Solar furnace

Claim 2

A solar furnace electricity generating system comprising: (a) a concentrator and accumulator for the sun's rays to generate a concentrated high temperature solar beam; (b) a heat hearth disposed to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam; (c) a plurality of concentric alternating heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers and heat absorption zones around said heat hearth, said plurality of zones comprising (i) a primary chamber containing a first heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said heat hearth; (ii) a primary heat-absorption zone containing a primary heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said primary chamber; (iii) a secondary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said primary zone; (iv) a secondary heat-absorption zone containing a second and different heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said secondary chamber; and (v) a tertiary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said secondary zone; (d) valved outlet lines leading from each said heating-transfer-medium-containing chamber to conduct such heat-transfer media to a common vapour outlet line leading to a vapour-powered electricity-generating turbine; (e) valved outlet line from said turbine connected to a liquid reservoir; (f) valved outlet means from said liquid reservoir to a plurality of valved inlet lines, each leading to an associated said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber; and (g) control means to actuate selected vapourization/condensation cycles from selected heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers, to the exclusion of similar vapourization/condensation cycles from other heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers; thereby to result in substantially continuous generation of electricity during periods of daylight and nighttime.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 wherein said heat hearth is provided with a central heat shaft to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 wherein said heat shaft is pierced by a plurality of heat-absorbing metal rods.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 wherein each said heat-absorbing metal rod projects into said heat hearth and is provided with a plurality of heat-dissipating ribs.

Claim 6

The system of claim 4 wherein said heat hearth is packed with a heat-absorbing, heat-transfer material.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 wherein said heat-absorbing, heat-transfer material is comminuted metal.

Claim 8

The system of claim 1 wherein each said primary, secondary and tertiary chambers comprises a double walled, hollow, rectangular parallelepiped chamber formed of a heat-conducting, structural material.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1 wherein said primary heat-absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of sand, stone and clay.

Claim 10

The system of claim 8 including an auxiliary packing of lead as a molten, low melting point substance.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1 wherein said secondary heat-absorbing material is bricks.

Claim 12

The system of claim 1 including a first heat-insulating zone in heat-transfer contact with said tertiary chamber.

Claim 13

The system of claim 11 wherein said first heat-insulating zone is packed with asbestos as a heat-insulating material.

Claim 14

The system of claim 1 encased in concrete as a heat-insulating structural casing.

Claim 15

The system of claim 1 wherein said concentrator (a) includes a semi-globular hollow one-way mirror bulb terminating in a depending shaft for the passage of said collimated concentrated high temperature solar beam.

Claim 16

The system of claim 14 wherein said semi-globular bulb includes additional heat-reflecting internal mirrors to assist in collimating and concentrating said sun's rays.

Claim 17

The system of claim 14 including at least one connecting heat-conducting shaft to convey said solar beam to said heat shaft, assisted by 45° reflectors.

Claim 18

The system of claim 14 wherein said heat shaft includes a heat concentrating lens therein.

Claim 19

The system of claim 1 wherein said valves in the outlets from each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber are one-way valves adapted to open automatically at a minimum pre-set vapour pressure.

Claim 20

The system of claim 1 wherein said valves in the inlets to each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber are one-way valves adapted to open upon positive activation provided a minimum pre-set vapour pressure condition is satisfied.

Claim 21

The system of claim 1 wherein said valve on said outlet line from said turbine is a one-way valve adapted to be opened upon positive activation.

Claim 22

The system of claim 1 wherein said reservoir includes an upper primary reservoir and a lower liquid transfer reservoir.

Claim 23

The system of claim 1 wherein said heat-transfer medium is water.

Claim 24

The system of claim 1 wherein each of the primary, secondary and tertiary heat-transfer medium-containing chambers comprise a plurality of interconnected, spaced apart, network of tubular members.

Claim 25

A solar furnace electricity generating system comprising: (a) a concentrator and accumulator for the sun's rays to generate a concentrated high temperature solar beam; (b) a heat hearth disposed to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam; (c) a plurality of concentric alternating heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers and heat absorption zones around said heat hearth, said plurality of zones comprising (i) a primary chamber containing a first heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said heat hearth; (ii) a primary heat-absorption zone containing a primary heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said primary chamber; (iii) a secondary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said primary zone; (iv) a secondary heat-absorption zone containing a second and different heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said secondary chamber; and (v) a tertiary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said secondary zone; (d) valved outlet lines leading from each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber to conduct such heat-transfer media to a common vapour outlet line leading to a vapour-powered electricity-generating turbine; (e) valved outlet line from said turbine connected to a liquid reservoir, said reservoir including an upper primary reservoir and a lower liquid transfer reservoir; (f) valved outlet means from said liquid reservoir to a plurality of valved inlet lines, each leading to an associated said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber; (g) control means to actuate selected vapourization/condensation cycles from selected heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers, to the exclusion of similar vapourization/condensation cycles from other heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers; and (h) said upper reservoir being provided with auxiliary heat exchanger to recover sensible heat from liquid in said upper reservoir; thereby to result in substantially continuous generation of electricity during periods of daylight and nighttime.

