U.S. patent application number 13/338434 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-04 for multi-section heat-pipe solar collector.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kunshan Jue-Chung Electronics Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Dah-Chyi Kuo, Ling Long, Xue-Hai Wang. Invention is credited to Dah-Chyi Kuo, Ling Long, Xue-Hai Wang.
Application Number | 20130167834 13/338434 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48693839 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130167834 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kuo; Dah-Chyi ; et
al. |
July 4, 2013 |
MULTI-SECTION HEAT-PIPE SOLAR COLLECTOR
Abstract
A multi-section heat-pipe solar collector includes a
heat-exchanging pipe and at least one heat-collecting module. The
heat-collecting module includes a heat pipe and a plurality of
heat-collecting plates serially connected on one side of the heat
pipe at intervals. One end of the heat pipe is inserted into the
heat-exchanging pipe. The heat-collecting plates are arranged on
the other end of the heat pipe in multiple sections and have
different heat transfer characteristics respectively.
Inventors: |
Kuo; Dah-Chyi; (Kunshan
City, CN) ; Wang; Xue-Hai; (Kunshan City, CN)
; Long; Ling; (Kunshan City, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kuo; Dah-Chyi
Wang; Xue-Hai
Long; Ling |
Kunshan City
Kunshan City
Kunshan City |
|
CN
CN
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Kunshan Jue-Chung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
48693839 |
Appl. No.: |
13/338434 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/635 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24S 2010/751 20180501;
Y02E 10/44 20130101; F24S 10/95 20180501; F24S 10/75 20180501; F24S
70/20 20180501; F28D 15/06 20130101; F24S 60/30 20180501; F28F
2215/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/635 |
International
Class: |
F24J 2/32 20060101
F24J002/32 |
Claims
1. A multi-section heat-pipe solar collector, including: a
heat-exchanging pipe; and at least one heat-collecting module
comprising a heat pipe and a plurality of heat-collecting plates
serially connected on one side of the heat pipe at intervals, one
end of the heat pipe being inserted into the heat-exchanging pipe,
the heat-collecting plates being arranged on the other end of the
heat pipe in multiple sections and having different heat transfer
characteristics respectively.
2. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
1, further including a heat-collecting support and a connecting
sleeve, the heat-exchanging pipe and the heat-collecting plates
being fixed on the heat-collecting support, the heat pipe being
inserted into the heat-exchanging pipe via the connecting
sleeve.
3. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
1, wherein the heat-exchanging pipe has a water exhaust port and a
water intake port opposite to each other, cold water flows into the
heat-exchanging pipe via the water intake port, and the cold water
flowing through the heat pipe exits the heat pipe via the water
exhaust port.
4. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
1, wherein the heat pipe comprises a condensing section and an
evaporating section, the condensing section is inserted into the
heat-exchanging pipe, and the evaporating section is inserted into
the heat-collecting plates.
5. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
4, wherein the heat-collecting plate near the condensing section is
a first heat-collecting plate, the heat-collecting plate away from
the condensing section is a second heat-collecting plate, and the
heat-conducting efficiency of the first heat-collecting plate is
different from of the heat-conducting efficiency of the second
heat-collecting plate.
6. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
5, wherein the first heat-collecting plate is made of a first
metal, the second heat-collecting plate is made of a second metal,
and the heat transfer coefficient of the first metal is different
from the heat transfer coefficient of the second metal.
7. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
5, wherein the heat-collecting plates are made of the same
material, and the thickness of the first heat-collecting plate is
different from the thickness of the second heat-collecting
plate.
8. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector according to claim
5, wherein a surface of the first heat-collecting plate has a first
coating, a surface of the second heat-collecting plate has a second
coating, and the thermal emissive coefficient of the first coating
is different from the thermal emissive coefficient of the second
coating.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a solar collector, and in
particular to a multi-section heat-pipe solar collector.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] Among the solar devices, solar collector has become a
popular device having commercial use and economical benefits. In
order to improve the conversion efficiency of the solar energy,
heat pipes having good heat conductivity are assembled in the solar
collector to serve as heat-conducting elements. Such a heat-pipe
solar collector has been well developed.
[0005] The existing heat-pipe solar collector includes a
heat-exchanging pipe, a plurality of heat pipes inserted into the
heat-exchanging pipe, and a plurality of heat-collecting plates
inserted into the heat pipes respectively. In use, cold water flows
into one end of the heat-exchanging pipe through the heat pipes and
then takes away the heat contained in the heat pipes. Finally, the
water absorbing the heat contained in the heat pipes exits the
other end of the heat-exchanging pipe. The heat-collecting plates
increase the heat-collecting area of the solar collector, thereby
increasing the heat-collecting efficiency.
