JPH0222305B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for converting solar energy into heating and cooling energy by exploiting the highly variable sorption capacity of zeolite, a molecular sieve. In particular, the present invention includes a contiguonus sealed zeolite panel and a combined evaporator-condenser heat exchanger, which allows small changes in the absolute temperature of the water-based refrigerant under partial vacuum. change to a relatively large change in vapor pressure,
and to an integrated solar energy collector configured to exploit this change for the generation of cooling and refrigeration power. One of the main technical difficulties encountered when using solar energy for heating and cooling purposes is that
It is the low density of solar energy (this density is less than 1.5 kilowatts/ ^m2 ). Temperature difference obtained by solar energy collector
differentials) are small, and complex solar tracking techniques are required to obtain temperatures above 400-600㎓ even when using solar energy concentrators. Therefore, a small temperature difference i.e. 50
There was a strong desire to develop a device that could effectively convert solar energy into other forms of energy under a temperature difference of around -180〓. It has now been found that devices of this type, which can advantageously be used in particular for heating, cooling and air conditioning in the home, can be produced by taking advantage of the unique properties of zeolites. The output of this device increases when the solar energy load increases; therefore; when the demand for energy for heating or cooling increases, this demand automatically increases the output of this device. This is achieved by increasing output. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, since the temperature difference obtained by harnessing solar energy is small, the Carnot efficiency of conventional gas expansion devices is necessarily very low. For this reason, most solar energy-refrigeration systems are of the type that include reliable absorption refrigeration cycles that exploit temperature changes in the solubility of gases in liquids. Heat is the driving source in this process, and its temperature dependence is very large and exponential, with small changes in absolute temperature causing large changes in gas pressure. The development of this process has enabled the commercial use of materials systems other than the ammonia-water systems used in previous gas refrigerators. For example, Kennedy Airport in New York City, USA, is equipped with an air conditioning system that uses lithium bromide and water as working fluids. All refrigerated solid adsorption systems previously known to be able to operate advantageously used a heat source of approximately 300 ml, typically supplied by a gas flame or steam. Although such systems can be operated effectively at sufficient capacity, they have not yet been of commercial importance. On the other hand, the temperature of solar heat collected by a flat plate collector rarely exceeds 190°, and the heat collection efficiency of this collector is quite large at relatively low temperatures of about 120-140°. . As the heat source for heating and cooling obtained from solar energy has a relatively low temperature range and low calorific value, research in this field has been intensively conducted in recent years with support from the government and private companies. Although efforts have been made to date, commercially promising solar cooling systems have not been successfully developed until now. For example, when using a lithium bromide system in a solar energy collector, an 80° water-cooled condenser was required, and the system had a very small capacity and low efficiency. For air-cooled condensers, the condensing temperature
120〓, but when the condensing temperature is increased in this way, the operating temperature of 140-160〓 (which is the temperature advantageously obtained from a flat plate collector) is the operating temperature of this system. The temperature is insufficient for this purpose. Zeolite, a molecular sieve, is a type of synthetic or natural mineral substance that has unique non-linear adsorption properties, and the amount of adsorption changes to the square, cube, fourth power, or more depending on changes in temperature and pressure. It is stated in the literature that the above-mentioned functional relationship causes large fluctuations. It has been found that zeolites have the unique property of being able to convert very small temperature differences into very large pressure differences, and that this property can be utilized in practice in both heating and cooling cycles. By using zeolite, it is possible to create a cooling system that utilizes solar energy with a unique structure. That is, this system involves the use of a solid material (zeolite) through which the diffusion operation is carried out, can operate at high conversion rates without the use of moving parts, and therefore has a long life. It also has the advantage of being highly reliable. Zeolite has H ₂ O, NH ₃ , H ₂ S,
Polar gases (i.e. gases with dipole moment or quadrupole moment) such as N ₂ , CO ₂ etc.
