Patent ID: 7735323

Claim:
A solar thermal power generator comprising: a pressure vessel for storing a thermally-induced phase-changing working fluid; a boiler tube having an inlet end operably connected to receive a liquid phase of the working fluid from the pressure vessel, and an outlet end operably connected to return a gaseous phase of the working fluid back to the pressure vessel at an entry point below a predetermined initial liquid-phase working fluid level thereof to directly preheat the liquid phase working fluid contained therein until the liquid-phase working fluid level falls below the entry point in the course of being supplied to the inlet end of the boiler tube, wherein the entry point into the pressure vessel is located a predetermined distance below the initial liquid-phase working fluid level to cause a predetermined delay between the onset of solar heating and a maximum pressure level within the pressure vessel; a solar concentrator for concentrating solar energy on the boiler tube to thermally induce a phase change of the working fluid therein from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase; an expander operably connected to the pressure vessel to produce work using the gaseous phase working fluid received therefrom; a condenser operably connected to the expander to condense the expanded working fluid received therefrom; a collection vessel operably connected to the condenser to collect the condensed working fluid received therefrom, and operably connected to the pressure vessel to intermittently supply the collected working fluid back thereto at the end of each diurnal cycle.