US20070034205A1 - Solar parabolic trough, receiver, tracker and drive system - Google Patents
Solar parabolic trough, receiver, tracker and drive system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070034205A1 US20070034205A1 US11/500,797 US50079706A US2007034205A1 US 20070034205 A1 US20070034205 A1 US 20070034205A1 US 50079706 A US50079706 A US 50079706A US 2007034205 A1 US2007034205 A1 US 2007034205A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- receiver tube
- receiver
- motor
- fluid
- tube
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
- F24S20/00—Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments
- F24S20/20—Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
- F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
- F24S30/40—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement
- F24S30/42—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with only one rotation axis
- F24S30/422—Vertical axis
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
- F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
- F24S2030/10—Special components
- F24S2030/13—Transmissions
- F24S2030/133—Transmissions in the form of flexible elements, e.g. belts, chains, ropes
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
- Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking
Definitions
- the apparatus as depicted in FIG. 1 . 0 integrates the receiver tube as a support for the parabolic trough and by bifurcating the fluid path in the receiver tube, the fluidic hoses remain fixed with no movement which reduces cost. Maintenance is minimized by stationary hoses.
- the drive mechanism is weight reduced by drum and cable integrated around the receiver which gives the unit freeze protection and/or high temperature protection at low cost.
- the sun tracking electronics split the sun's radiation with a fixed nose between the optical sensors just as the human nose between the eyes does. This feature removes calibration and maintenance.
- the parabolic mirror is of silver on Mylar which reduces initial cost and is repaired via a band-aid concept reducing initial cost and maintenance costs.
- FIG. 1 Solar Trough Assembly with integrated receiver mount and motor drive.
- FIG. 1 depicts a view of the trough built of a parabolic shaped aluminum with reflective silver membrane bonded to metal or plastic.
- the low cost and light weight Parabolic trough body rotates around the outside of the receiver tube tracking the sun and focusing the suns rays on to a selective coating on the receiver tube.
- This implementation supports polar mounting or east-west or north-south mountings. In the polar mount the receiver tube will receive 20 percent more solar insolation than in the conventional east-west or north-south mountings during the spring and summer months.
- FIG. 2 Depicts the motor, drum and cable that drive the Parabolic Trough around the receiver tube.
- the cable is wrapped around the drum, which is attached to the trough body.
- the motor is attached to the receiver tube.
- FIG. 3 Depicts the receiver tube construction details. Incoming fluids are routed around the center tube in a spiral motion to lengthen the fluids time to transverse the length of the bifurcated receiver tube where the fluid is returned inside the center tube and exits the stationary end of the receiver tube.
- This application integrates multiple components; tracker, motor drive, receiver and trough body that makeup the mirror and its support of a Solar Parabolic Trough into one entity to reduce costs and increase performance. Performance is increased by configuring the fluid path with a helix spiral that effectively triples the receiver tubes length of time to receive energy while reducing the actual receiver length by two thirds.
- Incoming heat transfer medium enters at number 1 to be heated.
- the spiral looping path around the exit tube labeled as number 2 effectively increases the length of travel for the heat transfer medium which increases time to absorb more energy than a straight pipe.
- the heat transfer medium is channeled into the center of the pipe for a direct and shorter time to exit once the heat transfer medium is heated.
- the bifurcated channel that has a longer time to transverse and a shorter time to return is the major performance improvement of the receiver tube.
- an inner tube number 2 with a rigid standoff number 3 and finally encased with an outer tube number 5 makes for a more rigid receiver tube that can be used as its own support and less sag so as to maintain optical alignment with the trough body that rotates around the receiver tube.
- the outer tube number 5 is mounted rigidly so no fluid path tubes require movement and eliminates swivel fluid joints.
- the motor drive assembly is mounted to the parabolic trough body by attaching to the receiver tube number 1 .
- the drum number Sis bolted to the body of the trough frame by number 6 holes in the drum number 5 .
- a bearing surface number 7 is dimensioned to fit the receiver tube number 1 .
- an insert can be fitted at number 7 .
- the motor mount block 4 is securely mounted to the receiver tube number 1 .
- the motor's drum number 3 imparts motion to the cable number 2 that is wrapped around the drum number 5 .