It adsorbs large quantities of hydrocarbons, fluoro- and chloro-hydrocarbons. As mentioned above, the adsorption properties of zeolites are highly non-linear, so when a polar gas is heated to a temperature that can easily be obtained by a flat plate solar energy collector, zeolite can adsorb a large amount of such a polar gas. do. Equilibrated at room temperature and 0.05 psia
Water vapor with a partial pressure of 1.5 psia at 120〓
It was actually found that the pressure of However, the lever temperature is sufficient to desorb some water vapor from the zeolite, and
The temperature is also sufficient to condense the water vapor in the condenser maintained at 120°C. By increasing the temperature of the zeolite by 140 °C, 10% by weight or less of water vapor can be desorbed from the zeolite. On the other hand, other solid adsorbents such as silica gel, activated alumina, and activated carbon adsorb much less of the gas under the same conditions as above, and this is negligible even when heated to 160-200 °C. Only a small amount of gas is desorbed. Therefore, the resulting pressure is very low, and the amount of gas desorbed under high pressure is negligible. It has been found that when such a gas-liquid system is operated at low temperatures and high pressures, it exhibits the same drawbacks as described above and cannot be operated effectively. This means that 100−120〓
This was confirmed when operating at 140-160㎓ using an air-cooled condenser. In terms of theory, the amount of gas adsorbed by zeolite, which is a molecular sieve, is expressed by the following formula. a = a _{p2 2} + a _{po o} [where a _p is the limit adsorption amount of the gas, _o = exp- [(RTln (p _s / p) / E _o ] ⁿ , n is between 2-5 is an integer, R is the universal gas constant, p _s is the critical saturation pressure, p is the actual pressure, and E _o is the activation energy (which is on the order of a few kilocalories per mole). )]. References in this regard include: M. Zubin and V. Astakhov, eds.
Equilibria, Of, Vapors, On, Zeolites, Over, Wide, Range, Of, Temperature, And, Pressure”, Second, International, Conference, On, Molecular, Seeve, Zeolites, September 8-11, 1970 , Worcester, Pretechnique, Institute, Worcester, Masachi Users, pp. 155-166.As is clear from the above explanation, the adsorption of zeolite, which is a molecular sieve, is not very high from room temperature and is relatively narrow. Zeolites are very temperature sensitive within a range of temperatures. In addition, zeolites are chemically inert, abundant, and inexpensive. A typical example of a solar energy collector is a flat plate collector. This has been known for a long time. This collector is generally well insulated and has a solar absorbing metal plate covered with black paint or a black plate, thereby making it possible to absorb sunlight. Approximately 90% of the light is absorbed and converted into heat.In terms of the land and economics used for solar energy collectors, the efficiency of collectors that use adsorbents for heating and cooling is The efficiency shall not be significantly higher or lower than that of a flat solar energy collector, and the manufacturing cost of the former collector shall be an amount equal to the manufacturing cost of the latter flat solar energy collector plus the additional amount of cooling. The total amount should not exceed the sum of the following US patents: Prior patents related to this technical field include:

【table】

[Table] Summary of the present invention The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solar energy collector that can generate a considerably large pressure difference with a small temperature difference by using zeolite, which is a molecular sieve, as a solid adsorption material. be. The purpose of this is that the amount of gas adsorption and desorption of substances such as zeolites, which are molecular sieves, is extremely temperature dependent (theoretically, as mentioned above,
This can be achieved by taking advantage of the fact that the amount of adsorption and desorption varies with the magnitude up to the power of That is, a solar energy heating/cooling device using zeolite has a structure that utilizes the large pressure difference as described above. Because of this extremely high temperature dependence,
The temperature change from 75〓 to 212〓 causes the pressure to increase by 10
It can be doubled or more. The device of the invention has panels filled with zeolite as an adsorbent. This zeolite is saturated at room temperature with water vapor as a working gas at low pressures below atmospheric pressure. When this panel is heated by solar heat, the zeolite in the panel desorbs water vapor, the pressure increases, then this water vapor condenses into water, and at this time, the zeolite in the panel is placed on the underside of the panel. The desired heating effect is obtained by the condensation in the heat exchange chamber (heat exchanger). Note that this heat exchange chamber is in communication with a continuous water vapor passage. During the night, the panel cools down due to heat dissipation and is then resaturated with the water vapor evaporated from the associated heat exchange chamber, lowering the pressure in the system and resulting in a cooling effect. The panel, now saturated with water vapor, is now ready for a new cycle the next day. The device was thus constructed to be able to perform a pumping action on the steam without the use of a compressor or other driving equipment by utilizing sunlight exposure and day-to-night temperature changes. It is something.
