Direct expansion solar collector-heat pump system

Claim 1

A combined solar collector-heat pump system comprising a heat absorbing panel, said panel comprising a single generally flat reflective surface member and a plurality of long, narrow, generally flat metallic plates, of substantially the same widths, said plates being generally parallel to each other and being laterally spaced apart and spaced from said reflective surface member by distances which are of the same order of magnitude as the widths of said plates, said metallic plates being directly exposed to the ambient atmosphere, each of said plates having a front face directly exposed to solar radiation and a rear face positioned to receive solar radiation reflected from said reflective surface member, both said faces being highly absorptive of solar radiation and said reflective member having an absorptivity for solar radiation which is low compared to that of said plates, conduit means for fluid in direct heat exchange relation with each of said metal plates, a compressor, an inlet line connecting a first end of each of said conduit means with the suction side of said compressor, a condenser, means for extracting heat from said condenser, an outlet line connecting the high pressure side of said compressor with a first end of said condenser, said inlet line serving to transfer the heat absorbed by said metal plates and fluid in the conduit means to the suction side of said compressor, and said outlet line serving to transfer the absorbed heat and the heat of compression to the first end of said condenser, a return line connecting the second end of said condenser with the second end of said conduit means, a restriction means in said return line, and a working fluid filling said conduit means, inlet line, compressor, outlet line, condenser and return line, said working fluid having a boiling point such that it is vaporized in said conduit means and condensed in said condenser, said working fluid being the only solar-heat-absorbing fluid in said system.