IMPROVEMENTS IN IR RELATING TO SOLAR ENERGY CONVERTERS

摘要

An absorber (14) for solar energy converters (11) is provided with an internal chamber (2) through which a heat exchange fluid may be passed so that as the absorber (14) is neated by radiation focussed thereon by a reflector (7) the heat may be extracted into the fluid. To minimise the volume of the chamber (2) and thus increase the efficiency and sensitivity of the heat transfer, the absorber (14) is formed with curved walls (3, 4) to define an internal chamber (2) having a crescent-shaped cross-section. The efficiency of the reflectors (7) is increased by employing as the reflecting surface a thin layer of aluminium (9) applied to a flexible supporting sheet (8). The solar energy converter (11) is oriented into an optimum position for receiving solar radiation by a control system incorporating driving means (19) for orienting the converter (11) controlled by a unidirectional photoelectric cell (24) which is obscured from the sun's rays by a masking member (25) in the optimum position.