| 摘要 |
<p>A solar collector 1 comprises a plurality of heat pipes 2 inserted into a manifold 4. Each heat pipe comprises an evaporator section (5, fig.2), comprising a radiation adsorbing plate (6, fig. 2) for absorbing solar radiation and a portion of an elongate tube (7, fig.2), containing a heat transfer medium, in thermal contact with the radiation adsorbing plate, an evacuated radiation transparent enclosure, and a condenser section 9. The condenser section of each heat pipe is inserted into a manifold chamber (16, fig.9) via chamber apertures 17, whereby heat transfer can take place between the condenser sections of the heat pipes and a heat transfer fluid, such as water, contained within the manifold chamber. A seal is provided between the heat pipes and the chamber apertures, preferably allowing the wet connection of the evacuated heat pipe tubes to the manifold chamber. The seal may comprise an elastomeric plug 15 dimensioned to fit tightly within a chamber aperture and having a central aperture (18, fig.6) within which the elongate tube of the heat pipe is a fluid-tight fit to allow fast and reliable tube to manifold installations. Preferably, the elastomeric plug comprises one or more circumferential ridges or barbs 20, 22 on its inner and outer surfaces providing high pressure resistant fluid-tight seals.</p> |
