Toward a best-form CPC-like nonimaging optical concentrator
Optics Express
|December 16, 2022
Summary
Optimized spline concentrators (OSCs) significantly reduce light ray rejection compared to compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs). These novel OSCs achieve record-high acceptance efficiencies, offering superior solar energy collection without increased length.
Area of Science:
- Optical engineering
- Solar energy concentration
Background:
- Compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) are widely used for light concentration.
- Improving the efficiency of CPCs while maintaining their length is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and present numerically optimized spline concentrators (OSCs) that surpass CPC performance.
- To reduce light ray rejection and enhance acceptance efficiency in finite-length concentrators.
Main Methods:
- Numerical optimization of axisymmetric concentrator profiles using variable-offset splines.
- Perturbation of the revolved CPC profile in tangent-normal space.
- Analysis of ray rejection and acceptance efficiency for different acceptance angles.
Main Results:
- Near-ideal axisymmetric optimized spline concentrators (OSCs) were developed.
- Ray rejection was reduced to nearly half that of CPCs without increasing concentrator length.
- Achieved a record 99.3% acceptance efficiency for a 45° acceptance angle.
Conclusions:
- OSCs represent a significant advancement over CPCs for light concentration.
- The presented design curves enable the generation of best-form OSCs for various acceptance angles (10°-45°).
- OSCs offer a pathway to more efficient solar energy harvesting devices.
