Classifications

• • 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
  • F24S23/77—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with flat reflective plates
• • 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
  • F24S23/74—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with trough-shaped or cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces
• • 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
  • F24S23/79—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with spaced and opposed interacting reflective surfaces
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
  • F24S30/40—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement
  • F24S30/45—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with two rotation axes
  • F24S30/455—Horizontal primary axis
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S40/00—Safety or protection arrangements of solar heat collectors; Preventing malfunction of solar heat collectors
  • F24S40/10—Protective covers or shrouds; Closure members, e.g. lids
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S40/00—Safety or protection arrangements of solar heat collectors; Preventing malfunction of solar heat collectors
  • F24S40/50—Preventing overheating or overpressure
  • F24S40/52—Preventing overheating or overpressure by modifying the heat collection, e.g. by defocusing or by changing the position of heat-receiving elements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
  • F24S50/20—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors for tracking
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
  • F24S50/40—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors responsive to temperature
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
  • F24S50/60—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors responsive to wind
• • 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
  • Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a protective device for a solar panel collector according to the precharacterising portion of claim 1.
• Such a solar panel collector is for example described in WO2005/075900.
• Another problem of the known solar collectors is related to the thermal losses by thermal radiation and/or air convection, for example during night, which negatively influence the energy balance of the solar collector. This problem too has not yet found a proper solution.
• An object of the invention is to provide a device which enables the protection of the solar collectors against any damaging of its outer surfaces.
• a further object is to provide a device which permits to reduce the thermal loss of the solar collectors in the absence of sun illumination.
• a further object of the invention is to provide a device which permits to increase the inner temperature of the solar collectors.
• Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of a flat solar panel collector comprising a protective device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a simplified and partial transversal section view of the device of figure 1 in the operative position where protection for the outer surfaces of the flat solar panel collector is achieved.
• the figures show a solar collector 1 having an upper 2 and a lower 3 transparent wall which is centrally supported by a rectangular frame structure 4 supporting also two protective and reflecting panels 5, 6 and two cylindrical mirrors 7, 8. All those components are linked to a sun tracking structure 9.
• the solar collector is preferably an evacuable, vacuum tight, flat panel, solar collector 1 of the type described in application WO2005/075900, which makes use of the cylindrical mirrors 7, 8 for improving its thermal efficiency.
• This flat panel solar collector 1 is positioned with its central longitudinal axe Ll overlapping the common upper border 10 (figure 2) of the two mirrors.
• the protective and reflecting elements 5 and 6 are each one movable and in particular rotationally mounted through hinges 11 to two opposed sides 4A and 4B of the rectangular frame 4. These elements 5 and 6 may be moved to different angular positions with respect to the plane wherein the flat panel 1 is laying. In a first operative position M (shown in figure 1), these elements 5, 6 may be used as additional reflecting mirrors increasing the input power to the collector 1.
• the inner surfaces Sl and S2 are covered by a flat mirror or are treated in known manner in order to be as much reflecting as possible both in the visible and in the infra-red part of the solar spectrum.
• the reflecting and protective flat elements 5, 6 form with the plane wherein the solar collector is laying an angle A comprised within 20° and 60° and preferably about 30°.
• this angle my be varied by the sun tracking means 9 and by means 12 for automatically moving the protective and reflecting panels 5, 6, in order to maximise the incident solar power reflected to the cylindrical mirrors 7, 8 and to the fixed flat solar collectors 1.
• a second operative position N (figure 2) the protective and reflecting elements 5, 6 or at least one of them, are moved in a position parallel to and overlapping the flat panel solar collector and such that they are able to completely cover and protect such flat solar collector 1 and also at least partially the reflecting surfaces of the cylindrical mirrors 7, 8.
