Solar collectors

A solar collector assembly is provided comprising an absorber means adapted to transfer heat to a fluid; a cover member; a housing adapted to contain said absorber means, said housing having a collar section around the periphery of said housing; and clamping means extending along the collar section to substantially uniformly bias the cover member toward the collar section.

 

We claim:

1. A solar collector assembly comprising:

an absorber means adapted to transfer heat to a fluid moving therealong;

a glass cover member adapted to transmit solar energy therethrough;

a housing adapted to contain said absorber means, said housing having a collar section extending around the periphery thereof having a ledge extending laterally outward from the housing;

sealing means located intermediate the ledge and the cover; and

a plurality of plastic, tubular spring clips positioned along the collar section to substantially uniformly bias the cover member toward the ledge at the sealing means to provide a seal between the cover and the housing, said spring clips having a means for securing the clip to the collar section, said spring clip having a plastic interior surface in direct, pressured contact with said glass cover and an upper surface angled from said interior surface to define a third section of said spring clip, said third section presenting a low edge profile effected to promote self-cleaning of snow that accumulates on the cover member.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the means for securing the spring clip to collar section is comprised of a bead extending along the length of the clip adapted to engage a groove extending along the ledge of the collar section.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said tubular spring clip is comprised of glass fiber reinforced plastic.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said spring clip is formed by a pultrusion process.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said housing is molded from sheet molding compound and wherein said sealing means is a continuous, precured elastomeric gasket.

6. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the grooves extending along the ledge terminate at guide posts to prevent lengthwise movement of the clips.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention disclosed herein relates to solar collectors, particularly those having housings made of sheet molding compound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been many designs for solar collectors throughout the years. Generally, such solar collectors have been fabricated from a multitude of parts which can substantially increase costs and lead to less than the desired quality.

The present invention simplifies the design of a basic solar collector to provide an easily assembled low cost solar collector requiring a minimum of skill for assembly, while providing an effective high quality, durable solar energy collection device.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed hereing pertains to a solar collector assembly comprising an absorber means adapted to transfer heat to a fluid; a cover member; a housing adapted to contain said absorber means, said housing having a collar section around the periphery of said housing; and clamping means extending along the collar section to substantially uniformly bias the cover member toward the collar section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the solar collector assembly.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the collector shown in FIG. 1 taken along view 2--2.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the collector shown in FIG. 1 taken along view 3--3.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the collar section of the collector assembly as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a corner of the housing of the collector.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the housing shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an elastomeric mounting means employed in the solar collector assembly.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of two partially assembled solar collector assemblies arranged in a nested configuration.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the collar section of a collector assembly having an insulating type of cover.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a clamping member employed in the solar collector assembly.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 3A, solar collector assembly 10 is comprised of housing 65, absorber means 12, insulation 30, cover means 36, clamping member 40, corner element 54, gasket 58 and elastomeric mounting means 88.

Absorber means 12 is adapted to receive the solar energy impinging thereon and transfer the heat to the fluid moving therethrough. Absorber means 12 may be of any suitable type as is known in the art, such as the tube and fin type shown in the drawings. As such, absorber means 12 is comprised of an inlet header 13 having a first end 14 and a second end 15.

Second end 15 extends outwardly through sidewall 66 of housing 65 and is preferably associated with a gasket to prevent the influx of undesired air or water between housing 65 and end 15. First end 14 is associated with a hose 25 fastened thereto by means of a pair of clamps 26. Hose 25 extends outwardly through housing 65 and is preferably associated with a gasket to seal the region around hose 25 and sidewall 66 of housing 65.

Intermediate inlet header 13 and outlet header 18, tubes 22 are in communication therewith to provide a circulatory path for the working fluid. As is known in the art, fins 23 are suitably secured to tubes 22 to increase the collection and transfer of thermal energy to the working fluid. The working fluid may be of any suitable type such as is known in the art.

Outlet header 18 has a first end 19 and a second end 20. Second end 20 extends outwardly through sidewall 66 of housing 65, and first end 19 is associated with another hose 25 which is suitably fastened thereto by a pair of clamps 26. Similarly, hose 25 extends outwardly through sidewall 66, and second end 20 and hose 25 should be associated with suitable gaskets to seal such regions at sidewalls 66. Of course, such headers are adapted to interconnect a plurality of such collector assemblies and/or with conventional control and storage systems.

Insulation material 30 is provided between bottom wall 67 of housing 65 and absorber means 12 to reduce the heat loss through housing 65 and to partially support absorber 12 within housing 65.

Insulation 30 may be of any suitable type, but preferably such insulation is of the oil and binder-free glass fiber wool type insulation, such as Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation type SI-100. If the insulation were to have a binder or coating that would volatilize upon reaching a temperature below which the absorber plate may rise to during operating or stagnating conditions, the coating may outgas and collect upon the inner surface of cover member 36 and reduce the ability of cover member 36 to transmit solar energy therethrough.

However, it has been found that insulation material 30 may be comprised of a first layer 31 of the oil-free and binder-free type positioned in contact with absorber means 12 in combination with a second layer 32 positioned intermediate first layer 31 and housing bottom wall 67. First layer 31 may be chosen to thermally insulate layer 32 from the absorber 12, such that second layer 32 may be of the binder containing glass fiber wool type insulation. Preferably, second layer 32 contains only a minimal amount of such binder, such as Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation SI-20 wool type insulation.

Housing 65 includes bottom wall 67 and sidewalls 66 that have a collar section 69 extending continuously around the peripheral edge of sidewalls 66. Collar section 69 includes continuous ledge 70 that extends laterally outward from sidewall 66. Lip 73 defines the upper edge of housing 65 and extends upwardly from ledge 70.

Ledge 70 extends continuously around the periphery of sidewall 66 and includes a continuous boss 72 adapted to couple with or engage recess 59 of gasket or sealing means 58. Preferably, gasket 58 is of the endless or continuous type and may be made of any suitable elastomeric material to provide an effective seal to air and water between cover member 36 and ledge 70 of collar section 69.

On the side opposite containing boss 72, a plurality of grooves 71 in ledge 70 are provided to receive beads 45 of the "C" shaped clamping members 40. One groove 71 extends along each straight or edge portion of the collar section 69. Grooves 71 terminate at stop post 75 extending downwardly from ledge 70. Stop posts 75 are adapted to prevent the clamping members 40 from sliding or working along the length of collar section 69.

Thus, with stop post 75 and grooves 71, clamping members 40 are restrained from substantial lengthwise and/or transverse movement with respect to housing 65 when properly installed.

Lip 73 is configured such that distal end 74 thereof extends upwardly a distance sufficient to be immediately adjacent lateral edge 37 of cover member 36, that is, to be at least partially within the plane of cover member 36. Thus, cover member 36 is held in registration in housing 65 by means of lip 73 such that cover member 36 is prevented from sliding or working its way off housing 65. Solar energy transmitting or cover member 36 may be of any suitable type, such as glass which is well known in the art.

Clamping member or fastening means 40, which is substantially "C" shaped, is comprised of a first or center section 42 having a second or lower section 43 and a third or upper section 48 extending transversely therefrom, as can be seen in FIG. 9. Bead 45 extends along the length of second section 43 at the distal end 44 thereof and is adapted to engage grooves 71.

Third section 48 includes an interior or cover member contacting surface 50 and an exterior surface 49. Interior surface 50 should be relatively burr-free so as not to abraid cover 36. Third section 48 should be relatively thin, and exterior surface 49 should be slightly angled to provide a low edge profile with respect to the exterior surface of cover plate 36.

Normally, such solar collectors are angled approximately 30 to 45 degrees from horizontal. The low edge profile provided by the "C" shaped clamping member 40 promotes relatively quick self-cleaning of snow that could accumulate on the surface of the collector assembly under certain conditions.

In essence, "C" shaped clamping member 40 is a laterally extended spring clip that is adapted to substantially uniformly bias cover plate 36 against housing collar section 69 having gasket means 58 positioned therebetween. As such, the distance between the lower section 43 and the upper section 48, which are slightly angled with respect to one another in the unsprung condition, should be less than the distance between the lower side of ledge 70 and the upper edge of cover 36 when assembled for proper loading or biasing. If desired, a gasket may also be placed between interior surface 50 and cover plate 36.

Clamping member 40 may be made from any suitable material, but it is preferred that the clamping member be made from a pultruded glass fiber reinforced plastic.

As shown in the drawings, one clamping member 40 is positioned along each straight portion of the collar section 69. Intermediate the adjacent ends of clamping members 40, a pliable corner element 54 is fitted over the corners of collar section 69. Corner elements 54 are preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 310,186 filed Oct. 9, 1981, in the names of Scott A. Calvert and George R. Smith, which is hereby incorporated by reference. As disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending patent application, the lateral projections of corner elements 54 are adapted to register between the center section 42 of clamping member 40 and lip 73 of collar section 69. Corner element 54 may be made of any suitable elastomeric material.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, sidewalls 66 extend downwardly and inwardly from ledge 70 to form, in part, foot sections 80 of housing 65. As such, one foot section 80 is formed at each corner of housing 65. The lower extremities of sidewalls 66 at the corners thereof have foot walls 81 extending inwardly therefrom to form receptacle 82 which is adapted to receive elastomeric mounting means 88. One portion of sidewall 66 and one foot wall 81 of each foot section 80 have apertures 83 extending therethrough adapted to receive fastening means or pin 98.

As shown in FIG. 6, elastomeric mounting means 88 is comprised of an elastomeric body 90 and insert 93. Elastomeric body 90, which may be made of any suitable elastomeric material such as EPDM, includes orifice 92 extending therethrough which is adapted to accommodate pin 98 to secure body 90 to foot section 80 of housing 65.

As can be more readily seen in FIG. 7, insert 93, which is preferably bonded or vulcanized to body 90, is comprised of a first head 94 and a second head 96 having a threaded sleeve 95 therebetween. An external surface or layer 91 of elastomeric material of body 90 preferably at least partially covers first head 94 to provide an elastomeric or cushioned contact zone when the partially assembled solar collector housings are nested within one another for storage and/or shipping. It is to be understood that insert 93 may include a male thread as opposed to the female thread as shown in FIG. 7, if desired. Insert 93 may be made from any suitable material, such as steel.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, a portion of body 90 extends beyond the lower edge of foot sections 80 to facilitate the aforementioned "cusioned" nesting engagement between stacked, partially assembled collector assemblies.

Fastening means or pin 98 has a suitable raised head at one end and is adapted to receive a retaining ring 99 to retain pin 98 within foot section 80.

Solar collector assemblies 10 are normally mounted on top of a structure or the like having a mounting frame or bracket fastened thereto. Insert 93 is adapted to receive a threaded fastener associated with the aforementioned bracket to secure elastomeric body 90 to said bracket. Thus, housing 65 is securely but movably fastened to the mounting frame such that elastomeric mounting means is adapted to absorb deflections and/or misalignments between or in solar collector assembly 10 and the mounting frame and/or structure to which it is fastened in the absence of placing an undue strain upon collector assembly 10.

It is to be noted that in lieu of the mechanical fastening means 98, elastomeric body may be adhesively bonded to foot section 80, if desired. It is to be understood that a similar elastomeric mounting means disclosed in concurrently filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,018 filed on Dec. 23, 1981 in the name of Frank W. Gilleland now U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,674, which is hereby incorporated by reference, may be employed in place of mounting means 88.

Housing 65 may be made of any suitable material, but it is preferred that housing 65 be molded from sheet molding compound, a type of glass fiber reinforced resinous sheet, in conjunction with a matched metal mold die set to provide high volume, high quality production.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, cover member 36 is disclosed as a single pane of glazing material, such as glass. However, as shown in FIG. 8, cover or glazing member 101 may be comprised of a "Thermopane" type of system, wherein a first plate 101 is spaced from a second plate 103 by means of sealing spacer 104 bonded to both plates at the periphery thereof to provide an evacuated chamber 106 therebetween, as is known in the art.

"C" shaped clamping member 110 is substantially identical to clamping member 40 except that center section 112 is slightly larger than center section 42 to compensate for the additional thickness of glazing 101 as compared to glazing 36.

As such, extending spring clip or "C" shaped clamping member 110 is comprised of a center section 112 having a lower section 113 and an upper section 118 extending transversely therefrom. Similarly, second or lower section 113 has a bead 115 extending along the length of distal end 114 of second section 113. As disclosed before, bead 115 is adapted to be registered within the grooves 71. Similarly, third or upper section 118 includes an exterior surface 119 and an interior glazing contacting surface 120, which are adapted to provide the aforementioned "low edge profile" with respect to the exterior surface of cover member 101.

Solar collector 10 preferably includes a pressure relief system to compensate for the changes in internal and ambient pressures due to the heating and/or cooling of the solar collector assembly, and the like. As such, such a pressure relief system can consist of small vent holes formed in sidewalls 66 or bottom wall 67 to provide communication between the interior of housing 65 and the ambient atmosphere. Alternatively, solar collector assembly may be equipped with a passageway through housing 65 in combination with a regenerative desiccant system similar to that set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,429, issued on Nov. 9, 1976.

Solar collector assembly 10 may be used in conjunction with closed loop or open loop circulation systems as is known in the art.

It is apparent that within the scope of the present invention, modification and different arrangements can be made other than as herein disclosed. The present disclosure is merely illustrative, with the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention described herein is readily applicable to the production and employment of solar energy collecting systems.