Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
  • F03G6/06—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with solar energy concentrating means
  • F03G6/065—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with solar energy concentrating means having a Rankine cycle
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
  • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
  • F24S23/71—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with parabolic reflective surfaces
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
  • Y02E10/46—Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P80/00—Climate change mitigation technologies for sector-wide applications
  • Y02P80/20—Climate change mitigation technologies for sector-wide applications using renewable energy

Definitions

• This relates in general to solar energy systems; and more particularly, to systems in which the sun's rays are focused for the purpose of vaporizing fluid which is utilized to generate power and supply heat for residential, industrial and commercial consumption.
• a particular advantage of the system of the present invention over prior systems in which solar energy is focused to vaporize water or other low density fluids, is that the pressure of mercury vapor is substantially lower than that of steam at the high temperatures generated at the focal point of the reflector by solar radiation.
• the conduit systems and generating and condensing equipment of the present invention need not be constructed of as high-strength material, and are less expensive to build and maintain.
• Another advantage of the present invention is that, in the alternative, the mercury vapor conduit is constructed to pass through the stack of a conventional heating system to thereby absorb waste heat from an additional energy source, therby providing an auxiliary energy source for periods when the sun is not shining.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention
• a solar reflector 1 which may, for example, be in the form of a parabolic dish of a type well-known in prior art practice.
• the parabolic dish reflector 1 is mounted on a bearing member 2a, which, for example, may take the form of a metal semisphere, preferably of steel which is drilled with a cylindrical bore perpendicular to the plane of the drawing which accommodates and is disposed to rotate or swivel about a rod mounted in the support member 2.
• the reflector 1 may be always trained on the sun, and may be driven to rotate in such a manner that the sun's rays as received, are always substantially perpendicular to its principal axis, and will thus concentrate the rays at the focal area of the reflector.
• the solar collector system comprising the parabolic dish 1 and associated driving means is designed to cooperate with a mercury-vapor-steam electric generating system of the general form disclosed in Mechanical Engineers Handbook, 1941 Edition, edited by Lionel S. Marks, published by McGraw Hill Book Company, Sect. 9, Power Generation, Chap. 4, Steam Turbines by F. Hodgkins, Fig. 28, pages 1247, 1248 and 1249.
• the mercury boiler 3 which rests at the focal area of reflector 1 on a conventional open support, not shown, comprises, for example, a retort of platinum of general spherical form, the upper end of which takes the form of a neck 3a.
• the mercury boiler 3 holds a quantity of liquid mercury, which is heated to a temperature of about 975 degress Fahrenheit, and generates mercury vapor at a pressure of about 140 pounds per square inch gauge.
• the turbine 5 drives the shaft 5a at the rate of 900 revolutions per minute.
• Shaft 5a is coupled to operate a conventional electrical generator 10 of a form well-known in prior art practice.
• the generator 10 will produce alternating current electricity across the terminals 10a, 10b.
• the output vapor from the mercury turbine 5 passes into the condenser 7 through the conduit 4d, which may be of substantially similar cross-section and material as the conduits 4a, 4b and 4c.
• the mercury condenser 7, may be of any of the forms well known in prior art practice.
• a coil 8a, of stainless steel pipe is centrally disposed in the condenser 7. Water is pumped into coil 8a by a hot water pump 12, which may be of a type well-known in prior art practice.
• the water is further heated by a heat-exchange with the mercury vapor, which gives out heat as it is again reduced to liquid mercury.
• the latter passes from conduit 4d leading from mercury condenser 4d' through the mercury pump 13, out through the conduit 4e, and into the mercury boiler 3 where it is reconverted to mercury vapor.
• the mercury pump 13 is of a type wellknown in prior art practice.
• this water (or steam if it has been heated hot enough) passes into a conventional super-heater 9 which may be of the general form well-known in prior art practice.
• the hot water or superheated steam passes into a conventional utilization system 11 which may be a residential, industrial or commercial heating plant, the output water (or condensed steam) returning from which passes through the conduit 8d and the hot water pump 12, and back into the condenser coil 8a through the conduit 8e.
• a conventional utilization system 11 which may be a residential, industrial or commercial heating plant, the output water (or condensed steam) returning from which passes through the conduit 8d and the hot water pump 12, and back into the condenser coil 8a through the conduit 8e.

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• 1980
  • 1980-08-04 WO PCT/US1980/000999 patent/WO1981000596A1/en unknown
• 1981
  • 1981-03-09 EP EP80901743A patent/EP0034628A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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