Photobioreactor for supplementing light to heliostat
By using heliostatin technology in the photobioreactor to dilute and fix sunlight irradiation, combined with plant fill light, the problem of insufficient lighting in the photobioreactor during high-density settings outdoors is solved, and high-density and efficient microalgae culture is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411648013.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing photobioreactors are prone to block each other when they are set up outdoors at high density, and they lack lighting, making it difficult to achieve high density and efficient production.
Heliostat technology is used to reflect sunlight to a specific direction, dilute the light, increase the lighting area, provide appropriate lighting conditions, and achieve high-density and efficient microalgae culture through the combination of heliostat and plant fill light.
The high-density setting of the photobioreactor is realized, which avoids mutual occlusion, improves lighting efficiency and productivity, meets the lighting needs of microalgae, and reduces the problem of algae's fever.
Smart Images
Figure CN120192820A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of microalgae cultivation, and particularly to a photobioreactor with heliostat supplementary lighting. Background Art
[0002] Microalgae are aquatic single-celled organisms with rich species, high growth rates, controllable growth conditions, and rich in various high-value products, having broad development prospects. A photobioreactor is a device for artificially culturing microalgae, including various types such as natural ponds, raceway pond photobioreactors, columnar photobioreactors, horizontal tube photobioreactors, and flat-plate photobioreactors. Microalgae obtain carbon dioxide, mineral nutrients, water, etc. in the algal liquid of the photobioreactor and grow through photosynthesis under light.
[0003] The light intensity suitable for the growth of microalgae is generally within the range of 1 / 10 to 1 / 30 of the sunlight intensity. Too low light intensity causes the growth rate of microalgae to be too slow, but it is easily inhibited or even killed by strong light under strong sunlight. The suitable growth temperature of common microalgae species is generally within the range of 20°C to 30°C. Too low temperature causes slow growth of microalgae, and too high temperature easily causes inactivation of microalgae. Therefore, creating suitable light and temperature conditions is required for microalgae cultivation. The light required for the operation of the photobioreactor comes from artificial light sources and / or sunlight. In the laboratory, generally, full artificial light with appropriate brightness is provided, and an appropriate temperature is provided. Under such conditions, the growth rate of microalgae is the highest.
[0004] Because the energy consumption cost of culturing microalgae with full artificial light is high, for commercially large-scale cultured microalgae, the photobioreactors are all set outdoors and mainly use sunlight for production. Under outdoor cultivation conditions, during a day, the brightness of the early morning sunlight meets the growth requirements of microalgae, but after a night of cooling, the temperature of the algal liquid is relatively low, so the growth rate of microalgae is slow. In the morning, the sunlight heats the algal liquid to the suitable growth temperature range, and both the light and temperature are more suitable for the growth of microalgae, so the growth rate is high. At noon and in the afternoon, the sunlight is too intense, and the temperature of the algal liquid rises too high under exposure to the sun, so it inhibits the growth of microalgae. Therefore, the outdoor climate and light are often not conducive to the high-speed growth of microalgae. Therefore, microalgae cultivation manufacturers generally choose areas with special climates where the temperature is relatively low but the light can meet the growth requirements of microalgae to build commercial microalgae cultivation photobioreactors on a large scale, such as Guangxi and Yunnan regions in China.
[0005] The design of outdoor-produced photobioreactors needs to meet the condition of maximizing the daylighting area under the condition that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Avoiding mutual shading is the key point. In addition to the horizontal raceway ponds and ponds, other types of photobioreactors increase the daylighting area and improve the yield by tilting or placing vertically, but they are spaced far apart from each other, occupying a large amount of land area and having low production efficiency. Because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the three-dimensional photobioreactors are all prone to form different mutual shading effects on productivity at different time periods, and it is difficult to set up photobioreactors at high density.
[0006] After consulting the prior art, there is no technical solution in the publicly available literature that uses heliostats to cooperate with photobioreactors for large-scale outdoor cultivation for daylighting.
[0007] Heliostat technology can stably reflect sunlight to a specific direction. High-density photobioreactors can be built according to the position of the light beam, and the effects of diluting sunlight, increasing the lighting area, and increasing the cultivation area can be achieved. Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a photobioreactor with heliostat supplementary lighting to solve the defects of easy mutual shading and insufficient daylighting in the high-density setting of existing photobioreactors. Summary of the Invention
[0008] Based on the defects of the prior art, the present invention intends to provide a photobioreactor system with heliostat supplementary lighting, which dilutes sunlight, fixes the irradiation position, and provides suitable lighting for the photobioreactor through a heliostat, so as to increase the construction density of the container main body of the photobioreactor and improve productivity.
