said compressed working fluid,

wherein said compressed working fluid is heated while flowing within an interior space of said at least one evacuated tube.

4. The solar air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein said solar collector further comprises:

an inlet pipe that receives said compressed working fluid;

at least one u-tube that receives at a first end said compressed working fluid from said inlet pipe;

an outlet pipe that receives said compressed working fluid from a second end of said at least one u-tube,

wherein said at least one u-tube is configured to extend within the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube.

5. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said solar collector comprises a plurality of u-tubes and a plurality of evacuated tubes, wherein each u-tube of said plurality of u-tubes receives said compressed working fluid from said inlet pipe, and wherein each u-tube of said plurality of u-tubes is configured to extend within a corresponding evacuated tube of said plurality of evacuated tubes.

6. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said compressed working fluid flows from said inlet pipe into said first end of said at least one u-tube and exits said at least one u-tube from said second end and flows into said outlet pipe.

7. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said compressed working fluid travels through said at least one u-tube, is heated using radiant energy collected by said evacuated tubes, then circulates out from said at least one u-tube in a superheated gaseous state, and is then delivered into said outlet pipe.

8. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said solar collector further comprises an inner tank, and wherein said inlet pipe and said outlet pipe are housed within said inner tank.

9. The solar air conditioning system of claim 8, wherein said inner tank comprises at least one hole through which said at least one u-tube extends out from said inlet pipe and said outlet pipe, and wherein an upper portion of an open ended side of said at least one evacuated tube is inserted into said at least one hole.

10. The solar air conditioning system of claim 9, wherein said inner tank and the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube is filled with a heat transfer fluid, wherein said at least one u-tube is submerged in said heat transfer fluid, and wherein said heat transfer fluid is sealed within an enclosure formed of said inner tank in combination with said at least one evacuated tube inserted into said at least one hole of said inner tank.

11. The solar air conditioning system of claim 8, wherein said solar collector further comprises:

an insulating material that surrounds said inner tank; and

an outer housing that encloses said inner tank and said insulating material.

12. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said solar collector further comprises a heat transfer fluid that fills the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube and within which said at least one u-tube is submerged.

13. The solar air conditioning system of claim 12, wherein said heat transfer fluid absorbs radiant energy from the sun, converts the radiant energy into heat, and transfers the heat to said working fluid.

14. The solar air conditioning system of claim 13, wherein said heat transfer fluid has a boiling point of at least 424°

F.

15. The solar air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein said solar collector further comprises at least one heat transfer fin attached to a portion of said at least one u-tube.

16. The solar air conditioning system of claim 15, wherein said at least one heat transfer fin contacts an inside wall of said at least one evacuated tube.

17. The solar air conditioning system of claim 15, wherein said at least one heat transfer fin protrudes from said at least one u-tube and contacts a selective coating applied to an inner surface of said at least one evacuated tube.

18. The solar air conditioning system of claim 17, wherein said selective coating comprises Al—

N/AL and enables said at least one evacuated tube to absorb and convert radiant energy into heat.

19. The solar air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein said at least one evacuated tube is a double wall vacuum tube comprising a triple deposition selective surface coating.

20. The solar air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein said at least one evacuated tube receives radiant energy from the sun, generates heat from the radiant energy, and transfers the heat through a heat transfer fluid to said compressed working fluid flowing within the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube.

21. The solar air conditioning system of claim 1, further comprising:

a metering device coupled to said evaporator, said metering device controlling a rate of flow of said condensed working fluid into said evaporator.

22. The solar air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein a proper charge of said solar air conditioning system is obtained when a pressure P of said working fluid is balanced in accordance with the ideal gas law, PV=nRT, in which V is a volume of a sealed space within which said working fluid circulates, n is an amount of said working fluid present within said solar air conditioning system, R is the universal gas constant, and T is a temperature of said working fluid.

23. The solar air conditioning system of claim 22, wherein said pressure P of said working fluid is measured from a high-pressure side of said solar air conditioning system located between said solar collector and said condenser.

24. A solar collector comprising:

an inlet pipe that receives a working fluid;

at least one u-tube that receives at a first end said working fluid from said inlet pipe;

an outlet pipe that receives said working fluid from a second end of said at least one u-tube; and

at least one evacuated tube that heats said working fluid,

wherein said working fluid is heated while flowing within an interior space of said at least one evacuated tube, and wherein said at least one u-tube is configured to extend within the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube.

25. The solar collector of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of u-tubes and a plurality of evacuated tubes, wherein each u-tube of said plurality of u-tubes receives said working fluid from said inlet pipe, and wherein each u-tube of said plurality of u-tubes is configured to extend within a corresponding evacuated tube of said plurality of evacuated tubes.

26. The solar collector of claim 24, wherein the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube is filled with a heat transfer fluid and said at least one u-tube is submerged within said heat transfer fluid.

27. The solar collector of claim 26, further comprising:

an inner tank having at least one hole through which said at least one u-tube extends out from said inlet pipe and said outlet pipe,

wherein an upper portion of an open ended side of said at least one evacuated tube is inserted into said at least one hole,

wherein said inlet pipe and said outlet pipe are housed within said inner tank, and

wherein said heat transfer fluid is sealed within an enclosure formed of said inner tank in combination with said at least one evacuated tube inserted into said at least one hole of said inner tank.

28. The solar collector of claim 27, further comprising:

an insulating material that surrounds said inner tank; and

an outer housing that encloses said inner tank and said insulating material.

29. The solar collector of claim 24, further comprising at least one heat transfer fin attached to a portion of said at least one u-tube.

30. The solar collector of claim 24, wherein said at least one evacuated tube is a double wall vacuum tube comprising a triple deposition selective surface coating.

31. The solar collector of claim 30, wherein a selective coating for absorbing and converting radiant energy into heat is applied to an inner surface of said at least one evacuated tube.

32. The solar collector of claim 24, wherein said at least one evacuated tube receives radiant energy from the sun, generates heat from the radiant energy, and transfers the heat through a heat transfer fluid to said working fluid flowing within the interior space of said at least one evacuated tube.

33. The solar collector of claim 24, wherein said solar collector is coupled between a compressor and a condenser of an air conditioning system.

34. A method of circulating a working fluid in a closed loop within a solar air conditioning system, the method comprising:

compressing said working fluid by squeezing to pack molecules of said working fluid closer together;

heating said compressed working fluid using radiant energy from the sun;

condensing said heated working fluid by cooling and changing a state of said heated working fluid from a gas into a liquid; and

evaporating said condensed working fluid by changing a state of said condensed working fluid from a liquid into a gas.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said compressed working fluid is heated within an evacuated tube that converts the radiant energy into heat for heating said compressed working fluid.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein a proper charge of said solar air conditioning system is obtained when a pressure P of said working fluid is balanced in accordance with the ideal gas law, PV=nRT, in which V is a volume of a sealed space of the closed loop within which said working fluid circulates, n is an amount of said working fluid present within said solar air conditioning system, R is the universal gas constant, and T is a temperature of said working fluid.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said pressure P of said working fluid is measured from a high-pressure side of said solar air conditioning system, said high-pressure side being located after said heating of said compressed working fluid but before said condensing of said heated working fluid.