US20080184989A1 - Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications - Google Patents

Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications Download PDF

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Publication number
US20080184989A1
US20080184989A1 US11/273,166 US27316605A US2008184989A1 US 20080184989 A1 US20080184989 A1 US 20080184989A1 US 27316605 A US27316605 A US 27316605A US 2008184989 A1 US2008184989 A1 US 2008184989A1
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solar
coil
waveguide
enclosure
energy
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US11/273,166
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Travis W. Mecham
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Priority to US11/273,166 priority Critical patent/US20080184989A1/en
Priority to EP06837095A priority patent/EP1949007A4/de
Priority to AU2006315789A priority patent/AU2006315789A1/en
Priority to PCT/US2006/043390 priority patent/WO2007058834A2/en
Publication of US20080184989A1 publication Critical patent/US20080184989A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
    • F02C1/00—Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of hot gases or unheated pressurised gases, as the working fluid
    • F02C1/04—Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of hot gases or unheated pressurised gases, as the working fluid the working fluid being heated indirectly
    • F02C1/05—Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of hot gases or unheated pressurised gases, as the working fluid the working fluid being heated indirectly characterised by the type or source of heat, e.g. using nuclear or solar energy
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03D—WIND MOTORS
    • F03D9/00—Adaptations of wind motors for special use; Combinations of wind motors with apparatus driven thereby; Wind motors specially adapted for installation in particular locations
    • F03D9/007—Adaptations of wind motors for special use; Combinations of wind motors with apparatus driven thereby; Wind motors specially adapted for installation in particular locations the wind motor being combined with means for converting solar radiation into useful energy
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
    • F03G6/06—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with solar energy concentrating means
    • F03G6/064—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with solar energy concentrating means having a gas turbine cycle, i.e. compressor and gas turbine combination
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S10/00—Solar heat collectors using working fluids
    • F24S10/25—Solar heat collectors using working fluids having two or more passages for the same working fluid layered in direction of solar-rays, e.g. having upper circulation channels connected with lower circulation channels
    • 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
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
    • F24S23/79—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with spaced and opposed interacting reflective surfaces
    • 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
    • F24S30/45—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with two rotation axes
    • F24S30/452—Vertical primary axis
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
    • F24S50/20—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors for tracking
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
    • F05B2240/00—Components
    • F05B2240/90—Mounting on supporting structures or systems
    • F05B2240/96—Mounting on supporting structures or systems as part of a wind turbine farm
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
    • F24S2023/88—Multi reflective traps
    • 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
    • F24S2030/134—Transmissions in the form of gearings or rack-and-pinion transmissions
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/12—Light guides
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
    • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
    • F24S23/74—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors with trough-shaped or cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces
    • 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
    • Y02E10/44—Heat exchange systems
    • 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
    • Y02E10/46—Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines
    • 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
    • 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
    • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
    • Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a solar blackbody waveguide that captures and uses sunlight to heat a thermal working fluid, such as air or water.
  • a system of optical mirrors associated with each solar blackbody waveguide collects and concentrates the sunlight and the sunlight is then directed to the solar blackbody waveguide.
  • the system of mirrors is preferably mounted on a tower so that the system of mirrors can be moved on a dual axis to track the daily movement of the sun and can be tilted to maintain the proper orientation as the angle of the sun with the horizon changes throughout the day and the year.
  • the light rays are directed form the system of mirrors into the solar coil component of its associated solar blackbody waveguide.
  • the present invention can be used as an air preheater to heat air for use in association with a combined cycle gas turbine. If water is used as the thermal working fluid, the present invention could be used as a steam generator for use in steam cycle turbine plants or other commercial or industrial processes requiring steam.
  • thermal-solar energy technologies convert solar energy into heat which is then converted into mechanical energy and finally into electrical energy.
  • steam or Rankine cycle is the steam or Rankine cycle.
  • the low energy-density of ambient sunlight requires that the geometry of concentrator assemblies be very large. Assembling enough energy in one location to power a large heat engine has been handled by three primary methods.
  • the first method uses thermal transfer fluid to accumulate heat as it passes from one incremental heat generator to another.
