Abstract: An element for processing solar radiation includes means for processing solar radiation forming a layer of the solar radiation processing element and includes a layer of radiation-emitting material, especially infrared radiation, covering the layer of the processing means. A sun tracker includes at least one processing element and a solar farm includes a series of sun trackers, each comprising a processing element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sunlight-guiding module (2) for a photobioreactor (1) comprising a reaction chamber (11), the module (2) comprising: —a concentrating device (21) placed outside the reaction chamber (11) in order to concentrate the sunlight into a concentrated beam; —a scattering device (24) placed in the reaction chamber (11); characterised in that the module (2) also comprises a homogenising device (22) placed between the concentrating device (21) and the scattering device (24) in order to make the concentrated beam homogeneous before the concentrated beam enters the scattering device (24). The invention also relates to a light-guiding panel (3) comprising at least two light-guiding modules (2). Finally, the invention relates to a photoreactor (1) comprising a reaction chamber (11), characterised in that it also comprises a light-guiding module (2) or panel (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a photoreactor (1) comprising a contained reaction chamber (15), wherein the chamber (15) is separated from the exterior by a light-capturing wall (11) and another wall (12), the capturing wall and the other wall being parallel to one another; characterized in that the photoreactor (1) additionally comprises a thermal valve (13) placed against the other wall (12) for passively controlling the increase in heat inside the chamber (15) due to the radiation passing through the capturing wall (11) in order to maintain the temperature in at least one part of the chamber (15) under a threshold temperature (Ts), the thermal valve (13) being made of a phase-change material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite material, a method for controlling the thermal effects generated in a physicochemical process using said material, and applications of the material and the method. The composite material comprises an active solid and a phase change material. The phase change material takes the form of micronodules having an average size of between 1 micron and 5 millimeters and it is selected from materials with a liquid/solid phase change temperature of between ?150° C. and 900° C. The active solid is selected from solids that can be used in a method involving reversible physicochemical processes that are exothermic in one direction and endothermic in the opposite direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite material, a method for controlling the thermal effects generated in a physicochemical process using said material, and applications of the material and the method. The composite material comprises an active solid and a phase change material. The phase change material takes the form of micronodules having an average size of between 1 micron and 5 millimeters and it is selected from materials with a liquid/solid phase change temperature of between ?150° C. and 900° C. The active solid is selected from solids that can be used in a method involving reversible physicochemical processes that are exothermic in one direction and endothermic in the opposite direction.

Abstract: The invention concerns a composite material comprising activated carbon and expanded graphite. The material is a block wherein the activated carbon is homogeneously and uniformly distributed in the form of microporous particles. The texture of said particles is characterised by a microporous volume W0 ranging between 0.1 cm3g−1 and 1.5 cm3g−1 and a mean pore dimension L0 ranging between 2 Å and 30 Å, the activated carbon particles have substantially the same texture wherever they are located in the composite material, the thermal conductivity levels of the material range between 1 and 100 Wm−1K−1. Said material is obtained by heat treatment of a mixture of expanded graphite and an activated carbon precursor in the presence of an activating agent at a temperature and for a time interval sufficient to obtain a wear rate of the activated carbon precursor ranging between 5 and 70% by mass.

Abstract: The invention concerns a composite material comprising activated carbon and expanded graphite. The material is a block wherein the activated carbon is homogeneously and uniformly distributed in the form of microporous particles. The texture of said particles is characterised by a microporous volume W0 ranging between 0.1 cm3g−1and 1.5 cm3g−1 and a mean pore dimension L0 ranging between 2 Å and 30 Å, the activated carbon particles have substantially the same texture wherever they are located in the composite material, the thermal conductivity levels of the material range between 1 and 100 Wm−1K−1. Said material is obtained by heat treatment of a mixture of expanded graphite and an activated carbon precursor in the presence of an activating temperature and for a time interval sufficient to obtain a wear rate of the activated carbon precursor ranging between 5 and 70 % by mass.

Abstract: Device for producing by chemical reaction cold and/or heat, comprising two reactors containing each an associated salt susceptible of reacting chemically with a gas and dispersed into a porous support, a housing intended to receive the gas from the reactors and a housing intended to deliver the gas to the reactors. Accordingly to the invention, the reactors are arranged in direct contact and in such a way that the heat transfer between each other takes place only by conduction. A process for implementing the chemical reactions between at least one salt and one gas within such a device to product cold and/or heat is also disclosed.

Abstract: A thermochemical system and process for producing heat and/or cold by solid-gas chemical reaction is disclosed. The system and process utilizes a reactant formed of a compressed support and at least two salts which are distributed throughout the compressed support, the salts being active towards a gas. The salts of the reactant are selected for the system and process so that in the system and process one salt will react with the gas in the reactor while the other salts in the reactant remain substantially unreacted to produce heat or cold at a first temperature or power level and, thereafter, one of the other salts of the reactant reacts with the gas to produce heat or cold at a second temperature or power level which is different from the first temperature or power level.

Abstract: Method of managing a solid/gas adsorption or thermochemical reaction, the site of which is a device comprising a reactor, which contains a solid capable of reacting with a gas, an evaporator/condenser assembly for the gas and means intended to reheat the solid, the method comprising the steps which consist in:bringing the evaporator/condenser assembly, when the latter is filled with liquid, into communication with the reactor so as to cool the evaporator,switching on the means intended to reheat the solid, so as to deliver the gas to the evaporator/condenser assembly.According to the invention, the step of switching on the means intended to reheat the solid starts before the previous step has finished.