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the combination of the
heat pipes and the heat-collecting plates of the conventional
heat-pipe solar collector. As shown in this figure, the heat pipe
10' is connected onto a rectangular heat-collecting plate 20'. That
is, the heat-collecting plate 20' is uniformly welded to the heat
pipe 10'. The heat absorbed by the heat-collecting plate 20' will
conduct to the heat pipe 10'. Then, the heat pipe 10' exchanges the
heat with the outside to release the heat by means of the phase
change of the working fluid in the heat pipe 10', whereby the solar
collector can collect the solar energy and provide the collected
solar energy as a heat source
[0007] However, the heat transfer efficiency of the evaporating
section of one heat pipe may be varied based on the locations of
the evaporating section. That is, the heat transfer characteristics
of the evaporating section of the heat pipe are not consistent. In
general, the heat flux of the heat pipe near its condensing section
is larger, whereas the heat flux of the heat pipe away from the
condensing section is smaller. The traditional way of welding the
rectangular heat-collecting plate to the heat pipe makes the
evaporating section of the heat pipe to have a uniform heat flux.
As a result, the heat pipe 10' cannot exhibit the heat-conducting
effect completely. Therefore, it is an important issue for the
present Inventor to arrange the heat-collecting plates 20' and the
heat pipes 10' more reasonably to thereby exhibit the heat transfer
characteristics of the heat pipe 10' and improve the
heat-collecting effect of the heat collector.
[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present Inventor
proposes a novel and reasonable structure based on his expert
knowledge and deliberate researches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is to provide a multi-section
heat-pipe solar collector, whereby the heat pipe can exhibit an
excellent heat-conducting effect and the heat-collecting effect of
the solar collector can be improved.
[0010] The present invention provides a multi-section heat-pipe
solar collector, including a heat-exchanging pipe and at least one
heat-collecting module. The heat-collecting module comprises a heat
pipe and a plurality of heat-collecting plates serially connected
on one side of the heat pipe at intervals. One end of the heat pipe
is inserted into the heat-exchanging pipe. The heat-collecting
plates are arranged on the other end of the heat pipe in multiple
sections and have different heat transfer characteristics.
[0011] The present invention provides a multi-section heat-pipe
solar collector, in which the heat-absorbing effect and the
heat-conducting effect of the heat-collecting plates near the
condensing section of the heat pipe may be different from the
heat-absorbing effect and the heat-conducting effect of the
heat-collecting plate away from the condensing section of the heat
pipe, so that the heat pipe can exhibit an excellent
performance.
[0012] In comparison with prior art, the heat-collecting module of
the present invention comprises a heat pipe and a plurality of
heat-collecting plates serially connected on one side of the heat
pipe at intervals. Since the heat flux of the evaporating section
of the heat pipe is different, the heat flux of the heat pipe near
the condensing section is larger, whereas the heat flux of the heat
pipe away from the condensing section is smaller. Thus, if the
material, thickness or surface coating of the heat-collecting plate
is adjusted, the heat flux of the evaporating section of the heat
pipe can be distributed uniformly. In this way, the heat transfer
efficiency of the heat pipe can be exhibited completely and the
heat-collecting effect of the solar collector can be improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the combination of the
heat pipes and the heat-collecting plates of a conventional solar
collector;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the operation of the
multi-section heat-pipe solar collector of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the multi-section heat-pipe
solar collector of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the external appearance
of the heat-collecting module of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the
heat-collecting module of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The detailed description and technical contents of the
present invention will become apparent with the following detailed
description accompanied with related drawings. It is noteworthy to
point out that the drawings is provided for the illustration
purpose only, but not intended for limiting the scope of the
present invention.
[0019] Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a schematic view
showing the operation of the multi-section heat-pipe solar
collector of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view
showing the multi-section heat-pipe solar collector of the present
invention. The multi-section heat-pipe solar collector 1 includes a
heat-collecting support 10, a heat-exchanging pipe 20, and at least
one heat-collecting module 30. In the present embodiment, the heat
collector 1 comprises a plurality of heat-collecting modules 30.
Each of the heat-collecting modules 30 comprises a heat pipe 31 and
a plurality of heat-collecting plates 32 serially connected to one
side of the heat pipe 31 at intervals. These heat-collecting plates
32 are arranged on the other end of the heat pipe 31 in multiple
sections and have different heat transfer characteristics.
[0020] In the present embodiment, the heat-collecting support 10 is
a triangular three-dimensional support, but it is not limited
thereto. The heat-exchanging pipe 20 and the heat-collecting module
30 are fixed onto the heat-collecting support 10. The
heat-exchanging pipe 20 is disposed on the heat-collecting support
10 at a higher position. When the heat pipe 31 is heated, the
working fluid in the heat pipe conducts the heat of the heat pipe
31 to the heat-exchanging pipe 20 for heat exchange, so that the
heat collector 1 can generate a heat-collecting effect.