  • the second method transmits large quantities of solar energy over large distances in a nearly lossless manner to a single “receiver” point.
  • the third method generates electricity using small generator systems and the total produced power is then assembled via a distributed electrical bus.
  • parabolic trough system This type of system incrementally accumulates energy by using a heat transfer fluid.
  • Sunlight is focused using a parabolic trough-shaped mirror on to a pipe containing a heat transfer fluid, typically thermal oil.
  • This hot oil is passed successively through a number of parabolic trough concentrators until the temperature of the oil is heated to approximately 390° C. (735° F.).
  • This hot oil is then passed through a heat exchanger to generate superheated steam from which electricity is generated using a conventional steam turbine.
  • the parabolic trough system has several drawbacks. This system has high thermal losses due to the fact that the oil-filled pipe at the center of the. concentrator trough is not insulated and re-radiates the accumulated heat back into space. Also, not all the solar energy incident on the pipe containing the heat transfer fluid is absorbed by the fluid. In fact, most of the energy is reflected. In addition, use of a heat exchanger in the steam generator loop increases the overall inefficiencies of the system. These components combine to limit the gains that can be acquired from magnitude-of-scale operation. In addition, there are other limitations for these implementations since these systems do not track the sun from east to west, although they do track the seasonal inclination angle. As a result, they are typically constructed with a “due-south” orientation and are most effective in the late morning to early afternoon.
  • At least two power tower systems were built in the mid 1980's to mid 1990's. This type of system concentrates sunlight over a large area by transmitting it in a lossless manner through ambient air to a receiver point located at the top of a power tower. Mirrors or heliostats are mounted on the ground surrounding the power tower. These heliostats track the sun and reflect the light from the sun up to the power tower where a thermal fluid system is located.
  • the power tower is in essence a large, fragmented collector dish distributed over a large area.
  • the heat transfer fluid is molten sodium which is heated to approximately to 570° C. (1050° F.) as it passes through the receiver at the focal point of the power tower. This thermal fluid is then passed through a heat exchanger to generate superheated steam from which electricity is generated using a conventional steam turbine.
  • the power tower system also has several drawbacks. This system has high thermal losses. With the receiver suspended in the air with limited insulation, it re-radiates accumulated heat back into space. Additionally, use of a heat exchanger in the steam generator loop increases the overall inefficiencies of the system. These thermal considerations combine to limit the gains that can be acquired from magnitude-of-scale construction and lower the overall thermal efficiency. In addition, there are other limitations for power towers since self-shadowing of the heliostats keeps them from providing power over the entire day.
  • Dish engine systems are in the advanced prototype phase with test facilities deployed in the late 1990's. These systems use an array of parabolic dish-shaped mirrors to focus solar flux to a small “receiver” located at the focal point of the parabolic mirror assembly.
  • a thermal working fluid of air or hydrogen is heated to about 750° C. (1380° F.) and used directly to generate electricity using a small turbine or Stirling Engine attached to the dish without use of a heat exchanger.
  • the electricity generated is collected using a system of electrical buses or collection systems for final connection to the utility electric grid. Due to the higher operating temperatures and elimination of heat exchangers, these systems have higher thermal efficiencies than parabolic troughs and power towers.
  • dish engine systems do not overcome the same basic drawback of the other technologies, i.e. high thermal losses with the receiver suspended in the air with limited insulation and resultant re-radiation of accumulated heat back into space. These systems can track the daily progress of the sun, and therefore, provide power for longer periods during the day.
  • turbines or Stirling Engines attached to the dish generator increases the structural load-bearing requirements of the support system.
  • the structures required to support the dish and engine can become massive and expensive to construct.
  • the present invention addresses these shortcomings by employing a solar coil that is curved into a circular, helical, or spiral shape instead of being linear.
  • Use of a curved solar coil provides for simple thermal stress relief and allows the present invention to be installed in much smaller areas and allows this system to be combined in the same area with other energy gathering technologies, such as, for example, within an existing wind power collection field.
  • the cost of land for installation is greatly reduced and the productivity per unit of collection area is increased.
  • This dual land usage also decreases the overall environmental impact on Visual Resources, since the same land can be used to co-locate solar technologies, wind technologies, or other energy production facilities.
