Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft

Rudolf Kroll

Edgard Grundmann

Herbert Heitland

Winfried Bernhardt

In a solar radiation collector composed of a mat formed of a black foil member and a radiation pervious foil member, the two members being connected together along the outer edges of the mat and at interior locations of the mat to form an inlet and outlet and an extended flow path for a fluid heat carrier medium between the inlet and outlet, the collector further including a cover connected to the mat along opposed edges thereof and arranged to be disposed in the path of solar radiation toward the mat with an air space being defined between the mat and the cover, with the connections at interior locations of the mat serving to form parallel flow channels defining portions of the flow path and extending parallel to the opposed edges of the mat along which the cover is connected such that the dimension of the mat between the opposed edges at which the cover is connected has a first value when the mat does not contain heat carrier medium and is in a flattened state and a second value less than the first value when the mat is filled with heat carrier medium and is thus in an inflated state, the cover is constructed such that when flat its dimension between the opposed edges has the first value, and the cover is provided with elements rendering it elastically resilient for causing the cover to assume an arched configuration which is concave toward the mat and defines a chamber with the mat when the dimension between the opposed edges attains the second value.

Solar radiation collector

In a solar radiation collector composed of a mat formed of a black foil member and a radiation pervious foil member, the two members being joined together along the outer edges of the mat and at interior locations of the mat to form an extended flow path and an inlet and outlet for a fluid heat carrier medium, the collector further including a cover connected to the mat along opposed edges thereof and arranged to be disposed in the path of solar radiation toward the mat with an air space being defined between the mat and the cover, with the cover being formed to define a flexible support for holding at least one radiation pervious pane and at least one reflecting panel in relative positions such that the pane, the panel and the mat constitute the legs of a triangle enclosing the air space.

A mat-shaped solar heater having multiple parallel flow channels for a heat-carrying medium. Any two adjacent ones of the flow channels have a common linear divider and at least some of the dividers terminate short of an edge of the heater. Inlet and outlet conduits communicate with the interior of the heater for allowing the medium to be introduced into and to flow out of the flow channels. Discharge conduits are provided which communicate with the interior of the heater in the region of the edge in question. When the discharge conduits are closed, the inlet and outlet conduits form the sole communication between the interior and exterior of the heater, whereas when the discharge conduits are open, the medium may flow through these discharge conduits, thereby facilitating the removal of heat-carrying medium from the interior of the heater.

Solar heater

Apparatus for producing useful heat from solar radiation and which in the operating position is oriented in an inclined plane. The apparatus includes a coilable conduit structure which is provided with an inlet and an outlet for a flowable heat carrier medium and is formed of two elongated flexible foils, with one being colored so as to absorb solar radiation, which are sealingly connected together along their edge regions and are sealingly connected together along lines in their center regions to form a plurality of parallel flow channels which extend along the longitudinal axis of the foils, and first and second transverse flow channels which connect the respective adjacent ends of said parallel flow channels together. The first transverse flow channel, which in the operating position of the apparatus is the upper transverse flow channel, is connected with an upper region of a reservoir for the flowable heat carrier medium while the second transverse flow channel, which in the operating position is the lower transverse flow channel, is connected with a lower region of the reservoir.

Apparatus for producing useful heat from solar radiation

An inlet and/or outlet manifold arrangement for use with a conduit system of a solar radiation collector. The arrangement has inlet and outlet manifolds which are held in a given position and which are connected to the conduit system, there being an inlet communicating with the inlet manifold and an outlet communicating with the outlet manifold. At least the inlet manifold is equipped with a riser having a height such that when the pressure in the conduit system exceeds a predetermined value, the riser serves as an overflow which allows liquid to escape from the inlet manifold and to flow into the outlet manifold.

Manifold arrangement

Device for producing usable heat from solar radiation comprising a carrier which is in heat conductive contact with a flowable heat carrier medium in a flexible conduit structure which has an inlet and an outlet and is on a surface of the carrier. The carrier is formed of a flexible material whereby the device including the conduit and the carrier is coilable into a roll.

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Wolfsburg, Germany

Rudolf Kroll