The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 09, 2013
Filed:
Mar. 16, 2011
Randall B. Olsen, Carlsbad, CA (US);
Randall B. Olsen, Carlsbad, CA (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
In one embodiment, a solar collector assembly includes a sealed and inflated cylindrical-tube shaped housing, the tube housing including a bottom cylindrically-trough shaped reflector portion having a reflection surface extending along a longitudinal length. The reflection surface is made of a relatively thin and flexible metalized polymer film. A top cylindrically-shaped transparent polymer film sheet portion is made of a relatively thin and flexible polymer film, the top and bottom sheet portions forming a pressure sealed cylindrical tube housing when the respective ends of the top and bottom films are sealed together and the tube housing is inflated with a gas so that the top transparent film portion passes solar energy to the reflection surface. A receiver tube is disposed longitudinally above the reflection surface in a focal line or focal plane of the cylindrical-trough shaped reflector portion, the absorber tube extending along the longitudinal length of the reflection surface, the absorber tube containing a first heat transfer fluid for absorbing solar energy reflected from the reflection surface to the focal line or focal plane. A passive cooling component including a partially hollowed wall structure extends below and longitudinally along the bottom cylindrical shaped housing wherein the hollowed wall structure includes multiple cooling loop convection cells formed within the hallowed wall structure.