Solar radiation collector devices and systems

摘要

Solar energy collectors, devices and systems utilizing selective solar absorbers for more efficient collection of radiant energy from the sun and its conversion to useful form at relatively high heat transfer temperatures. Each collector unit is made up solely of a closed shell-like enclosure having a continuous, unpenetrated boundary wall evacuated and hermetically sealed to form a structurally strong radiation collecting chamber whose boundary wall surrounds a rarified atmosphere environment such as a vacuum, the wall having a window portion which transmits substantially all of the received solar spectrum to a selective solar radiation absorber in the chamber and energy derived therefrom is collected at any energy collecting and transferring portion of the wall from which heat is conducted to the exterior. The chamber is wholly free of fluid passage or other structural means passing through the wall to provide a simple, long life, modular collector unit adapted to be independent of any necessary permanent connection to an associated heat transfer fluid or heat exchanger device. A high proportion of the solar radiation is absorbed in the chamber and converted to heat which can be transferred therefrom by heat conduction through the chamber wall to a heat transfer fluid moved externally over the wall. Plural collectors and their heat exchanger units can be operatively associated and interconnected to provide large area collector devices and systems.