Aplanatic solar concentrators for tubular absorbers

Area of Science:

• Solar energy engineering
• Optical physics
• Thermal power generation

Background:

• Existing aplanatic solar concentrators were designed for flat absorbers, limiting their efficiency when applied to tubular absorbers.
• Previous research on dual-mirror aplanats for solar thermal power overlooked certain configurations and high-performance designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel class of linear (2D) dual-mirror aplanats specifically optimized for tubular absorbers in solar concentrators.
• To identify and analyze previously unrecognized designs and high-performance configurations within this new class of aplanats.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical development of a new class of linear dual-mirror aplanatic designs.
• Optical analysis to determine intercept factors and concentration ratios.
• Evaluation of practical mirror contours and assembly feasibility for thermal power applications.

Main Results:

• Achieved intercept factors exceeding 0.9 at concentration values up to 55.
• Demonstrated practical mirror contours and assemblies for these high-performance solar concentrators.
• Identified superior configurations compared to previous aplanatic designs applied to tubular absorbers.

Conclusions:

• The developed dual-mirror aplanats represent a significant advancement for solar thermal power concentrators using tubular absorbers.
• These new designs offer improved performance over conventional parabolic troughs and prior aplanatic concentrators not optimized for tubular receivers.