WO2014189474A1

WO2014189474A1 - Textile based flexible water heating solar energy collector

Info

Publication number: WO2014189474A1
Application number: PCT/TR2013/000143
Authority: WO
Inventors: Isik Tarakcioglu
Original assignee: Teks-Tar Gunes Enerjileri Isitma Sogutma Ve Tekstil Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi
Priority date: 2013-05-20
Filing date: 2013-05-20
Publication date: 2014-11-27

Abstract

The low cost textile based flexible water heating solar energy collector which is considerably simple, consists of a black fabric or felt (2), the back surface of which is coated with a water-tight layer (3), and a polyethylene, polyester or similar transparent sheet (1) resistant to UV lights is located thereon without leaving any space between thereof. If desired, a flexible insulation layer (4) can be placed under the water-tight layer, in other words, at the rear surface of the collector. Water inlet to the collector is performed via a separate perforated or cleft pipe (5) positioned in such a manner that the holes or cleft thereof face to the black fabric, and having a hose inlet, and the hot water outlet (6) is provided at the lower center of the collector. The collectors that can be lifted by being rolled and transported, can be mounted in desired areas in a few minutes thanks to the separate carrier (7) having a holder (11) for the perforated or cleft pipe, legs (10) which can be folded and a clothes peg framework (8) which can be collapsed.

Description

TEXTILE BASED FLEXIBLE WATER HEATING SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTOR Technical Field

The present invention is a water heating solar energy collector that does not comprise a collector box and pipes, and is made of textile surfaces (fabric or felt) and is flexible.

State of the Art

The use of alternative energy sources instead of fossil based fuels is the leading measure to be taken in order to slow down the global warming arising from the excessive use of fossil based fuels. While the wind energy becomes prominent among the alternative energy sources for obtaining electric energy, solar energy is widely used for heating water.

Although there are differences between the water heating solar energy collectors with pipe which are common in the market, depending on their construction and the material used, the majority of the costs thereof belong to the pipes through which water flows. The bigger the total surface area of the pipes through which water is flowing while passing through the collector is, in other words, the smaller the diameter of the pipes is and the longer the pipes are, the more the efficiency of the collector increases. However, the production costs of the collector increase accordingly.

In order to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages, titled "Water Heating Solar Collectors without Pipe" (TR 2007 01274 B) which is developed by us, is based on flowing the water through the inside of a black textile surface (fabric, felt) instead of a long and corrugated pipe located inside the collector box.

The textile surfaces such as fabric and felt can be obtained by weaving and knitting the yarns consisting of fibers or obtained directly from the fibers (via nonwoven technology or felting). Tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands capillaries exist between the fibers of the textile surfaces. When a fluid is poured onto the front surface of a textile surface.which is water-tight back-coated and which is in inclined position, through the upper side thereof via a perforated cleft pipe through the width of the collector in a regularly distributed manner, said fluid penetrates into the textile surface thanks to capillary absorption of the textile surface and then.flows downwards through the capillary voids inside the textile surface because of gravity.

Depending on the structure of the textile surface (woven, knitted, nonwoven surface), construction thereof (tightness, density, thickness, texture, whether it comprises pile thread or not, and whether it is raised or not), the construction (number and twist etc.)of the yarn if it is not a nonwoven textile surface, the properties of the fiber used (hydrophob, hydrophile or mixture; the titer and length thereof, etc.), and with regards to the flow rate and viscosity of the fluid, the flow time of a fluid flowing from the upper edge of a 3-meter textile surface positioned in a 45°-inclined manner to the lower edge thereof, carfblTreg^^

In the standard collectors with pipes, majority of the sun rays received by the collector box is absorbed by a special black plate and the heat energy on said hot plate is transferred to the pipes located under this absorber plate, and then to the water or to the fluid flowing in the pipe. However, in the textile based solar collectors without pipe, solar energy is absorbed by the black textile surface and transferred to the water and fluid flowing through the said textile surface (through the capillaries between the fibers). Therefore, heat transfer is performed with higher efficiency. On the other hand, the production costs of textile based solar collectors are relatively lower when compared to collectors with pipe, because in these collectors instead of expensive copper pipes and special black plates only a cheap textile surface (fabric, felt) is used.

Thus, when water flows through the back-coated black textile surfaces, the temperature of water can increase up to the boiling temperature (100 °C) especially in summer periods, depending on the mass flow rate of the water, but problems such as evaporation, condensation on the glass, over-heating of the glass and extreme heat loss through the surface of the glass, decrease the efficiency of the collector. In winter periods, however, the water can freeze at nights as in all direct water heating collectors. In addition, at the morning operation, the steaming up (fogging) of the front glass pane increases by the increase of the water temperature, so the solar radiation is restricted and therefore the efficiency of the collectors decreases to a great extent.