[0009] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a photobioreactor system with heliostat supplementary lighting, including: a photobioreactor and a heliostat; the heliostat is arranged on the backlight side and / or the east side and / or the west side of the container main body of the photobioreactor, and the heliostat reflects sunlight and irradiates the surface of the container main body of the photobioreactor, and at least part of the light required for the operation of the photobioreactor is provided by the heliostat.
[0010] The types of photobioreactors include horizontal pipe photobioreactors, column photobioreactors, thin film bag photobioreactors, flat plate photobioreactors, etc. The composition of the photobioreactor includes a culture container main body covered with a transparent material, and supporting equipment such as control equipment for mixing algal liquid, ventilating, supplementing nutrient components, and feeding and discharging pipelines. Except for the culture container main body of the photobioreactor that needs to be set up outdoors to receive sunlight, the others can be set underground.
[0011] In the Northern Hemisphere, the backlit side of the container body of the photobioreactor is the north side, and in the Southern Hemisphere, the backlit side of the container body of the photobioreactor is the south side. The light beam reflected by the heliostat directly irradiates the surface of the container body of the photobioreactor, or irradiates the surface of the greenhouse or the plastic greenhouse, indirectly providing light for the photobioreactor inside the greenhouse or the plastic greenhouse. Other light supply ways of the photobioreactor also include direct sunlight and / or plant supplementary lights.
[0012] Further, the included angle formed by the central axis of the light beam reflected by the heliostat arranged on the east side and / or the west side of the container body of the photobioreactor and the arrangement direction of the container body of the photobioreactor is ≤ 8°.
[0013] In the Northern Hemisphere, the container body of the photobioreactor is generally built facing the south, and the long axis direction of the arrangement extends parallel to the east-west direction. The heliostats arranged on the east side and / or the west side of the arrangement matrix of the photobioreactor or the container body of the photobioreactor reflect the sunlight to form a light beam roughly eastward or roughly westward, and irradiate the container body of the photobioreactor. The central axis of the light beam and the east-west arrangement direction of the container body of the photobioreactor form a small included angle. When the included angle is ≤ 8°, according to the trigonometric function, the irradiation area of the reflector reaches more than 7 times the daylighting area, realizing 7-fold dilution of sunlight, increasing the corresponding lighting area, and reducing the problem of algal liquid heating caused by strong sunlight exposure.
[0014] The heliostat arranged on the backlit side of the container body of the photobioreactor or the arrangement matrix of the photobioreactor can irradiate the backlit side of the container body of the photobioreactor obliquely downward from the angle of the rear upper part, achieving a better lighting effect.
[0015] Further, the included angle formed by the central axis of the light beam reflected by the heliostat arranged on the east side and / or the west side of the container body of the photobioreactor and the arrangement direction of the container body of the photobioreactor is ≤ 4°.
[0016] The smaller the included angle, the more dilution times, reaching more than 14 times, and the lower the light intensity, meeting the lighting requirements of the suitable light for microalgae species with low light requirements.
[0017] Further, the light beam reflected by the heliostat covers and illuminates multiple rows and / or multiple columns of the container bodies of the photobioreactor.
[0018] The light beam reflected by the heliostat can only cover the container bodies of one row and / or one column of the photobioreactor, or a larger daylighting mirror or multiple reflectors can be set to cover the container bodies of multiple rows and / or multiple columns of the photobioreactor at the same time.
[0019] Further, the light intensity received by the front of the container body of the photobioreactor is ≤ 15% of the direct sunlight intensity.
[0020] Further, the light intensity received by the front of the container body of the photobioreactor ≤ 7% of the direct sunlight intensity.
[0021] The direct sunlight intensity can reach 100,000 to 150,000 Lux, and the suitable light intensity range for different varieties of microalgae is 3,000 Lux to 25,000 Lux. Therefore, the container body of the photobioreactor only needs to receive 2% to 17% of the sunlight intensity to meet the growth requirements of microalgae.
[0022] Preferably, the reflecting surface of the heliostat is a plane mirror or a convex mirror.
[0023] The convex heliostat can diverge the reflected sunlight to increase the lighting area and reduce the light intensity.
[0024] Further, the heliostat is arranged above the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system to block at least part of the direct sunlight on the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system.
[0025] When multiple systems are constructed adjacent to each other, the heliostat can be arranged above the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system. The main light of the photobioreactor is provided by the heliostat, reducing the situation of direct exposure. The construction of the photobioreactor is more concentrated and high-density, achieving efficient utilization of the floor area.
[0026] When the main light is provided by the heliostat, the layout of the container body of the photobioreactor no longer needs to consider the sunlight lighting characteristics, but more matches the lighting characteristics of the heliostat. The container body of the photobioreactor can be constructed only within the lighting range of the heliostat, or arranged above, on both sides and in the ground area around the lighting range of the heliostat.
[0027] Further, when the container bodies of the photobioreactor are arranged in multiple rows and / or multiple columns at intervals, the height of the container body of the photobioreactor ≥ twice the interval.
[0028] Because the heliostat can supplement the light in the shaded position of the sunlight illumination, the design of the container body of the photobioreactor can increase the height and number of layers. The area with insufficient sunlight illumination below is mainly provided with lighting by the heliostat and / or plant supplementary lights. The interval refers to the distance between the front surfaces of the light-receiving surfaces of two rows of container bodies of the photobioreactor.
[0029] Further, it also includes plant supplementary lights. The plant supplementary lights are fixed by brackets and arranged above or within the intervals of the container bodies of the photobioreactor arranged in multiple rows and / or multiple columns at intervals.
[0030] Plant fill lights can supplement artificial light to meet the needs of photobioreactors to continue to maintain light production on rainy days and at night.
[0031] Furthermore, it also includes a pulse light plant fill light, which is fixed by a bracket and arranged above or in the interval of the container body of the photobioreactor arranged in multiple rows and / or columns.
[0032] Furthermore, in the same interval, the distance between two adjacent pulse light plant fill lights arranged in a row is ≤4m.
[0033] According to the principle that photosynthesis under intermittent lighting is the same as that under continuous lighting, but the photosynthesis efficiency can be greatly improved, the use of pulsed light plant supplementary lighting can greatly save supplementary lighting energy consumption. This can solve the defects of existing microalgae cultivation facilities, such as high cost of supplementary lighting equipment, too scattered cultivation area, and high supplementary lighting energy consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the lighting principle of a horizontal pipeline photobioreactor combined with a heliostat.
[0035] Figure 2 This is a top view of the lighting principle of a horizontal pipeline photobioreactor combined with a heliostat.
[0036] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the layout of multiple rows of horizontal pipe photobioreactors, multiple heliostats and multiple pulse light plant supplementary lamps.
[0037] Figure 4 This is a top view of the layout of multiple rows of horizontal pipe photobioreactors, multiple heliostats, and multiple pulse light plant supplementary lights.
[0038] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a large-area lighting heliostat irradiating the backlight side of a photobioreactor with multiple rows of horizontal pipes.
[0039] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the layout of multiple rows of columnar photobioreactors, multiple heliostats, and multiple pulsed light plant supplementary lamps. Example
[0040] Example 1 is an example of using a heliostat to provide multi-fold diluted sunlight illumination to a horizontal pipeline photobioreactor, and using a supplementary light to provide supplementary illumination. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4。The container body 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor is fixed on the bracket 12. The container body is composed of multiple connected transparent pipes, and the algal solution is loaded in the pipes. It is controlled by the controller 14 to drive the circulation of the algal solution to flow between the aeration device 13 and the container body 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor. The long axis of the container body 11 of the photobioreactor is arranged in the east-west direction. The heliostat consists of a two-axis tracking bracket 21 fixed on the ground and a heliostat reflecting surface 22. The heliostat is arranged on the east side of the container body 11 of the photobioreactor. The two-axis tracking bracket 21 is composed of a base, a mirror frame, a tracking control system, and a two-axis motor. When the heliostat works, the tracking control system determines the position of the sun, drives the two-axis motor to achieve tracking of the sun, and determines the reflection angle. When the sun makes a diurnal motion, the azimuth of the incident light beam 01 changes at all times, but the azimuth of the irradiated light beam 02 reflected by the heliostat can be kept stable, and continuous and stable lighting of a specific area can be achieved. Generally, the usage scenario of a heliostat is front illumination. In this embodiment, since the light intensity of direct sunlight exceeds several times the suitable light intensity for the photosynthesis of microalgae, illumination can be carried out in a small-angle manner to expand the illumination area of the irradiated light beam 02 and reduce the light intensity. According to the actual measured data of the sample, when the included angle is 8°, the light intensity obtained on the front of the container body of the photobioreactor is 14% of the sunlight. When the included angle is 4°, the light intensity obtained on the front of the container body of the photobioreactor is about 7% of the direct sunlight intensity, which can meet the requirements of the optimal light intensity for various algae. Moreover, the diluted sunlight carries less heat, so it is not easy to cause the problem of growth inhibition caused by the temperature rise of the algal solution. A plurality of pulsed light plant supplementary lamps 31 are arranged in the middle of the interval between adjacent rows of the container bodies of the horizontal tubular photobioreactors, and are fixed on the bracket 32 to provide artificial light supplementation on rainy and cloudy days.
[0041] Embodiment 2 is an embodiment in which a heliostat with a large light-collecting area provides illumination for the backlight side of the container body of a horizontal tubular photobioreactor arranged in multiple rows. Refer to Figure 5, the container body 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor is fixed to the ground by brackets 12. The main container is composed of multiple connected transparent pipes. The pipes are filled with algal liquid, which is controlled by a controller 14 to drive the algal liquid to circulate between an aeration device 13 and the container body 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor. The long axis is arranged in the east-west direction, and the south-facing side is the daylighting front of the container body of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor. Behind the matrix of the container bodies 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor arranged in multiple columns in the north-south direction, heliostats with a large daylighting area are provided. It consists of a two-axis tracking bracket 21 and a heliostat reflecting surface 22. The heliostat tracks and reflects sunlight to irradiate the matrix of the container bodies 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor arranged in multiple columns in the front lower part. It provides supplementary lighting for the backlight side of the container body 11 of the horizontal tubular photobioreactor. When the heliostat reflecting surface 22 is a plane mirror, the reflected light intensity is close to the sunlight intensity. When the heliostat reflecting surface 22 is a convex mirror, the reflected light intensity is lower than the sunlight intensity, achieving the effects of reducing the area of the heliostat reflecting surface 22, expanding the lighting area, and diluting the light intensity.
[0042] Embodiment 3 is an embodiment of the container body of a columnar photobioreactor arranged in multiple rows, multiple heliostats, and a pulsed light plant supplementary lamp.
[0043] Reference Figure 6 , multiple container bodies 41 of columnar photobioreactors are arranged in rows in the east-west direction and are arranged in multiple columns at intervals in the north-south direction. Multiple pulsed light plant supplementary lamps 31 are arranged in the middle intervals to provide artificial light supplementation on rainy days. The heliostat reflecting surface 22 arranged on the west side of each row of container bodies 41 of the columnar photobioreactor reflects the light beam to dilute the sunlight illumination of multiple container bodies 41 of the columnar photobioreactor at a small angle from the side.
[0044] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles applied. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described here. Various obvious changes, readjustments, combinations with each other, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Without departing from the concept of the present invention, more other equivalent embodiments can be included, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A photobioreactor system with heliostat lighting, characterized in that: include: Photobioreactor and heliostat; the heliostat is arranged on the backlight surface and / or the east side and / or the west side of the container body of the photobioreactor, the heliostat reflects sunlight to illuminate the surface of the container body of the photobioreactor, and at least part of the illumination required for the operation of the photobioreactor is provided by the heliostat.
2. A heliostat light supplement photobioreactor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central axis of the light beam reflected by the heliostat arranged on the east side and / or the west side of the photobioreactor container body and the arrangement direction of the photobioreactor container body form an angle of ≤8°.
3. The photobioreactor system with heliostat light supplement according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light beam reflected by the heliostat covers and illuminates the container bodies of multiple rows and / or columns of the photobioreactor.
4. A photobioreactor system for supplementing light with a heliostat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The light intensity received by the front side of the container body of the photobioreactor is ≤15% of the direct sunlight intensity.
5. A photobioreactor system for heliostat light supplementation according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The heliostat is disposed above the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system to shield at least part of the direct sunlight from the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system.
6. A photobioreactor system for heliostat light supplementation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The heliostat is disposed above the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system to shield at least part of the direct sunlight from the container body of the photobioreactor of the adjacent system.
7. A photobioreactor system for supplementing light with a heliostat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the container bodies of the photobioreactor are arranged in multiple rows and / or multiple columns with intervals, the height of the container bodies of the photobioreactor is ≧ twice the interval.
8. The photobioreactor system for heliostat light supplementation according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the container bodies of the photobioreactor are arranged in multiple rows and / or multiple columns with intervals, the height of the container bodies of the photobioreactor is ≧ twice the interval.
9. A heliostat light supplement photobioreactor system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The central axis of the light beam reflected by the heliostat disposed on the east side and / or the west side of the container body of the photobioreactor and the arrangement direction of the container body of the photobioreactor form an acute angle of ≤4°.
10. A photobioreactor system for heliostat light supplementation according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a pulse light plant fill light, which is fixed by a bracket and arranged above or in the interval of the container body of the photobioreactor arranged in multiple rows and / or multiple columns.