[0021] The heat-exchanging pipe 20 has a water exhaust port 201 and
a water intake port 202 opposite to each other. Cold water flows
into the heat-exchanging pipe 20 via the water intake port 202. The
cold water flowing into the heat-exchanging pipe 20 will take away
the heat of the heat pipe 31 and then exit to the outside via the
water exhaust port 201. In this way, the heat pipe 31 can generate
a heat-exchanging effect, so that the heat collector 1 can achieve
a heat-collecting effect.
[0022] One end of the heat pipe 31 is inserted into the
heat-exchanging pipe 20. The heat-collecting plates 32 support the
other end of the heat pipe 31 and are serially connected on one
side of the heat pipe 31 at interval. In the present embodiment,
the heat pipe 31 comprises a condensing section 311 and an
evaporating section 312. The condensing section 311 is inserted
into the heat-exchanging pipe 20. The evaporating section 312 is
inserted into the heat-collecting plate 32. The heat pipe 31 is
inserted into the heat-exchanging pipe 20 via a connecting sleeve
33.
[0023] Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic view showing
the external appearance of the heat-collecting module of the
present invention. These heat-collecting plates 32 are arranged on
the evaporating section 312 of the heat pipe 31 longitudinally. The
heat-collecting plate 32 near the condensing section 312 is called
as a first heat-collecting plate 321, and the heat-collecting plate
32 away from the condensing section 312 is called as a second
heat-collecting plate 322. The heat-conducting efficiency of the
first heat-collecting plate 321 may be different from that of the
second heat-collecting plate 322. In the present embodiment, the
heat-conducting efficiency of the first heat-collecting plate 321
is larger than that of the second heat-collecting plate 322. In
this way, the heat flux of the evaporating section 312 of the heat
pipe 31 can be distributed in a reasonable manner, so that the heat
pipe 31 can exhibit a heat-conducting efficiency and the
heat-collecting module 30 can achieve an excellent heat-collecting
effect.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the first heat-collecting plate 321 is
made of a first metal, and the second heat-collecting plate 322 is
made of a second metal. The heat transfer coefficient of the first
heat-collecting plate 321 is different from that of the second
heat-collecting plate 322. In practice, the heat transfer
coefficient of the first heat-collecting plate 321 may be larger
than that of the second heat-collecting plate 322. The first
heat-collecting plate 321 may be made of a metal having a greater
heat transfer coefficient such as copper. On the other hand, the
second heat-collecting plate 322 may be made of a metal having a
smaller heat transfer coefficient such as magnesium, iron or the
like.
[0025] Moreover, the thickness of the material of the
heat-collecting plate 32 may be adjusted to change the temperature
uniformity thereof, thereby adjusting the heat-conducting
performance. If the heat-collecting plates 32 are made of the same
material, the thickness of the first heat-collecting plate 321 may
be different from that of the second heat-collecting plate 322.
When the thickness of the first heat-collecting plate 321 is
larger, the temperature uniformity and the heat-conducting
efficiency are better. On the other hand, when the thickness of the
second heat-collecting plate 322 is smaller, the temperature
uniformity and the heat-conducting efficiency are inferior to those
of the first heat-collecting plate 321.
[0026] Please refer to FIG. 5, which shows another embodiment of
the heat-collecting module of the present invention. In the present
embodiment, the heat-collecting module 30a comprises a heat pipe
31a and a plurality of heat-collecting plates 32a. The heat pipe
31a comprises a condensing section 311a and an evaporating section
312a. The heat-collecting plate 32a near the condensing section
312a is called as a first heat-collecting plate 321a. The
heat-collecting plate 32a away from the condensing section 312a is
called as a second heat-collecting plate 322a.
[0027] The difference between the present embodiment and the first
embodiment lies in that: the surfaces of the heat-collecting plates
32a are formed with different coatings, thereby generating
different emissive characteristics. In the present embodiment, a
surface of the first heat-collecting plate 321a has a first
coating. A surface of the second heat-collecting plate 322a has a
second coating. The thermal emissive coefficient of the first
coating is different from that of the second coating. Since the
surface coating has an influence on the thermal radiation
absorptivity and emissivity of the heat-collecting plate 32a. In
the present embodiment, the thermal emissive coefficient of the
first coating is smaller than that of the second coating, so that
the heat-absorbing effect of the first heat-collecting plate 321a
is better than that of the second heat-collecting plate 322a.
[0028] According to the above, in the heat-collecting module 30 of
the present invention, the material, thickness, surface coating or
the like of the heat-collecting plate 32, 32a is adjusted to make
the heat flux of the evaporating section 312, 312a of the heat pipe
31, 31a to be distributed reasonably. In this way, the heat pipe
31, 31a can exhibit an excellent heat-conducting efficiency.
[0029] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be
understood that the invention is not limited to the details
thereof.
[0030] Various equivalent variations and modifications can still
occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the
present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent
modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention
as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *