MISALIGNMENT EFFECTS IN A POINT FOCUS SOLAR CONCENTRATOR

摘要

A ring array concentrator and fiber optic transmission system has been proposed for high-temperature terrestrial and space applications, such as solar surgery and sintering of lunar regolith. This paper describes variation in system performance as a function of the pointing error associated with tracking misalignment. The concentrator comprises a nested set of reflective rings focusing solar energy to the inlet of a tailored fiber optic bundle. Energy is transported through the bundle and directed at a target where high heat flux is needed. Two collector geometries of 0.6 m and 1 m diameter are considered. Power at inlet to the fiber optic cable and optical efficiency of the system are estimated using a ray trace analysis and the results compared.