  • this present type of invention can be added as a retrofit into existing wind power collection fields.
  • the present invention also eliminates the need for multiple towers to feed into a single solar blackbody waveguide.
  • a separate solar blackbody waveguide in association with each system of optical concentrating mirrors and designing the system so that light rays do not have to traverse the mechanism for rotating and tilting the tower, the need for light pipe is minimized or eliminated altogether and the equipment needed to direct light from the collection and concentration mirrors into the solar coils in the present invention is greatly simplified over those required in Applicant's earlier invention. This results in a large reduction in installation and maintenance costs and an increase in the overall solar-to-heat conversion efficiency.
  • the improvements in the present invention also provide for higher operating pressures and temperatures of the thermal fluid, thus permitting increases in the thermodynamic efficiency of turbine-based heat engine technologies. Since the heat is accumulated in the thermal fluid, which is transported through a series of blackbody waveguides, the present invention can be hybridized using a variety of auxiliary fuels, including coal, nuclear, natural gas, and other renewable fuel sources such as biomass and trash. This is an improvement over the Applicant's previous invention which contemplated hybridization primarily with natural gas.
  • the most complex components of the present invention i.e. those with the greatest need for maintenance, are installed above ground.
  • the equipment is less complicated and more accessible. This reduces installation and maintenance costs and associated difficulties during operation.
  • this type of installation is suitable for a wide range of terrains and is not as susceptible to damage in the event of earthquakes.
  • the present invention is a solar blackbody waveguide that is particularly suitable for high pressure, high temperature applications.
  • the solar blackbody waveguide captures and uses sunlight to heat a thermal working fluid, such as air or water. Once the thermal working fluid is heated, it can then be used in association with existing technologies.
  • the present invention can be used as an air preheater to heat air for use in association with a combined cycle gas turbine or in other industrial or commercial applications where heat, steam or hot water is needed.
  • the present invention employs a system of optical mirrors movably mounted on a tower so that the mirrors can be moved to track the daily movement of the sun across the sky due to the rotation of the earth and can be tilted to maintain the proper orientation as the angle of the sun with the horizon changes due to the annual orbit of the earth around the sun.
  • the system of optical mirrors collects and directs the concentrated light rays into a curved solar coil located above ground.
  • the curved solar coil is attached to and fixed relative to the system of mirrors so that both the solar coil and the system of mirrors are movably mounted on the tower.
  • Energy from the light rays is absorbed by the solar coil and transferred into the thermal working fluid flowing through a space provided between the solar coil and the enclosure of the solar blackbody waveguide.
  • the energy laden thermal working fluid is removed from the space at an outlet of the enclosure so that it can be used with existing technologies, as previously described.
  • FIG. 1 is a partially cut away side view of a solar backbody waveguide constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a tower structure with a movably mounted curved coil and movably mounted system of optical mirrors.
  • FIG. 2 is a front view of the system of optical mirrors taken along line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 , showing a rectangular section of the primary parabolic mirror.
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the solar blackbody waveguide shown within circle 3 of FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the solar coil of FIG. 3 , with arrows to show the path followed by light rays as the light travels within the solar coil.
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a prior art linear solar coil such as the one employed in Applicant's prior invention.
  • FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the solar coil of FIG. 4 taken along line 6 - 6 showing the solar coil to be made of circular elements and illustrated with optional fins added externally to the circular elements.
  • FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a first alternate solar coil made of square elements and illustrated with optional fins added externally to the square elements.
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a second alternate solar coil made of square elements without the addition of optional fins added externally to the square elements.
  • FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a third alternate solar coil made of diamond shaped elements.
  • FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a fourth alternate solar coil made of polygon-shaped elements and illustrated with optional fins added external to the polygon-shaped elements.
  • FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a fifth alternate solar coil made of polygon-shaped elements without the addition of optional fins added externally to the polygon-shaped elements.
  • FIG. 12 is an enlarged side view of a longitudinal portion of a sixth alternate solar coil made of elements with cross sectional areas that vary as a function of longitudinal position.
