HIGH-FLUX SOLAR CONCENTRATION WITH IMAGING DESIGNS

Abstract Most large solar concentrators designed for high flux concentration at high collection efficiency are based on imaging primary mirrors and nonimaging secondary concentrators. In this paper, we offer an alternative purely imaging two-stage solar concentrator that can attain high flux concentration at high collection efficiency. Possible practical virtues include: (1) an inherent large gap between absorber and secondary mirror; (2) a restricted angular range on the absorber; and (3) an upward-facing receiver where collected energy can be extracted via the (shaded) apex of the parabola. We use efficiency–concentration plots to characterize the solar concentrators considered, and to evaluate the potential improvements with secondary concentrators.

[1]  Roland Winston,et al.  Test of a “trumpet” secondary concentrator with a paraboloidal dish primary , 1986 .

[2]  Harald Ries,et al.  New high-flux two-stage optical designs for parabolic solar concentrators , 1993 .

[3]  H.William Prengle,et al.  Optical and thermal analysis of a cassegrainian solar concentrator , 1979 .

[4]  A. Rabl.  Concentrating Solar Collectors , 1985 .

[5]  Harald Ries,et al.  Optimized compact secondary reflectors for parabolic troughs with tubular absorbers , 1997 .

[6]  Hitoshi Naito,et al.  Development of a solar receiver for a high-efficiency thermionic/thermoelectric conversion system , 1996 .

[7]  Ari Rabl,et al.  Radiation transfer through specular passages—a simple approximation , 1977 .

[8]  Ari Rabl,et al.  Comparison of solar concentrators , 1975 .

[9]  Glen Johnston,et al.  Flux Mapping the 400 m2 “Big Dish” at the Australian National University , 1995 .

[10]  Harald Ries,et al.  Compact high-flux two-stage solar collectors based on tailored edge-ray concentrators , 1996 .

[11]  H. Arashi,et al.  Solar-pumped laser and its second harmonic generation , 1993 .

[12]  Roland Winston,et al.  High Collection Nonimaging Optics , 1989, Other Conferences.

[13]  W. A. Baum,et al.  Basic optical considerations in the choice of a design for a solar furnace , 1958 .

[14]  R Winston,et al.  Design Of nonimaging concentrators as second stages in tandem with image-forming first-Stage concentrators. , 1980, Applied optics.

[15]  U. Groer,et al.  Experimenting with concentrated sunlight using the DLR solar furnace , 1996 .