Abstract:
An inflatable solar collector which includes two interconnected flexible plastic sheets that define therebetween a manifold having multiple parallel fluid medium flow channels, and multiple flexible plastic covering sheets which are interconnected with either the respective manifold-forming sheets or with themselves to define multiple insulation zones on the top and bottom of the manifold. The flexible plastic covering sheets are suitably connected both at their peripheries and along interior lines to either the manifold-forming sheets or to each other to create a matrix construction for the collector that will provide great strength when the collector is inflated. Fluid medium inlet and outlet tubes are sealingly connected to communicate with diagonal opposite sides of the manifold.