  • FIG. 13 is an enlarged side view of a longitudinal portion of a seventh alternate solar coil made of elements with continuously changing alignment as a function of longitudinal position.
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic aerial view of a typical installation of a plurality of solar blackbody waveguides employed to provide heat for a combine cycle gas turbine.
  • FIG. 15 is a schematic aerial view of a typical installation of a plurality of solar blackbody waveguides employed to provide heat for a combine cycle gas turbine shown in association with a wind powered system installed at the same location.
  • FIG. 16 a partially cut away side view of an alternate solar blackbody waveguide, showing a tower structure with a movably mounted curved coil and movably mounted system of lenses.
  • the invention 10 consists of one or more interconnected towers 12 to efficiently and effectively capture and concentrate energy in the form of solar flux and to efficiently convert this solar energy into useable forms of heat energy.
  • the lower portion 14 of each tower 12 is rigidly fixed to the ground and the upper portion 16 of the tower 12 that supports the system of optical mirrors 18 is movable relative to the lower portion 14 of the tower 12 in order to track the movement of the sun through the sky, as will be more fully described hereafter.
  • This embodiment of the invention 10 is an improvement to simple-cycle and combined-cycle gas turbine heat engines by preheating the air or thermal working fluid used prior to its introduction into the auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 of the gas turbine 22 , as will be more fully described hereafter in association with FIG. 14 .
  • the invention 10 is not limited to this application and is applicable to numerous other heating cycles using different thermal working fluids or heat transfer fluids other than air. Changes in the thermal fluid could easily be adapted for improvement to the closed, water-based Rankine Cycle of a standard steam turbine, or other commercial or industrial process requiring steam or heated water.
  • this invention 10 can be used in association with other energy gathering and concentrating technologies, such as for example wind turbines 24 .
  • Each tower 12 includes a structural foundation 26 to support the tower 12 .
  • the tower 12 is a structural element to support one or more systems of optical mirrors 18 mounted on the tower 12 .
  • FIGS. 14 and 15 As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 and as will be more fully described hereafter, a typical installation of the present invention generally will employ a large number of successively interconnected towers 12 .
  • each system of optical mirrors 18 is a modularly designed system of parabolic mirrors constructed out of optical quality reflective materials.
  • the system of optical mirrors 18 uses a reflecting geometry similar to telescope technologies known as a Cassegrain focus.
  • Cassegrain focus parallel incident light rays are reflected from a primary parabolic mirror toward a central focal point incident on a secondary hyperbolic mirror located on the common focal point. The light is then reflected from the secondary hyperbolic mirror to a focal point through a hole in the primary parabolic mirror.
  • the geometry of the system of optical mirrors 18 which is a modified Cassegrain reflector, is similar to telescopes in that parallel incident light rays 28 are reflected from a primary parabolic mirror 30 toward a common, but not centrally located focal point.
  • a secondary hyperbolic mirror 32 is used similar to a secondary mirror employed in a telescope.
  • the secondary hyperbolic mirror 32 is secured to an extension of the structural members which support the system of optical mirrors 18 which allows the secondary hyperbolic mirror 32 to be located so that it faces the primary parabolic mirror 30 .
  • the light is then reflected from the secondary hyperbolic mirror 32 to a focal point 34 through a hole 36 provided in the primary parabolic mirror 30 .
  • the system of optical mirrors 18 is different in some key aspects from the optical systems used in telescopes.
  • the section of the primary parabolic mirror 30 is rectangular rather than circular as in telescopes. This provides optimal land usage and shadowing effects. Further, the primary mirror 30 is not centered, only the upper half of the parabola is used. This prevents the primary mirror 30 from collecting water and snow as the altitude angle approaches vertical as would happen with a dish style mirror used in a telescope.
  • the concentrated light rays 40 pass through the hole 36 of the primary parabolic mirror 30 , they enter into the short optical waveguide 42 which will direct the concentrated light rays 40 into a solar coil 44 located within an enclosure 46 of the solar blackbody waveguide 10 . From the point that the concentrated light rays 40 enter the short optical waveguide 42 , the path of the concentrated light rays 40 contained within the solar blackbody waveguide 10 will be referred to as concentrated light rays 40 regardless of whether the light rays are parallel, converging or diverging.
