Claims
- 1. A power generating system, comprising an evaporator and a condenser fluidly connected in a closed-loop by a high pressure conduit and a low pressure conduit, a frame for supporting said evaporator in a position exposed to solar energy and for supporting said condenser in a large heat sink.
- 2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said large heat sink comprises a body of water.
- 3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said frame is permanently mounted to the floor of the body of water.
- 4. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said frame comprises a floating structure that rises and falls with any tidal action.
- 5. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said evaporator is positioned above said condenser to provide at least some shading to said condenser.
- 6. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said condenser comprises a plurality of fluid-communicating condenser tubes arranged in a pattern and having appropriate dimensions to thermodynamically optimize the exchange of heat between said refrigerant and said body of water.
- 9. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said evaporator comprises a plurality of evaporator tubes arranged in a pattern and having appropriate dimensions to thermodynamically optimize the absorption of solar energy into said refrigerant.
- 10. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said evaporator is positioned within a collector housing whose upper surface comprises a transparent or translucent material to achieve a greenhouse effect about said evaporator and thereby minimize undesired heat loss from said evaporator.
- 11. A method for electrical power generation, comprising the steps of:
employing solar energy to evaporate a refrigerant from a liquid state to a high pressure gaseous state; flowing the high pressure gaseous refrigerant through a prime mover operatively connected to an electrical power generator to generate electrical power; and employing a large heat sink to condense the refrigerant to a liquid state.
- 12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein said large heat sink comprises a body of water.
- 13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the step of shadowing a portion of the body of water that is utilized to condense the refrigerant.
- 14. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the steps occur on a frame floating in the body of water.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application entitled “Solar-Based Power Generating System”, filed Mar. 8, 2001, Serial No. 60/274,085, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60274085 |
Mar 2001 |
US |