In the diurnal cycle, a zeolite collector panel (i.e. a collector panel containing zeolite) with a surface coated with a black absorber is heated by sunlight. The heated zeolite desorbs water vapor (this water vapor was adsorbed onto the zeolite the night before). The desorbed water vapor is then condensed, releasing heat of vaporization (latent heat),
It is sent to the space where the heat exchanger is located, where it is received and stored as a liquid condensate. During this cycle, the space acts as a condenser, and its operating temperature determines the water vapor pressure in the system, which is approximately 1 psia when the condenser temperature is 100°. During the night, the zeolite cools and absorbs water vapor again. Due to the readsorption of water vapor, the pressure in the system drops to about 0.1 psia, and here evaporation takes place at about 35 ㎓, said space now acting as an evaporator, with a coil in the space (e.g. The liquid passing through the coil 55) shown in the accompanying drawings is cooled. This re-adsorption of water vapor generates low-grade heat in the zeolite, which is continuously discharged into the atmosphere. The working pressure of this zeolite-containing collector is approximately
Since it varies from 1 psia (during the day) to about 0.1 psia (at night), this system can be said to operate in a manner similar to that of a 10:1 compressor that operates one cycle per day. This can be used as a heat pump to provide both heating and cooling using the heat generated by compression to supply domestic hot water throughout the year. In seasons when heating is required, this heat can also be used to produce hot water for heating; therefore, a covalent amount of hot water can be stored and used at night or on cloudy days. good. During seasons when air conditioning is required, the heat generated by the compression action that is unnecessary for the production of domestic hot water can be transferred to the atmosphere. Since the device according to the invention can be used for both heating and cooling purposes, the return on investment is much shorter than in the case of single-purpose devices, which means that such a combined device is attractive to the user. It's even more attractive. The present invention has a zeolite adsorption system that can be used for both heating and cooling purposes and has a shorter return on investment than conventional single-use systems, and further provides The present invention relates to a solar energy collector characterized in that a condenser and an evaporator integrated with the solar energy collector are arranged on the back side as a heat exchange system. Because a collector with this structure is assembled, tested, evacuated, and sealed at the factory, a number of airtight (vacuum-retaining) connections are made when the collector is installed and used, that is, at the installation site. It is completely unnecessary to do so. In other words, there is only one connection that needs to be made at the installation site, and that is the connection between the heat exchanger and the external liquid transport tube with a plumbing joint. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, an integrated collector 10 according to the present invention has an aluminum frame (extrusion) 11, The body 11 is composed of a lowermost front frame section, side frame sections 12 and 14, and an uppermost rear frame section 15. Two tempered glass panels 16 and 17 arranged parallel to each other at a certain distance are attached to the frame 1.
1. The inside of the frame 11 is completely insulated with a heat insulating material 20 made of isocyanurate foam. This heat insulating material 20 has a structural load-carrying capacity sufficient to support the zeolite panel 21. Each of the panels 21 consists of a copper cover member 22 and a copper pan member 24. However, the bread member 24
has a flange or lip 25 on its upper outer peripheral edge to which the cover member 22 is attached and sealed during the final assembly operation. A plurality of copper separators 26 of the type shown in FIG. 3 are attached to the inside of each panel 21. Each separator 26 has a plurality of slots 27 and 1/4 inch bends 28.
has. This bent portion 28 is the separator 26
This is formed on one edge of the separator 26 to increase the strength and rigidity of the separator 26. As best shown in FIG. 2, separator 26 extends the entire length of collector 10 in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, forming a honeycomb or egg-crate core. In the core of the lever, however, the fold 28 of the longitudinal separator 26 is present at the top, the fold 28 of the transverse separator 26 is present at the bottom, and the fold 28 of the longitudinal separator 26 is present at the bottom.
The slots 27 of the transverse separator 26 are fitted into the slots 27 of the transverse separator 26, so that a honeycomb-like structure having a plurality of cellular spaces 30 is formed. The cellular space 30 is filled with zeolite powder 23 mixed with water up to its top. This zeolite 23 is filled into each cell 30 and panel 21 by a casting operation, and moisture is removed on the spot to dry the zeolite. The bottom of the panel 21 is insulated by a fiberglass mat 31. The cover member 22 is coated with a black absorbent-containing paint or coating material 37. A bottom plate 32, which is an aluminum sheet, is secured to the entire bottom of the collector 10 with bolts 34. That is, the bottom plate 32 is fixed by bolts 34 to the inner extending flange portions 35 extending from each of the frame portions 12, 14, and 15 of the frame body 11. As shown in FIG.