  • the short optical waveguide 42 is a flared, external extension of the solar coil 44 that penetrates through the enclosure 46 containing the thermal fluid. This external extension 42 is designed to capture any stray concentrated light rays 40 and make sure they are directed into the coil 44 .
  • This short optical waveguide 42 is internally coated or mirrored to be highly reflective so that minimal energy is lost in any reflections that occur outside of the enclosure 46 .
  • the hyperbolic secondary mirror 32 preferably reflects the concentrated light rays 40 to a focal point 34 that is internal to the solar coil 44 and within the interior of the enclosure 46 , making the short optical waveguide 42 only necessary for capture of stray concentrated light rays 40 .
  • the concentrated light rays 40 Due to the convergence of the concentrated light rays 40 and the internally mirrored surfaced of the short optical waveguide 42 , the concentrated light rays 40 arrive at the entrance to the solar blackbody waveguide 10 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1 , 3 , and 4 , without substantive loss of energy.
  • each tower 12 is provided with a dual-axis tracking mechanism 52 .
  • Dual-axis tracking is necessary because of the different angles that the sun makes with the horizon due to the variation of the seasons and daily movement of the sun through the sky.
  • the dual-axis tracking mechanism 52 continually repositions the system of optical mirrors 18 so that it is always facing toward the sun at the optimum orientation to receive the parallel incident light rays 28 emanating from the sun.
  • the dual-axis tracking mechanism 52 consists of a first axis or altitude drive motor 54 for driving the gear drive mechanism 58 for tilting the altitude angle of the system of optical mirrors 18 relative to the horizon 56 so that the system of optical mirrors 18 directly faces the sun during all seasons of the year and second axis or azimuth drive motor 60 for rotating the system of optical mirrors 18 so that the system of optical mirrors 18 tracks the sun through its daily movement through the sky.
  • Both of the first axis or altitude drive motor 54 and the second axis or azimuth drive motor 60 are continuously controlled to maintain the system of optical mirrors 18 at approximately a 90 degree orientation to the sun's path as the earth makes its daily rotation on its axis and also makes its annual orbit around the sun.
  • the proper tracking angles are calculated from the latitude and longitude of the tower's location via a small programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls the operation of the electric motors 54 and 60 .
  • PLC programmable logic controller
  • the dual-axis tracking mechanism 52 permits the tower 12 to track the hourly movement of the sun through the sky from east to west so that the system of optical mirrors 18 always faces the sun.
  • the PLC will generally be located remotely from the tower 12 and will serve to operate the dual-axis tracking mechanisms 52 on one or more towers 12 located at an installation of the invention. As taught in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No.
  • optical angle readers will preferably be employed to track the actual azimuth and altitude angles of the system of optical mirrors 18 relative to the tower 12 .
  • the optical angle readers use an optical compact disk or CD reader to read precise angular data encoded on a compact disk or CD to keep track of the actual azimuth and altitude angles of the system of optical mirrors 18 .
  • This angular data is used in a feedback control loop to control the position of the azimuth and altitude angles of the dual-axis tracking mechanism 52 and the position of the attached system of optical mirrors 18 .
  • the concentrated light rays 40 After passing the short optical waveguide 42 , the concentrated light rays 40 enter the solar coil 44 . As illustrated in FIG. 4 , concentrated light rays 40 continue traveling in the initial straight section 48 of the solar coil 44 until they encounter an interior wall 62 of the remaining curved section 50 of the solar coil 44 . When the concentrated light rays 40 encounter the interior wall 62 , the concentrated light rays 40 bounce off of the interior wall 62 and continue through the coil 44 , repeatedly bouncing off of the interior wall 62 . Each time the concentrated light rays 40 bounce off of the interior wall 62 , some of the light rays' energy is lost in the form of heat that is transferred to the interior wall 62 .
  • the concentrated light rays 40 will continue to bounce off of the interior walls 62 until all of their energy is released in the form of heat to the interior walls 62 of the solar coil 44 . This results in a tremendous amount of heat being transferred into the interior walls 62 of the solar coil 44 .
  • This continuous loop configuration of the curved section 50 of the solar coil 44 should be compared to the linear solar coil configuration 44 P of the prior art solar blackbody waveguide 10 P illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • the prior art linear solar coil configuration 44 P was finite in length, it did not insure that all of the energy from the light rays 40 was released in the form of heat to the walls of the pipe 44 P. Also, the prior art linear solar coil configuration 44 P was extremely long and therefore required much more pipe and much more space as compared to the much more compact size of the present curved solar coil 44 .
  • the developed heat is conducted from the interior walls 62 to the external or exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 and into a heat transfer fluid that flows through the enclosure 46 that surrounds the solar coil 44 .
  • the heat transfer fluid is illustrated in the drawings by arrows associated with the numeral 64 .
  • Unheated heat transfer fluid is denoted in the drawings as 64 U and heated heat transfer fluid is denoted in the drawings as 64 H.
  • Exhaust of the heat transfer fluid from the system is denoted in the drawings as 64 E.
  • the solar blackbody waveguide 10 functions to first convert the potential energy contained in the light rays 40 to thermal energy and then serves as a heat exchanger by transferring the heat from the interior wall 62 of the solar coil 44 , through to the external wall 68 of the solar coil 44 and into the heat transfer fluid 64 that is flowing through an enclosed space 66 provided between the exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 and an interior wall 70 of the enclosure 46 .
  • the enclosure 46 is provided with an inlet 72 for admitting unheated heat transfer fluid 64 U into the enclosed space 66 .
  • the enclosure 46 is also provided with an outlet 74 through which the now heated heat transfer fluid 64 H exits the enclosed space 66 of the enclosure 46 .
  • the heat transfer fluid 64 enters the enclosure 46 via the inlet 72 , it encounters baffles 76 that are provided within the enclosed space 66 that cause the heat transfer fluid 64 to move through the enclosed space 66 and exit via the outlet 74 in a first-in, first-out flow pattern.
  • baffles 76 force the heat transfer fluid 64 to pass around the exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 where heat is transferred into the heat transfer fluid 64 from the heated exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 .
  • heat is added to the heat transfer fluid 64 as it passes through the enclosure 46 .
  • a single air compressor 80 for the heat transfer fluid 64 can provide heat transfer fluid 64 to a plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 , and a plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 can provide a single heated heat transfer fluid stream 64 H that can be connected to an auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 providing heat to a combined cycle gas turbine 22 .
  • This is done by providing an inlet header 82 that is attached to a single air compressor 80 and to the plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 and by providing an outlet header 84 that attaches to the plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 and to the auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 , then to the combined cycle gas turbine 22 .
  • the inlet header 82 provides an unheated heat transfer stream 64 U that provides heat transfer fluid 64 to the plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 .
  • the outlet header 84 receives the heated heat transfer fluid 64 from the plurality of solar blackbody waveguides 10 to form a heated heat transfer stream 64 H that is then supplied to the auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 and then to a combined cycle gas turbine 22 .
  • the solar blackbody waveguides 10 are preferably spaced apart from each other and arranged in rows 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. of interconnected solar blackbody waveguides 10 that extend between the inlet header 82 and the outlet header 84 .
  • the rows 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. of solar blackbody waveguides 10 are interconnected via their heat transfer lines 88 .
  • each row 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. connects to the enclosure outlet 74 of the last solar blackbody waveguide 10 in that row 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. and to the outlet header 84 .
  • Each of the other heat transfer lines 88 extends from the enclosure outlet 74 of an adjacent solar blackbody waveguide 10 to an enclosure inlet 72 of an adjacent solar blackbody waveguide 10 located downstream in the row's heat transfer fluid flow path.
  • the heat transfer lines 88 provide heat transfer fluid from the inlet header 82 through each row 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. of solar blackbody waveguides 10 and return the now heated heat transfer fluid from all on the rows 86 A, 86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 E, 86 F, 86 G, etc. to the outlet header 84 .
  • the collective energy from all of the solar blackbody waveguides 10 can be employed to preheat combustion air as the heat transfer fluid 64 that will be fed to the auxiliary combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 of a combine cycle gas turbine 22 .