Claim 26

A solar furnace electricity generating system comprising: (a) a concentrator and accumulator for the sun's rays to generate a concentrated high temperature solar beam; (b) a heat hearth disposed to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam; (c) a plurality of concentric alternating heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers and heat absorption zones around said heat hearth, said plurality of zones comprising (i) a primary chamber containing a first heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said heat hearth; (ii) a primary heat-absorption zone containing a primary heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said primary chamber; (iii) a secondary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said primary zone; (iv) a secondary heat-absorption zone containing a second and different heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said secondary chamber; and (v) a tertiary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said secondary zone; (d) valved outlet lines leading from each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber to conduct such heat-transfer media to a common vapour outlet line leading to a vapour-powered electricity-generating turbine; (e) valved outlet line from said turbine connected to a liquid reservoir, said reservoir including an upper primary reservoir and a lower liquid transfer reservoir; (f) valved outlet means from said liquid reservoir to a plurality of valved inlet lines, each leading to an associated said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber; (g) control means to actuate selected vapourization/condensation cycles from selected heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers, to the exclusion of similar vapourization/condensation cycles from other heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers; and (h) said upper reservoir being provided with auxiliary heat exchanger to recover sensible heat from liquid in said upper reservoir; thereby to result in substantially continuous generation of electricity during periods of daylight and nighttime.

Claim 27

A solar furnace electricity generating system comprising: (a) a concentrator and accumulator for the sun's rays to generate a concentrated high temperature solar beam; (b) a heat hearth disposed to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam; (c) a plurality of concentric alternating heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers and heat absorption zones around said heat hearth, said plurality of zones comprising (i) a primary chamber containing a first heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said heat hearth; (ii) a primary heat-absorption zone containing a primary heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said primary chamber; (iii) a secondary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said primary zone; (iv) a secondary heat-absorption zone containing a second and different heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said secondary chamber; and (v) a tertiary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said secondary zone; (d) valved outlet lines leading from each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber to conduct such heat-transfer media to a common vapour outlet line leading to a vapour-powered electricity-generating turbine; (e) valved outlet line from said turbine connected to a liquid reservoir, said reservoir including an upper primary reservoir and a lower liquid transfer reservoir; (f) valved outlet means from said liquid reservoir to a plurality of valved inlet lines, each leading to an associated said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber; (g) control means to actuate selected vapourization/condensation cycles from selected heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers, to the exclusion of similar vapourization/condensation cycles from other heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers; and (h) said primary reservoir being connected to said lower liquid transfer reservoir by means of a primary check-valved flow conduit, and by a secondary, ball valve controlled flow conduit, said ball valve being a caged valve which moves in a controlled fashion either to seal a main outlet from said lower liquid transfer reservoir, or to allow liquid to enter said lower liquid transfer reservoir from said primary reservoir; thereby to result in substantially continuous generation of electricity during periods of daylight and nighttime.

Claim 28

A solar furnace electricity generating system comprising: (a) a concentrator and accumulator for the sun's rays to generate a concentrated high temperature solar beam; (b) a heat hearth disposed to absorb heat from said concentrated high temperature solar beam; (c) a plurality of concentric alternating heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers and heat absorption zones around said heat hearth, said plurality of zones comprising (i) a primary chamber containing a first heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said heat hearth; (ii) a primary heat-absorption zone containing a primary heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said primary chamber; (iii) a secondary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said primary zone; (iv) a secondary heat-absorption zone containing a second and different heat-absorbing material in heat-transfer contact with said secondary chamber; and (v) a tertiary chamber containing the same heat-transfer-medium in heat-transfer contact with said secondary zone; (d) valved outlet lines leading from each said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber to conduct such heat-transfer media to a common vapour outlet line leading to a vapour-powered electricity-generating turbine; (e) valved outlet line from said turbine connected to a liquid reservoir, said reservoir including an upper primary reservoir and a lower liquid transfer reservoir; (f) valved outlet means from said liquid reservoir to a plurality of valved inlet lines, each leading to an associated said heat-transfer-medium-containing chamber; (g) control means to actuate selected vapourization/condensation cycles from selected heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers, to the exclusion of similar vapourization/condensation cycles from other heat-transfer-medium-containing chambers; and (h) said primary reservoir being connected to said lower liquid transfer reservoir by means of a primary check-valved flow conduit, and by a secondary, ball valve controlled flow conduit, said ball valve being a caged valve which moves in a controlled fashion either to seal a main outlet from said lower liquid transfer reservoir, or to allow liquid to enter said lower liquid transfer reservoir from said primary reservoir; thereby to result in substantially continuous generation of electricity during periods of daylight and nighttime.