As in our patent application titled "Textile Based Solar Energy Collector (TR 2009/011 14)", a proper heat transfer liquid with a boiling temperature of above 200 °C such as mineral and synthetic oils, glycerin, ethylene glycol etc. flows instead of water through a black textile surface placed in a solar collector box. Heating of the heat transfer fluid up to temperatures above 100 °C can be obtained without any problems such as evaporation, steaming up (fogging) of the front glass pane, condensation, calcification on the textile surface, etc.

Thus, the system can not be operated for direct heating of the water, in other words, the hot water used isn't heated directly while passing through the collector; it can be operated by passing the hot transfer liquid through a liquid/liquid heat exchanger or a serpentine while the usage water at the outside thereof will be indirectly heated. In spite of the above mentioned advantages, in indirect heating, production and operating costs slightly increase and the efficiency slightly decreases.

Object of the Invention

The object of said invention is to disclose a solar energy collector that can provide water at approximately 50 °C in summer and can be transported and stored easily by being rolled when it is not in use and it is constructed without collector box, transparent plate like glass, polycarbonate and GRP (Glass fiber Reinforced Polyester) located at the front surface of the boxes facing the sun, and insulation material, which constitute 95% of the costs of the textile based solar collectors which are operating without expensive and heavy pipes. Description of the Figures

Figure 1 is the lateral sectional view of the collector.

Figure 2 is the front top view of the collapsible cloths peg carrier in open manner position

Figure 3 is the front view of the collapsible cloths peg carrier in closed position

Reference Numerals

1. Transparent sheet

2. Black textile surface (fabric, felt)

3. Water-tight layer

4. Insulation layer (optional)

5. Perforated or cleft pipe (separate)

6. Warm water outlet

7. Collapsible clothes peg carrier (separate)

8. Clothes peg framework (body)

9. Collapsible mechanism of clothes peg framework

10. Foldable legs ;

1 1. Holder for perforated or cleft pipe Detailed Description of the Invention

When water flows directly through the textile based solar collector comprising a black textile surface (2) (fabric or felt), the back surface of which is coated with a water-tight layer (3), the temperature of water can increase up to 100°C especially in the summer depending on to the flow rate of water and the angle of the collector with the horizon; however, the problems such as evaporation, condensation on the glass, over-heating of the glass and excessive heat loss through the glass, decrease the efficiency of the collector considerably. As the said situation becomes clearer when the temperature of the water increases, it does not create any disturbance in the areas where the outer temperature is above 30°C and the temperature of water is below 30 °C, and it barely disturbs when the temperature of the water is approximately 35 to 40 °C. If a transparent sheet (1 ) is located on the upper surface of the black fabric (2), the back surface of which is coated with water-tight layer (3), so as to contact the upper surface of the said fabrie-or elt-(-possibly-without-leaving-any-spaGe-between^

evaporation and condensation on the transparent layer (1 ) do not create disturbing situations even when the temperature of the heated water is above 40 °C. Therefore, hot water having temperature of approximately 50°C with adequate efficiency can be obtained in summer thanks to the said construction.

As it does not provide an important advantage to locate an insulation layer (4) under the layer (3) of the back-coated black fabric, in the areas where the temperature is 30-35 °C in the shade and 45-50 °C under the sun, this option may be abandoned optionally. Thus, the collector consists of a black fabric or felt (2), the back surface of which is coated with a water-tight layer (3), and polyethylene, polyester or a similar transparent sheet (1 ) resistant to UV lights is located thereon without leaving any space between thereof. A separate perforated or cleft pipe (5) having a hose inlet at the top, and a separate carrier (7) having a holder (1 1 ) for the said perforated or cleft pipe (5) and legs which can be folded and a clothes peg framework which can be collapsed. The way of using and applying the present invention

The water heating solar energy collectors according to the present invention, which is flexible and thus, can be rolled and transported easily, can be used in all residences and work places, especially in summer houses, camping and picnic areas, and caravans, where hot water at 50 °C is adequate in the summer (June-September) period . The collectors can be used by being directly laid on the roof layer (3) in the buildings having roofs that face to the south. The collectors according to the present invention can be applied in order to warm up the water of swimming pools and the cold artesian water.

Claims

1. A textile based flexible solar energy collector, characterized in that; it consists of a black fabric or felt (2), the back surface of which is coated with a water-tight layer (3), and a polyethylene, polyester or similar transparent sheet (1) resistant to UV lights, which is located thereon without leaving any space between thereof.

2. A textile based water heating solar energy collector according to Claim 1 , characterized in that; a flexible insulation layer (4) is optionally located under the water-tight layer (3) coated at the back surface of the black fabric or felt so as to contact with the said layer (3).

3. A carrier (7) for the textile based water heating solar energy collector according to Claim 1 , characterized in that; the legs (10) thereof can be folded and the clothes peg-framework-(-8-)-thereof-ean-be-eoto^

for the perforated or cleft pipe (5) having a hose inlet at the top.