  • the enclosure 46 is preferably insulated by adding a high temperature refractory insulation system 90 to the exterior surface 92 of the enclosure 46 to minimize heat loss.
  • the heat transfer lines 88 are similarly insulated.
  • the solar coil 44 works like a waveguide for the concentrated light rays 40 but is not lossless. Instead, the concentrated light rays 40 reflect off of the interior walls 62 of the metal solar coil 44 , losing some energy to the solar coil 44 on each reflection. This energy is absorbed by the solar coil 44 causing the temperature of the solar coil 44 to rise rapidly. Heat travels from the interior walls 62 through the solar coil 44 to the exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 . From the exterior walls 68 , the heat transfers into the heat transfer fluid or thermal working fluid 64 such as air or water passing over the exterior walls 68 of the solar coil 44 within the enclosed space 66 provided between the solar coil 44 and the enclosure 46 . As illustrated in FIG.
  • the solar coil 44 may optionally be equipped externally with thermal fins 94 to increase the effective surface area of the solar coil 44 and thus enhance the heat transfer from the solar coil 44 into the heat transfer or thermal working fluid 64 .
  • Thermal fins 94 are illustrated in FIGS. 6 , 7 , and 10 for various alternate cross sectional variations of the coil 44 configuration.
  • the cross sectional configuration of the solar coil illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 is circular, the invention is not so limited. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 11 , the cross sectional configuration of the solar coil 44 can alternately be different from circular.
  • the cross sectional configuration of a first alternate solar coil 44 ′ is square, as illustrated in FIG.
  • the cross sectional configuration of a second alternate solar coil 44 ′′ is diamond shaped, as illustrated in FIG. 9 and can be made with or without thermal fins 94 .
  • the cross sectional configuration of a third alternate solar coil 44 ′′′ can alternately be a regular polygon and can be made with fins 94 , as shown in FIG. 10 or without fins 94 , as illustrated in FIG. 11 .
  • the solar coil 44 need not be uniform in cross section along its length. And as illustrated in FIG. 13 , the solar coil 44 need not be uniform in alignment, but can vary in alignment continuously along its length, such as the curved, coiled configuration of the solar coil 44 shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the solar coil 44 acts as a solar power heating coil within the enclosure 46 . Due to the geometry of the solar coil 44 , it acts as a lossy, blackbody waveguide absorbing nearly one hundred percent (100%) of the solar energy collected and injected into the coil 44 in the form of concentrated light rays 40 .
  • the coil 44 is preferably constructed of high temperature, poly-molybdenum steel suitable for operation at temperatures above 1200° F.
  • FIG. 14 illustrates one possible use for the present invention.
  • FIG. 14 shows the invention used as a preheater for a combined cycle gas turbine 22 .
  • the preheater is that portion of FIG. 14 enclosed within the box defined by the broken line associated with the numeral 96 .
  • the compression stage, represented in FIG. 14 by the air compressor 80 , of the standard Brayton cycle gas-turbine is detached and the invention with its solar collection towers 12 and solar coils 44 are introduced as an air preheater for the air entering the auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 .
  • This preheating effect can be used to reduce the amount of natural gas or other fuel 78 burned in the production of electricity or other co-generation processes.
  • the detached air compressor 80 that supplies compressed air to the inlet header 82 can be a fan compressor type similar to those used in standard gas turbines, a screw type compressor similar to those used in natural gas pipelines, or a piston type compressor if high pressures are required. Since overall turbine efficiency is related to the compression ratio, there may be distinct advantages in using compressors 80 that are able to attain higher working pressures than possible with current turbine compressors.
  • FIG. 14 Other components of existing combine cycle technology illustrated in FIG. 14 are the air or gas turbine 22 , a steam turbine 100 , a heat recovery steam generator 102 , a water recirculation pump 104 , and a steam condenser 106 . These existing technologies are leveraged with modifications for higher compression ratios and higher efficiencies permitted by the higher operating pressures and higher operating temperatures.
  • a fuel supply controller (not illustrated) is used to modulate the fuel 78 flowing to the auxiliary fuel combustion chamber/heat exchanger 20 to provide enough differential power to maintain consistent power output from the generator system that attaches to the air and steam turbines 22 and 100 .
