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Design of
Solar energy collectors
is suggested to be possible through several approaches, with all
the approaches deriving from the flexibility offered by the
design of the solar
energy concentrator. Although, the design of collectors can
allow the conversion of the solar power within the collector
system, there are also situations when the conversion are better
effected at a remote location. In fact one such case where the
remote use of the Solar optical energy is necessary is the
photolytic chemical reactors. Therefore the design of a solar
optical energy collector with the object of collimating the
radiation into a narrow beam for transport to point-of-use
application-specific purposes can be particularly significant at
least with respect to driving photolytic chemical reactions, and
distributed power generation systems.
With respect to the
stated performance then the two primary components of the
collector at a minimum should consist of a Solar Energy
Concentrator, and a Collimator Light Tube, with the Collimating
Light Tube design-integrated within the
Solar energy concentrator.
In particular, the Collimating Light Tube must be such as
to minimize optical energy loses during transmission.
The primary
consideration in the design of this collector is the quantity of
energy that must be collected for transmission through the
Collimating Light Tube. This value determines just about the overall
configuration dimension of the collector. The Solar
Optical energy Concentrator design depends directly on this
datum. In any event, the Optical Energy Concentrator for this collector-design consideration,
is of the hemispherical
concentrator-design that concentrates the energy at a single
point. The design might even be parabolic, although this may not
necessary.
Moreover, the solar
energy reflector of the Solar Energy concentrator should also be
an optical mirror, such that all the optical energy component is
reflected preferably completely. Just as preferably, the thermal
energy component should be absorbed completely by the mirror
such that the Collimator Light Tube is not subjected to thermal
stresses, and thermal shocks. In the event that such is not
possible then, the comparative selection of the mirror should be
based on the efficiency of the mirror with respect to its
absorbance of the solar thermal energy radiation for the same
reflectivity of the optical energy. Based on the thermal energy
reflectivity of the mirror, the support base is |
designed to enable the
removal of as much of the heat
energy as is generated from the solar thermal energy absorbed by the
mirror. A necessary objective for incorporating heat removal design
into the mirror support base is the ensure that the performance of
the mirror is restricted to a very narrow range of temperature
variation, such that precision of performance obtains. The heat
removal design, however, may be designed to use a coolant which should
have high thermal conductivity as to remove the heat at a
relatively rapid rate, but most of it should have high thermal
capacitance such that while it absorbs large quantities of heat
energy its temperature does not rise sharply and therefore
effectively preventing distributed temperature conditions over the
range of the optical mirror.
Affixed to the
support base of the mirror layer is a mount-contraption for mounting
the absorber.
The Collimator Light Tube overall configuration is aimed at directing the optical
energy to be transmitted through the energy transport tube. The Collimator
Light Tube consists of a special solar concentrator, Focusing
Optical Concentrator that is designed based on the general design principles
espoused for Solar Energy
Concentrator design, a Collimating lens, and a
sustained-vacuum Light Pipe designed. The Collimating Lens is
affixed to the base of the Focusing Optical Concentrator which is attached
in its inverted form to one end of the Light Pipe, which becomes the top of the Collimator
Light Tube. At the base of the Light Pipe is affixed another optical
contraption that allows for a dynamic focus of the exit optical ray.
This optical contraption, of course, is use dependent. Further, at
the base the Light Pipe is also affixed a mount enabled with a
flange.
Design integration of the
Solar Energy Concentrator and the Collimator Light Tube is
accomplished first by having the latter affixed along the axis of
the hemispherical point concentrator. The base flange of the Light
Pipe is affixed to the Concentrator support base-mount of the
support base structure. The support mount is positioned necessarily
such that the Focusing Optical Concentrator of the Collimator Light
Tube is located
within the Solar Energy Concentrator at a point along the axis just
below the focal point of the concentrator so that the solar optical
energy as concentrated is circularly incident on the inner wall of
the Focusing Optical Concentrator; the rays are then reflected and
re-reflected into the Collimating Lens and then directed into the
Light Pipe. Of course, the base of the Light Pipe is connected to
another light-tube |
device that supports the onwards transmission of the optical
energy to the target destination.
The coolant fluid outlets of the Solar Energy Concentrator is interfaced and
connected to the inlet of the heat-removal recirculation line, while
the coolant fluids inlet is connected to the coolant supply line of
the recirculation. Under proper connection, the coolant fluid should
flow in through the inlet and out through the outlet of the
concentrator heat removal structure in continuous circulating flow.
Solar Optical Energy
Light Tubes Collectors are very useful
with respect to some of the benefits they offered in terms of
harnessing solar optical energy, and as such the design approach
proffered from interactive analysis of general application
specification clearly evolves solar optical tight-tube collector suitable for solar optical
concentration and transmission. Moreover, although traditionally
light tubes usually are designed of reflective surface for the
purpose of possibly continuous reflective-transmission of light that
gets incident on the tube-walls, the design, Collimator Light Tube,
proffered uses a light tube without that need but should still
provide high transmission rate without much energy losses, and
therefore should find uses in numerous applications.
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