The basis of a novel method for passive solar water heating homologous to the thermosyphon but driven by induced salinity which circulates a fluid without the necessity of a mechanical pump and with inverse natural convection is outlined. The \emph{brinesyphon} operates -as its homologous thermosyphon, by harnessing the tendency of a less dense fluid to rise above a denser fluid to cause fluid motion through a collector as in a thermosyphon, but with two exceptions: buoyancy is controlled by induced salinity gradients an not by thermal gradients, and second, as result, natural convection is in the opposite direction than its homologous thermosiphon, i.e., hot fluid flows down and cold fluid rises up. A brinesyphon may be more suitable for solar domestic water-heating systems than the thermosyphon because the direction of flow allows to transport hot fluid from the roof where solar collector are placed to the bottom ( e.g., inside the house) without any kind of mechanical pumping system.

Peer Reviewed