and 15, stringers (extruded material) 36 are formed at three locations spaced apart from each other, and metal self-tapping screws are fixed to the stringers 36, so that the The frame parts can be connected and fixed together. Each of the frame parts 12, 14 and 15 has an extruded aluminum holding member (extruded material) 40,
This holding member 40 is fixed to the frame itself by bolts 41. Each holding member 40 and the frame 1
A space 44 is defined by the upwardly extending irregularly shaped portions 2, 14, and 15. This space 44 surrounds the panel 21 on the insulation 20 as shown in the plan view, and a pair of rubber gaskets 45 are placed in this space 44. This gasket 45 grips and insulates the edges of the glass panels 16 and 17. Each of the gaskets 45 is spaced a certain distance from each other by a rectangular frame member 46. Preferably, the frame material 46 is made of a suitable heat insulating material. It is important to allow water vapor to enter each of the cellular spaces 30, and this objective can be achieved as follows. An elongated groove is provided on the underside of the cover member 22 such that each of the cellular spaces 30 communicates with at least one groove. It is also possible to place a series of grooved tubules or other members between the cover member 22 and the top of the separator 26 to bring them into communication with each cellular space 30. The purpose of arranging the grooves, slotted tubes or similar means is to
0 are communicated with a passage 50 provided on the lower side of the panel 21, and each of the elbows (bent pipes) 5
1 to communicate with the heat exchanger 52 as well. The heat exchanger 52 is a device that combines a condenser and an evaporator, and has a container 54 connected to the elbow 51, and a finned coil inside the container 54.
coil) 55 is arranged. Coil with fins 5
5 extends from its inlet 56 through the side of the container 54 to its outlet 57. Preferably, the container 54 is completely surrounded by a foam glass insulation material 60. A tube 61 is placed at the bottom of the container 54. tube 61
serves as a drain pipe for conveying the condensate back to the zeolite panel 21. tube 61
has a temperature-sensitive valve 62 which allows the liquid to be discharged from the container 5 when the temperature is below the freezing point.
4 to the panel 21 and the liquid is adsorbed there, that is, an automatic drain operation can be performed. If desired, a manual valve may be used in place of the temperature sensitive valve 62 described above. In the case of manual valves, the valve is opened manually when no further cooling is required, i.e. in late autumn, and then closed again when there is no longer any danger of water freezing, i.e. in spring. There must be. For proper cooling at night, air is introduced into the area between the cover member 22 and the glass panel 17 by drilling holes in the frame 12 and frame 15, connecting the holes to conduits, and installing a fan. It can be circulated. Further, in such a case, an appropriate ventilation path must be provided that passes through the adjacent heat insulating material 20 and reaches the front frame portion 12 and the rear frame portion 15. When making this collector, panel 2
1, the inside of the container 54, the elbow 51, and the tube 61 form a closed space (however, all locations within this space communicate with each other), in which the zeolite adsorbed water vapor
Exists under a pressure of 0.1 psia. However, no gas other than water vapor must be allowed to exist in the space. All parts delimiting or located within said space (all locations within which are interconnected) maintained at low pressure below atmospheric pressure shall be of copper; is preferred. In the specific example shown in the drawings, the zeolite loading is 10 lbs/sq ft (panel 21).
It is. However, in sunny desert climates, the zeolite loading may be varied within a wide range of 7.5-25 pounds per square inch to minimize the negative effects on the efficiency of this system. Can be done. On the other hand, in locations with many cloudy days, such as the southeastern states of the United States and the New England region, the zeolite loading should be reduced to 7.
-10 pounds per square inch is preferred and this amount appears to be the optimum amount for obtaining good technical effectiveness using the inexpensive and low weight collector. Generally, a heating and cooling fluid, such as water, is used in the system including the inlet 56 and outlet 57 (more specifically, the heating and cooling system). Such systems are generally for domestic use, but the details are omitted here. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that hot or cold water (or other fluids) passing through said inlets and outlets can be used advantageously, for example, for the following applications: heating domestic water; heating air ducts; and cooling; heating or cooling of stored water in various types of heating or cooling systems. If the evaporator temperature is 50〓 and the zeolite temperature at the end of the adsorption cycle is 80〓, and the solar energy harvesting operation is performed with the collector 10 facing south or any other suitable direction, the zeolite will be 135〓
Desorption of adsorbed water does not occur at all until it is heated to a temperature of . The amount of water adsorbed by this zeolite is approximately 18−20
Weight%. In fact, within this temperature difference range (i.e. within the range of 55〓, or in other words within the range of 80〓 to 135〓), the zeolite in panel 21 will adsorb 2904 BTU of heat before the desorption reaction begins. be. Assuming an average efficiency of 70% for this collector, the total solar energy input before desorption begins is
Must be 4150BTU. 135〓 and 195
The zeolite absorbs water at a temperature between
% (based on zeolite weight) is desorbed. This is water 8
equivalent to pounds. A heat quantity of 3168 BTU is used as the specific heat of this collector within the above range, and the desorption energy is 8 x 1200 = 9600 BTU, so the total heat quantity is 12768 BTU.
