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This article reviews selected solar energy systems that utilize solar energy for heat generation and storage. Particular attention is given to research on individual components of these systems, aimed at improving their efficiency and performance. It focuses on an analysis of the literature concerning the design of thermal storage units, with an emphasis on the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a research tool. Conclusions from scientists' research regarding the impact of tank shape, thermal insulation, flow parameters, and the use of stratification partitions on heat storage efficiency have been presented. The literature review indicates that thermal storage units play a key role in the efficiency of solar systems, and thermal stratification within them can significantly improve their performance. The methodology was based on an analysis of journals, primarily from after 2008, focusing on articles related to the application of CFD methodology in the study of solar systems and heat storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural changes in Western societies, as well as the rapid development of medical technology during the last quarter of a century, have led to many changes in the relationship between a physician and a patient. During this period, the patient's consent to treatment has proven to be an essential component of any decision relating to the patient's health. The patient's will component, as an essential element of the legality of the treatment process, is also reflected in the Polish legislation. The correct interpretation of the legal regulations and the role the patient's will plays in the therapeutic decision-making process within the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) requires the consideration of both the good of the patient and the physician's safety in terms of his criminal responsibility. Clinical experience indicates that the physicians' decisions result in the choice of the best treatment strategy for a patient only if they are based on current medical knowledge and an assessment of therapeutic opportunities. The good of the patient must be the sole objective of the physician's actions, and as a result of the current state of medical knowledge and the medical prognosis, all the conditions of the legal safety of a physician taking decisions must be met. In this paper, the authors have set out how to obtain consent (substantive consent) to treat an unconscious patient in the ICU in light of the current Polish law, as well as a physician's daily practice. The solutions proposed in the text of the publication are aimed at increasing the legal safety of the ICU physicians when making key decisions relating to the strategy of the treatment of ICU patients.