• the protective elements 5, 6 are able to protect the flat solar collectors from any bad meteorological conditions which may endanger the panel and mirrors integrity as well as they may serve the purpose of reducing the thermal losses by reflecting back the thermal radiation emitted by the panel and by decreasing its cooling by air convection.
• both flat elements 5, 6 may be closed one over the other as shown in figure 1 or only one of them might be closed over the flat panel solar collector.
• the protecting and reflecting flat elements 5 and 6 may be provided with lateral walls 5A, 6A departing from the reflecting surfaces Sl and S2 which are able to surround and cover the lateral walls of the flat solar panel.
• the protective and reflecting elements 5, 6 have dimensions equal or a little larger than that of the frame 4 supporting the flat solar collector and the mirrors so that they can perfectly cover said components.
• the device for protecting the solar collector 1 comprises also the means 12 for automatically moving the protective and reflecting elements 5, 6 at least in the above mentioned two operative positions M and N.
• This moving means 12 are conventional for the expert in the field and will therefore not be described in detail. They comprise by way of example usual hydraulic actuators or jacks 13 connected to the support frame 4 and to the sides of the protective and reflecting elements 5, 6.
• the sun tracking means 9 are conventional for an expert in the field and therefore they will not be described in detail.
• the sun track support structure 14 comprises: an usual support structure 14 connected to the frame support structure 4 supporting the cylindrical mirrors 7, 8, the reflecting and protecting elements 5, 6 and the solar collector 1, first 15 and second 17 moving means tilting said structure 14 and frame 4 along two rotational axis mutually perpendicular with each other (these two rotational movements are indicated by arrows Rl and R2).
• These rotational axes are preferably parallel to the central longitudinal Ll and transversal L2 axis of the flat solar panel collector 1.
• the basement 14A of the sun track support structure 14 is rotationally movable with a rotational axis perpendicular to said basement and is for that purpose connected to conventional moving means 16 (the corresponding rotational movement is indicated by arrows R3).
• control unit 19 (conventional for an expert in the field) which controls both the moving means of the sun tracking structure 14 and those of the reflecting and protective panels 5 and 6 in order to maximise the incident solar power directed to the flat solar collector 1 by automatically adjusting at an optimal angle the flat solar panel collector and the flat reflecting and protecting elements 5, 6.
• This control unit 19 is connected to sensors 20 for automatically sensing bad or dangerous weather condition. In this way the reflecting and protecting elements may be automatically moved in their closed and protecting position if bad or dangerous whether conditions are detected.
• the sensors 20 might also be a temperature sensors 21 which sense the temperature of the solar collector or the heat transfer fluid circulating in the collector.
• the control unit closes automatically the protective elements 5, 6.
• the reflecting and protective elements 5, 6 may be brought in their closed and protective position also if maintenance work has to be performed on the solar panel collector, in order to protect the solar collector 1 and the cylindrical mirrors 7, 8. This can be done by acting on interface (not shown) of the control unit 19.
• the reflecting and protective elements 5, 6 may be brought in their closed and protective conditions also if a there is an anomaly in the functioning of the solar panel collector which could cause an overheating of the collector. This may happen for example if there is an interruption in the flow of the heat transfer fluid circulating in the solar collector due for example to a failure of the circulation pump controlling said flow or to an interruption of the electrical power supplied to said pump.
• control unit may be connected to one or more temperature sensitive sensors 21 (figure 2) provided in the inside or outside of the solar connector for sensing the temperature of the solar collector and/or the temperature of the heat exchange fluid circulating in the solar collector.
• the control unit provides an automatic closure of the protective and reflecting elements 5, 6 over the solar collector.
• these protective elements may be connected to a mechanical closure device 22 which does not need electrical power to be activated.
• This mechanical closure device may be for example a spring loaded device 22 connected to an electronic actuating device 23 which sense an interruption of the electrical power and /or an overheating of the solar collector and activate the spring loaded device 22 which automatically closes the protective elements 5, 6.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (20)

Citations (5)

• 2006
  • 2006-06-26 WO PCT/EP2006/006142 patent/WO2008000282A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

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