- the drum number 5 floats of a bearing surface around the receiver tube number 1 .
- This embodiment of the apparatus allows for slippage on the motor drum number 3 when overloading should occur. No timing or alignment is required as the system is self recovering. Heating for the motor for cold weather conditions is accomplished by scaling number 5 to conduct via cross-sectional area of number 5 . High temperature operation is accommodated by using an insulating material for number 5 . By mounting the sun tracker to the trough body alignment is maintained on the receiver tube number 1 .
Abstract
This invention integrates the receiver as a support with improved performance and rigidity and eliminates moving fluidic components that increase the units overall reliability and lowers construction costs. The cable drive mount system provides foul weather operation coupled with a slip clutch for un anticipated loads. Integrating the sun tracker into the parabolic trough body eliminates the need for timing and calibration.
Description
- Provisional Patent 60/708172 Aug. 15, 2005
- Not applicable
- Not applicable
- Cost Reduced total System through Component Integration and Stationary Fluidic Hoses
- The apparatus as depicted in
FIG. 1 .0 integrates the receiver tube as a support for the parabolic trough and by bifurcating the fluid path in the receiver tube, the fluidic hoses remain fixed with no movement which reduces cost. Maintenance is minimized by stationary hoses. The drive mechanism is weight reduced by drum and cable integrated around the receiver which gives the unit freeze protection and/or high temperature protection at low cost. The sun tracking electronics split the sun's radiation with a fixed nose between the optical sensors just as the human nose between the eyes does. This feature removes calibration and maintenance. The parabolic mirror is of silver on Mylar which reduces initial cost and is repaired via a band-aid concept reducing initial cost and maintenance costs. -
FIG. 1 . Solar Trough Assembly with integrated receiver mount and motor drive.FIG. 1 . depicts a view of the trough built of a parabolic shaped aluminum with reflective silver membrane bonded to metal or plastic. The low cost and light weight Parabolic trough body rotates around the outside of the receiver tube tracking the sun and focusing the suns rays on to a selective coating on the receiver tube. This implementation supports polar mounting or east-west or north-south mountings. In the polar mount the receiver tube will receive 20 percent more solar insolation than in the conventional east-west or north-south mountings during the spring and summer months. -
FIG. 2 . Depicts the motor, drum and cable that drive the Parabolic Trough around the receiver tube. The cable is wrapped around the drum, which is attached to the trough body. The motor is attached to the receiver tube. -
FIG. 3 . Depicts the receiver tube construction details. Incoming fluids are routed around the center tube in a spiral motion to lengthen the fluids time to transverse the length of the bifurcated receiver tube where the fluid is returned inside the center tube and exits the stationary end of the receiver tube. - This application integrates multiple components; tracker, motor drive, receiver and trough body that makeup the mirror and its support of a Solar Parabolic Trough into one entity to reduce costs and increase performance. Performance is increased by configuring the fluid path with a helix spiral that effectively triples the receiver tubes length of time to receive energy while reducing the actual receiver length by two thirds.
- Refer to
FIG. 1 for the following description. Incoming heat transfer medium enters atnumber 1 to be heated. As the heated fluid is guided bynumber 3, the spiral looping path around the exit tube labeled asnumber 2, effectively increases the length of travel for the heat transfer medium which increases time to absorb more energy than a straight pipe. At the end of the receiver tube labeled as 4, the heat transfer medium is channeled into the center of the pipe for a direct and shorter time to exit once the heat transfer medium is heated. The bifurcated channel that has a longer time to transverse and a shorter time to return is the major performance improvement of the receiver tube. The construction of aninner tube number 2 with arigid standoff number 3 and finally encased with anouter tube number 5 makes for a more rigid receiver tube that can be used as its own support and less sag so as to maintain optical alignment with the trough body that rotates around the receiver tube. Theouter tube number 5 is mounted rigidly so no fluid path tubes require movement and eliminates swivel fluid joints. - Refer to
FIG. 2 for the following description. The motor drive assembly is mounted to the parabolic trough body by attaching to thereceiver tube number 1. The drum number Sis bolted to the body of the trough frame bynumber 6 holes in thedrum number 5. Abearing surface number 7 is dimensioned to fit thereceiver tube number 1. For high temperature operation an insert can be fitted atnumber 7. Themotor mount block 4 is securely mounted to thereceiver tube number 1. When the tracker provides bi-directional movement to the motor, the motor's drum number3 imparts motion to the cable number2 that is wrapped around thedrum number 5. Thedrum number 5 floats of a bearing surface around thereceiver tube number 1. Motion to the trough body that is bolted to thedrum number 5, via the twobolts number 6. This embodiment of the apparatus allows for slippage on themotor drum number 3 when overloading should occur. No timing or alignment is required as the system is self recovering. Heating for the motor for cold weather conditions is accomplished by scalingnumber 5 to conduct via cross-sectional area ofnumber 5. High temperature operation is accommodated by using an insulating material fornumber 5. By mounting the sun tracker to the trough body alignment is maintained on thereceiver tube number 1.
