A solar thermal collector and an accessory structure of a building are provided. The solar thermal collector includes at least one heat absorbing plate and at least one heat insulating plate. Each of the heat absorbing plate includes at least one first slab and first engaging parts connected with the first slab. Each of the heat insulating plate includes at least one second slab and second engaging parts connected with the second slab. The first engaging parts are respectively engaged with the second engaging parts, and a gap is maintained between the first slab and the second slab to define a heat collecting channel, through which a heat transfer fluid flows between the heat absorbing plate and the heat insulating plate. A heat conductivity of the heat absorbing plate is at least 30 times greater than a heat conductivity of the heat insulating plate.

A solar heating system for heating domestic water or a heat transfer heating fluid has at least one external heating element which receives solar energy. The heating element is in the form of a panel which is formed by a first plate and a second plate which is connected to the first plate, the first and second plates being symmetrically profiled so as to form, outside contact zones between the first plate and the second plate, a flow channel for the passage of the domestic water or the heat transfer heating fluid which is to be heated and which flows in the panel. The first plate and second plate are deep-drawn from steel and connected to each other by laser welding over the entire surface of the contact zones. At least one of the first plate or the second plate has been subjected to surface texturing by laser processing.

A solar reactor useful in reaction processes, more particularly, useful in endothermic reaction processes, such as a catalyzed process or an adsorption-desorption process. The reactor comprises a reaction pathway defined by an exterior wall and an interior wall, the exterior wall comprising a solar radiation receiver capable of converting solar radiation into heat and transmitting the heat to the reaction pathway. The reaction pathway has disposed therein, in alternating fashion, a plurality of reactive elements comprised of a catalyst or a sorbent and a plurality of heat transfer elements.

A plate heat exchanger for solar heating includes a plurality of channels extending between an inlet and an outlet for conducting a heat transferring fluid. The plurality of channels is defined between a first plate and a second plate, the first and second plates being formed by stainless steel. Each of the plurality of channels has a single-curved extension between the inlet and the outlet as seen in a plane corresponding to the major surface extension of the first and second plates. Each of the plurality of channels has along at least a portion of its longitudinal extension a triangular or a chamfered triangular cross-section or a parallelogram or a chamfered parallelogram cross-section. The side walls of two adjacent channels define an angle corresponding to, or smaller than, 100 degrees and more preferred smaller than 90 degrees.

Systems and methods for collecting solar energy and ambient heat are provided. A roof panel includes a metal sheet disposed about an upper end of the roof panel. Heat insulation is disposed below the metal sheet. At least one hot air duct and at least one cold air duct are each formed parallel to a rafter direction and in the plane of the roof panel. Each hot air duct is exposed to a surface of the metal sheet, and each cold air duct is encompassed by the heat insulation. A medium collectively fills the air ducts. A lower air reversing chamber is formed at a lower end portion of the roof panel, and an upper air reversing chamber is formed at an upper end portion of the roof panel. A cooling device is disposed in the upper air reversing chamber.

An energy collector is disclosed. The energy collector contains an absorber and a working fluid. The working fluid is held in a state of two-phase equilibrium to minimize sensible heating and thus heat losses to the environment. The energy collector may be held under a vacuum to further prevent heat losses to the ambient environment. One or more energy collectors may be connected to other energy collectors, end uses, or thermal energy storage.

A solar thermal collector and an accessory structure of a building are provided. The solar thermal collector includes at least one heat absorbing plate and at least one heat insulating plate. Each of the heat absorbing plate includes at least one first slab and first engaging parts connected with the first slab. Each of the heat insulating plate includes at least one second slab and second engaging parts connected with the second slab. The first engaging parts are respectively engaged with the second engaging parts, and a gap is maintained between the first slab and the second slab to define a heat collecting channel, through which a heat transfer medium flows between the heat absorbing plate and the heat insulating plate. A heat conductivity of the heat absorbing plate is at least 30 times greater than a heat conductivity of the heat insulating plate.

A plate heat exchanger for solar heating includes a plurality of channels extending between an inlet and an outlet for conducting a heat transferring fluid. The plurality of channels is defined between a first plate and a second plate, the first and second plates being formed by stainless steel. Each of the plurality of channels has a single-curved extension between the inlet and the outlet as seen in a plane corresponding to the major surface extension of the first and second plates. Each of the plurality of channels has along at least a portion of its longitudinal extension a triangular or a chamfered triangular cross-section or a parallelogram or a chamfered parallelogram cross-section. The side walls of two adjacent channels define an angle corresponding to, or smaller than, 100 degrees and more preferred smaller than 90 degrees.

An energy collector is disclosed. The energy collector contains an absorber and a working fluid. The working fluid is held in a state of two-phase equilibrium to minimize sensible heating and thus heat losses to the environment. The energy collector may be held under a vacuum to further prevent heat losses to the ambient environment. One or more energy collectors may be connected to other energy collectors, end uses, or thermal energy storage.

The subject of the present application is an arrangement of sandwich panels already used in buildings in a way that makes them capable of collecting solar radiation and ambient heat and transferring the energy out of the roof. The structural elements of the present invention consist of a heat insulating core sandwiched between external and internal sheets with load-bearing capacity, similar to the make-up of the known load-bearing sandwich panels. Whether the sheet profiles are placed in the direction of the ridge beam or of the rafters, with the appropriate set of them, hollow structure is created on the surface and in the core of the panel in the direction of the rafters, in the entire length of the roof, functioning as pathways for gaseous materials (air ducts (1, 4)). If these air ducts, both external and in the core, are connected at the end facing each other, i.e. at the upper air turn chamber (8), the substance in them will start to flow on its own using solely gravitational forces in reaction to heat reaching the panel's external surface, i.e. the external profiled metal sheet (2). If a given point of the panel is cooled by heat exchanger (6), the spontaneous flow will remain continuous. Cooling transports the heat collected in the air ducts (hot air duct (1) and cold air duct (4)) out of the system, and this heat is utilized to provide for our energy needs. The subject of the application is, therefore a sandwich panel which functions as a thermal collector, hereinafter heat collector sandwich panel (3), which serves as the roof structure of a building, or is an integral part of the roof structure and meets without fail all protection requirements set for roof constructions. Due to its special design it is capable of collecting ambient heat, and transferring this heat to heat storage by the use of compatible, known auxiliary appliances.