Solar heat collector

Claim 2

A solar heat collector for heating water or other fluid heat exchange mediums, said collector comprising: an elongated heat exchanger providing two fluid flow paths each extending substantially the full length of said exchanger, said exchanger including means serially connecting said two flow paths at one end of said exchanger so that fluid introduced at one end of said exchanger to one of said flow paths first traverses the length of said exchanger by flowing along one of said flow paths in one direction and then traverses the length of said exchanger by flowing through the other of said flow paths in the opposite direction, said flow paths being defined by two coaxially positioned, thin walled tubes, having internal passageways, one of the tubes being helically corrugated along a substantial portion of its length whereby one of said flow paths includes an elongated passageway coaxially within the two tubes and the other of said flow paths includes at least one helical passageway circulating around said elongated passageway; a heat trapping annular shield of optically transparent material surrounding said heat exchanger and extending along a major portion of its length; an elongated reflector having an elongated and generally parabolic reflecting surface which focuses incident solar energy onto a focal line extending along the length of said reflector; and means mounting said reflector relative to said heat exchanger with said heat exchanger generally colinear with said focal line.

Claim 3

A solar heat collector as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said tubes of the elongated heat exchanger being an outer tube and an inner tube located within said outer tube, the interior of said inner tube defining said elongated passageway, said outer tube being helically corrugated to define on its interior surface a series of helically extending ridges and valleys, said helically extending valleys on the interior surface of said outer tube contacting the outer surface of said inner tube to define said at least one helically extending passageway constituting said other flow path.

Claim 4

A solar heat collector as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said mounting means for said reflector comprising at least two mounting brackets, each of said mounting brackets having an annular portion circumscribing said cylindrical shield and a plurality of generally radially extending arms each connected to said reflector, and releasable means for fixing said annular portions to said cylindrical shield whereby said annular bracket portions may be released from said shield to permit said reflector to be turned angularly to any desired position with respect to said shield and to then be fixed in such selected position.

Claim 5

A solar heat collector as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said outer tube at said one end of said exchanger extending beyond the end of said inner tube, said means for serially connecting said flow paths comprising an end wall closing said outer tube at said one end of said exchanger, said cylindrical shield at the ends thereof adjacent said one end of said exchanger also having an end wall closing such end of said shield, said end wall of said shield resting on said end wall of said exchanger when said collector is mounted with said exchanger oriented generally vertically with said one end thereof uppermost.

Claim 6

A solar heat collector as defined in claim 4 further characterized by said heat exchanger at said other end thereof extending beyond the adjacent end of said shield, and a tubular boot of flexible material at said end of said exchanger, said tubular boot having one end thereof surrounding and connected to said shield and having its other end surrounding and connected to said heat exchanger so as to seal the annular space between said shield and said heat exchanger.

Claim 7

In a solar energy heating system for use with a structure having a roof, the combination comprising an elongated heat exchanger having a first end and a second end and having two flow paths extending along the length thereof, said two flow paths being serially connected to one another at said second end of said exchanger so that the fluid heat exchange medium introduced to one of said flow paths at said first end of said exchanger first flows along the length of said exchanger from said first end to said second end through said one flow path and then flows along the length of said exchanger from said second end to said first end through the other of said flow paths, said exchanger at said first end including means for introducing a fluid heat exchange medium to one of said flow paths and for extracting said fluid heat exchange medium from the other of said flow paths, said heat exchanger having a smooth mounting portion adjacent said first end with a generally cylindrical outer surface and said exchanger having a solar energy heat absorbing portion located between said smooth portion and said second end thereof, means for mounting said heat exchanger generally vertically of a roof such as aforesaid with said mounting portion thereof passing through said roof so that said heat absorbing portion extends generally vertically upwardly beyond said roof in a free standing manner, a cylindrical heat trapping shield of optically transparent material surrounding said heat exchanger, said shield having an end wall at its upper end resting on said second end of said heat exchanger, said shield terminating at its lower end at a location spaced upwardly from said roof when the exchanger is mounted by said mounting means, a tubular boot of flexible material between said lower end of said cylindrical shield and said smooth portion of said heat exchanger for sealing the space between said shield and said exchanger, an elongated reflector with a generally parabolic reflecting surface extending along the major portion of the length of said absorbing portion of said exchanger and arranged so that said reflecting surface tends to focus solar energy onto said heat exchanger, and at least two mounting brackets spaced from one another along the length of said exchanger and connected to said shield and to said reflector for supporting said reflector from said shield.

Claim 8

In a solar energy heating system for use with a structure having a roof, the combination comprising an elongated heat exchanger having a first end and a second end and having two flow paths extending along the length thereof, said two flow paths being serially connected to one another at said second end of said exchanger so that the fluid heat exchange medium introduced to one of said flow paths at said first end of said exchanger first flows along the length of said exchanger from said first end to said second end through said one flow path and then flows along the length of said exchanger from said second end to said first end through the other of said flow paths, said exchanger at said first end including means for introducing a fluid heat exchange medium to one of said flow paths and for extracting said fluid heat exchange medium from the other of said flow paths, said heat exchanger having a smooth mounting portion adjacent said first end with a generally cylindrical outer surface and said exchanger having a solar energy heat absorbing portion located between said smooth portion and said second end thereof, means for mounting said heat exchanger generally vertically of a roof such as aforesaid with said mounting portion thereof passing through said roof so that said heat absorbing portion extends generally vertically upwardly beyond said roof in a free standing manner, a cylindrical heat trapping shield of optically transparent material surrounding said heat exchanger, said shield having an end wall at its upper end resting on said second end of said heat exchanger, said shield terminating at its lower end at a location spaced upwardly from said roof when the exchanger is mounted by said mounting means, a tubular boot of flexible material between said lower end of said cylindrical shield and said smooth portion of said heat exchanger for sealing the space between said shield and said exchanger, an elongated reflector with a generally parabolic reflecting surface extending along the major portion of the length of said absorbing portion of said exchanger and arranged so that said reflecting surface tends to focus solar energy onto said heat exchanger, and at least two mounting brackets spaced from one another along the length of said exchanger and connected to said shield and to said reflector for supporting said reflector from said shield.