Claims (3)
1. Heat transfer is increased to the fixed receiver tube with it's stationary fluid connections by sweeping the trough's concentrated line of light focus around the exterior of the receiver tube every ⅓ of a second with a rocking-chair action, which effectively increases the cross-sectional area for heat transfer;
2. The receiver tube with a spiral fluid path increases the length of travel through the bifurcated receiver tube which increases the dwell time for the fluid to absorb heat and the short center tube rushes the heated fluid in as shortest time out of the receiver tube;
3. By attaching the motor or the motor drive system to the receiver tube, the motor can be heated for cold weather operation and isolated for extremely hot fluid operation via an insulating ring, and where by the apparatus with integrated drive cable, capstan or motor eliminates timing and calibration issues as the unit is self recovering and has a slip clutch mechanism to protect against unexpected loads.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/500,797 US20070034205A1 (en) | 2005-08-15 | 2006-08-08 | Solar parabolic trough, receiver, tracker and drive system |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US70817205P | 2005-08-15 | 2005-08-15 | |
US11/500,797 US20070034205A1 (en) | 2005-08-15 | 2006-08-08 | Solar parabolic trough, receiver, tracker and drive system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20070034205A1 true US20070034205A1 (en) | 2007-02-15 |
Family
ID=37741462
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US11/500,797 Abandoned US20070034205A1 (en) | 2005-08-15 | 2006-08-08 | Solar parabolic trough, receiver, tracker and drive system |
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Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100002237A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Solar concentrator testing |
US20100000594A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Solar concentrators with temperature regulation |
US20100004797A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Placement of a solar collector |
US20100000522A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Mass producible solar collector |
US20100000517A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Sun position tracking |
US20100006139A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-14 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Light beam pattern and photovoltaic elements layout |
US8253086B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2012-08-28 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Polar mounting arrangement for a solar concentrator |
US9581678B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2017-02-28 | Array Technologies, Inc. | Torque limiter devices, systems and methods and solar trackers incorporating torque limiters |
-
2006
- 2006-08-08 US US11/500,797 patent/US20070034205A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100002237A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Solar concentrator testing |
US20100000594A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Solar concentrators with temperature regulation |
US20100004797A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Placement of a solar collector |
US20100000522A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Mass producible solar collector |
US20100000517A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-07 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Sun position tracking |
US20100006139A1 (en) * | 2008-07-03 | 2010-01-14 | Greenfield Solar Corp. | Light beam pattern and photovoltaic elements layout |
US8229581B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2012-07-24 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Placement of a solar collector |
US8253086B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2012-08-28 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Polar mounting arrangement for a solar concentrator |
US8345255B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2013-01-01 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Solar concentrator testing |
US8450597B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2013-05-28 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Light beam pattern and photovoltaic elements layout |
US8646227B2 (en) | 2008-07-03 | 2014-02-11 | Mh Solar Co., Ltd. | Mass producible solar collector |
US9581678B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2017-02-28 | Array Technologies, Inc. | Torque limiter devices, systems and methods and solar trackers incorporating torque limiters |
US10042030B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2018-08-07 | Array Technologies, Inc. | Torque limiter devices, systems and methods and solar trackers incorporating torque limiters |
US10809345B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2020-10-20 | Array Technologies, Inc. | Torque limiter devices, systems and methods and solar trackers incorporating torque limiters |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- INCOMPLETE APPLICATION (PRE-EXAMINATION) |