Assuming a collector efficiency of 50% within the 55〓 range above, the energy from the sun is
25535BTU is required. Therefore, this collector should have an input capacity of 29686 BTU. The input capacity of the collector 10 shown in the drawings is 31,000-32,000 BTU, thus the input capacity per square foot per day is 200 BTU. The nighttime cooling degree (coling) of this collector is
8000 BTU (8 pounds of water; the amount of heat per pound is
1000 lbs), so the total system efficiency (8000 BTU ÷ 29685) is 26.95%. Tests conducted in June 1979 yielded the following results. The solar energy input (per day) on June 21st was 31,800 BTU. The total collector heating output for this day was 7300 BTU, and the subsequent total cooling output for the night was 7200 BTU, so the total conversion efficiency was 22.64%. This efficiency was further improved to 25% by the use of low iron glass panels 16 and 17. On sunny days when solar energy input exceeds 2000 BTU per square foot per day,
The cooling output of the collector (per square foot per day) can be over 500 BTU, and the efficiency of this collector is 25-28%. No sun in the morning, clear skies in the afternoon, and a solar energy input of 1000 BTU per square foot per day.
, the output power and efficiency when using said panel according to the invention are relatively high. On the other hand, on a day when the sky is cloudy all day and the amount of solar energy input at any time is about half that of a sunny day, the total amount of solar energy input will be about the same amount as in the above case. However, the output and efficiency are much lower than in the above case. This collector is in heating mode
the same amount of “available heat” (i.e. “available BTU”) as with a regular flatbed collector when
will occur. Generally, days with less than 400 BTU of solar energy input per square foot per day will not provide sufficient cooling or heating output. At a solar energy input of 950 BTU per square foot per day, efficiency increases to approximately 10%;
If it is 1500BTU, the efficiency increases to 20%,
The amount of input per square foot per day is
Above 2000 BTU, efficiency increases to greater than 25%. The area of panel 21 is 25 x 91 inches, in other words
It is 15.8 square feet. The total volume of the container 54 is 24
x 13 x 1.5 inches, or 468 cubic inches. The finned coil 55 is a commercially available coil made by Dunham-Butsch, and its dimensions are 23 1/4 x 12.
It is 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches. Container 54 holds water
It is designed to hold 16 pounds (approximately 440 cubic inches). The tube 61 is a 3/16 inch tube made of soft copper, and the elbow 51 is a 1 1/8 cup ring made of copper. Preferably, the adsorbent cooling material or coating 37 is Nextel Plaque Velvet Paint or chrome nickel film. Glass panels 16 and 17 are preferably Soltex etched annealed glass and have dimensions of 27 mm.
x 93 inches and 5/32 inches thick. The manufacturing cost of the collector according to the present invention is approximately 1.25 times the manufacturing cost of a regular flat-bed solar energy collector of the same size. Natural zeolites are more efficient than synthetic zeolites in this system. Experience to date has shown that of the various zeolites available, chabazite is particularly preferred. When using this zeolite, the total efficiency (also referred to as total technical efficiency) is higher than 25% under the best weather conditions. When using other types of natural zeolite under the same usage conditions, the efficiency will be somewhat lower. The second most suitable zeolite in the present invention is clinoptilolite. Zeolites which can be used advantageously, but with somewhat less efficiency, are mordenite and erionite. The maximum efficiency using such zeolites is about 25%. Studies have been carried out using different types of zeolites, and our experience suggests that the important adsorptive properties of zeolites appear to vary based on differences in their origin rather than on differences in their crystal structure. . In other words, good clinoptilolite from one source (deposit) is much more efficient than bad clinoptilolite from another source, and good mordenite is As in the case of good clinoptilolite, it can be used with advantage. Therefore, when investigating the water adsorption properties of zeolite, rather than the crystal structure or mineral name of the zeolite,
The theory seems to be that the exact ionic composition is the more important factor. For this reason,
It is preferable to actually investigate the water vapor adsorption capacity and heat absorption of zeolite produced from each deposit. The attached drawings have fairly high dimensional accuracy. In the illustrated embodiment, the overall height of the collector is approximately 6.5 inches, the horizontal thickness of the insulation 20 is approximately 3 inches, the interior height of the panels 21 is approximately 2 inches, and the bottom of the collector is approximately 3 inches thick. The total length is
The total length at the top is 95 inches, and the effective width of the glass panel (see Figure 2) is 96 1/4 inches.