  • the fuel supply controller receives information from the generator system on the amount of electricity being dispatched and receives information on the amount of heat being produced by the preheater 96 prior to combustion of fuel 78 .
  • water recirculation pump 104 recirculates water from the steam condenser 106 and through the heat recovery steam generator 102 to provide steam for the steam turbine 100 .
  • FIG. 15 illustrates another possible use for the present invention.
  • FIG. 15 shows the same installation as illustrated in FIG. 14 except that this installation includes wind turbines 24 of a separate wind powered generation system that is installed on the same land where the solar collection towers 12 of the present invention are installed. These two types of technology are compatible and allows for dual usage of land for both solar and wind power collection and generation.
  • FIG. 15 illustrates the compatibility of the present invention with a wind powered generation system, the invention is not so limited as the present invention may also be compatible with other types of power generation systems, thus allowing for dual land usage.
  • each of the uses described above involve removing the transfer fluid 64 from the enclosure 46 for use in providing heat to a system located outside the enclosure 46 .
  • the invention is not so limited and the transfer fluid 64 can be used within the enclosure 46 .
  • the enclosure 46 could be a building or other type of structure
  • the heat transfer fluid 64 could be air
  • the solar blackbody waveguide 10 could be used in conjunction with the building's HVAC system as a means of heating the air within the interior of the enclosure 46 without the need to remove the air from the building.
  • FIG. 16 shows an alternate embodiment 10 A of the present invention.
  • the alternate embodiment 10 A employs a system of lenses 18 A instead of the system of optical mirrors 18 previously described in order to collect and concentrate parallel incident light rays 28 .
  • the system of lenses 18 A might consist of a primary convex lens 18 B which directs the light to a secondary concave lens 18 C which in turn directs the now concentrated light rays 40 to the solar coil 44 in a manner similar to that previously described for the preferred embodiment 10 . If the concentrated light rays 40 are focused on a focal point 34 located inside the solar coil 44 , this eliminates the need for the short optical waveguide 42 .

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  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
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  • Engine Equipment That Uses Special Cycles (AREA)
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US11/273,166 2005-11-14 2005-11-14 Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications Abandoned US20080184989A1 (en)

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US11/273,166 US20080184989A1 (en) 2005-11-14 2005-11-14 Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications
EP06837095A EP1949007A4 (de) 2005-11-14 2006-11-07 Solar-schwarzkörper-wellenleiter für hochdruck- und hochtemperaturanwendungen
AU2006315789A AU2006315789A1 (en) 2005-11-14 2006-11-07 Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications
PCT/US2006/043390 WO2007058834A2 (en) 2005-11-14 2006-11-07 Solar blackbody waveguide for high pressure and high temperature applications

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WO2018132875A1 (en) * 2017-01-19 2018-07-26 The University Of Adelaide Concentrated solar receiver and reactor systems comprising heat transfer fluid
JP2020036466A (ja) * 2018-08-30 2020-03-05 浩平 速水 収集構造

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US7873257B2 (en) 2007-05-01 2011-01-18 Morgan Solar Inc. Light-guide solar panel and method of fabrication thereof
US9337373B2 (en) 2007-05-01 2016-05-10 Morgan Solar Inc. Light-guide solar module, method of fabrication thereof, and panel made therefrom
US7991261B2 (en) 2007-05-01 2011-08-02 Morgan Solar Inc. Light-guide solar panel and method of fabrication thereof
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WO2018132875A1 (en) * 2017-01-19 2018-07-26 The University Of Adelaide Concentrated solar receiver and reactor systems comprising heat transfer fluid
JP2020036466A (ja) * 2018-08-30 2020-03-05 浩平 速水 収集構造
JP7058393B2 (ja) 2018-08-30 2022-04-22 浩平 速水 収集構造

Also Published As

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AU2006315789A1 (en) 2007-05-24
EP1949007A2 (de) 2008-07-30
EP1949007A4 (de) 2010-07-28
WO2007058834A3 (en) 2008-01-17
WO2007058834A2 (en) 2007-05-24

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