25 3/4 inches and its effective length is 91 3/4 inches. Although preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail in this specification, as can be easily understood by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made in the present invention within the scope of the claims. It is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an example of a solar energy collector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the collector shown in FIG. 1, with a portion of its top section cut away to show its internal structure.
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the copper separator. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion taken along line - in FIG. 2. Figure 5 shows the line -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion taken along , that is, a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of panels and heat exchangers (however, the frame is omitted). 10... Collector; 11... Frame body; 12...
Lowermost front frame; 14... side frame; 15... uppermost rear frame; 16 and 17... glass panel;
20... Insulation material; 21... Zeolite panel; 2
2... Cover member; 23... Zeolite; 24...
...Bread member; 25...Flange portion or lip portion; 2
6... Separator; 27... Slot; 28...
...Bending portion; 30... Cellular space; 32... Bottom plate; 34... Bolt; 35... Flange portion; 36... Stringer; 40... Holding member;
41... Bolt; 42... Contour; 44... Space; 45... Gasket; 50... Passage; 51...
...Elbow;52...Heat exchanger;54...Container;5
5... Coil with fins; 56... Inlet; 57...
Outlet; 60...Insulation material...61...Pipe; 62...Temperature-sensitive valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. (a) A first rigid sheet made of an impermeable material; (b) A second rigid sheet made of an impermeable material and spaced above and parallel to the first rigid sheet. (c) an edge means which is a means for connecting the peripheral edges of these sheets to form a first sealed space between these sheets; (d) said first space between said two sheets;
A cell formation partitioning member widely disposed within a space for forming a plurality of "cells"therein; a zeolite material filled with a zeolite material; (f) gases and vapors in the first space can be moved between the plurality of "cells" for adsorption and desorption of the gases and vapors on the zeolite material; (g) a refrigerant placed in said space at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; (h) gas desorbed from said zeolite material; and a container disposed below the first space for accommodating steam and communicating with the first space to define a second closed space through which the steam can pass; (i) the zeolite at a first temperature; condensing the vapor or gaseous refrigerant desorbed from the substance and contained in the second space, and then adsorbing the condensate of the refrigerant in the second space on the zeolite material at a second temperature lower than the first temperature; A solar energy collector panel characterized in that it has heat exchange means maintained in a heat exchange relationship with the interior of said second space for the purpose of evaporating or vaporizing the solar energy collector panel. 2. The solar energy collector panel according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant is water vapor. 3. The value of the low pressure in the first space when the refrigerant is adsorbed on the zeolite material is about 0.1 psia, and the value of the pressure when the refrigerant is desorbed from the zeolite material is about 1.0 psia. A solar energy collector panel according to claim 2, wherein: 4. Claim 1, characterized in that the zeolite material is made of natural zeolite.
Solar energy collector panels as described in section. 5. The solar energy collector panel according to claim 4, wherein the zeolite is chabazite. 6. A solar energy collector panel in combination with a frame and a plurality of mutually spaced glass panels carried by the frame, characterized in that the solar energy collector panel is configured such that solar energy can be collected by the collector panel. A solar energy collector panel according to claim 1. 7. Solar energy collector panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the second sheet is coated with a black material on the outside. 8. Claim 1, characterized in that the distance between the first sheet and the second sheet is approximately 2 inches.
Solar energy collectors as described in section. 9. The solar energy collector panel according to claim 1, wherein the vapor passing means is a groove on the lower side of the second sheet. 10 The volume of the second space is approximately 15− of the volume of the first space.
25% solar energy collector panel according to claim 1. 11. The solar energy collector panel of claim 1, wherein the amount of water adsorbed in the zeolite material is about 18-20% by weight (based on the weight of the zeolite material). 12 The temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is 50-100
The solar energy collector panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the value is within the range of . 13. The solar energy collector panel according to claim 12, characterized in that the first temperature is 125-150°. 14. Solar energy collector panel according to claim 12, characterized in that the value of the temperature difference is about 50-60〓. 15 The second temperature is about 80〓 and the first temperature is about
135〓 solar energy collector panel according to claim 1.