1056 results about "Heliostat" patented technology

PCT No. PCT / NZ95 / 00084 Sec. 371 Date Feb. 28, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Feb. 28, 1997 PCT Filed Sep. 14, 1995 PCT Pub. No. WO96 / 08683 PCT Pub. Date Mar. 21, 1996A solar concentrator for producing usable power as heat and / or electricity uses a self-steering heliostat 1502 to concentrate solar radiation 1509 onto an absorbing surface such as, or including, a solar cell array 1511 capable of absorbing power from the radiation, meanwhile removing heat (such as from long-wave infra-red radiation or resistive losses) from the surface with fluid heat transfer means 1503, 1504, then making effective use of that low-grade heat. Thus the solar cell array is kept relatively cool and a larger proportion of the solar energy incident on the reflector unit is used. The invention uses electricity 1506 from the solar cells to move a transporting fluid through a heat exchanger 1504. Excess electricity may be available for local storage or use 1510, or feeding 1512 to the power distribution grid. Applications include warming swimming pools 1501, heating hot-water supplies using excess electricity, or warming, lighting and ventilating open spaces.

A ground-based tracking heliostat array comprises a first plurality of elongate row mounts. The elongate row mounts are positioned at least partially between, and are supported by, a first side bracket and a second side bracket. The row mounts are rotatable in a first axis. The array further comprises a plurality of optical elements that are mounted to one or more of the elongate row mounts. The array further comprises a linkage that is mechanically coupled to a first plurality of elongate row mounts. Movement of the linkage causes the first plurality of elongate row mounts to simultaneously rotate in the first axis. The array further comprises a motor configured to move the linkage.

A tracking heliostat array comprises a plurality of optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a frame separated from the optical elements. Each of the optical elements has an orientation with respect to the frame. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a plurality of supports coupled to at least one of the optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a turnbuckle coupled to at least one of the supports and to the frame. Rotation of the turnbuckle causes the corresponding support to be displaced relative to the frame. The orientation of the optical element relative to the frame is adjustable. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a traveling actuator configured to rotate at least one of the turnbuckles. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a positioning mechanism supporting the traveling actuator. The positioning mechanism is configured to move the traveling actuator from a first selected turnbuckle to a second selected turnbuckle.

The present invention relates to a simplified and lower cost two-axes tracker for solar PV (photovoltaic) or CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) solar panel, as well as heliostat solar reflectors and solar Stirling engine. In particular, the disclosure addresses a simplified and gravity centered tracker structure with low cost single or dual linear actuators mounted on the side of ground post which is easier for replacement and maintenance at lower cost.

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant that may include a solar thermal receiver having a cavity with an inner wall, where the solar thermal receiver is aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more of 1) an array of heliostats, 2) solar concentrating dishes, and 3) any combination of the two. Some embodiments may include a solar-driven chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside the cavity of solar thermal receiver, wherein a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat occurs in the multiple reactor tubes, and wherein particles of biomass are gasified in the presence of a steam (H2O) carrier gas and methane (CH4) in a simultaneous steam reformation and steam biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the solar thermal energy from the absorbed concentrated solar energy in the multiple reactor tubes.

A system architecture for large concentrated solar power applications that increases heliostat utilization efficiency and land utilization efficiency is described. Embodiments of the invention include a large heliostat field in which are distributed a number of receiving locations, and wherein there is the assignment of heliostats to receiving locations is dynamic. Embodiments of the invention include dynamically targeting heliostats to receiving locations wherein the target determination process is performed frequently during operation and wherein such dynamic targeting can be utilized to various ends. Embodiments of the invention include configurations wherein cosine losses associated with heliostat pointing are significantly reduced, wherein heliostats may be closely packed without incurring substantial shadowing and blocking losses thereby significantly increasing land utilization, and wherein other benefits are realized.

A sunlight collecting system and a solar energy utilization system which collects sunlight with the sunlight collecting system are provided, a sunlight collecting system including a solar heat collector which includes a heat collecting element which is formed by a helically wound heat exchange medium circulation pipe inside which the heat exchange medium flows, in such a way to have an incurved light receiving surface which narrows and converges towards the sunlight inlet and a sunlight collecting reflector which includes a reflector group which includes a plurality of reflector segments each of which includes a reflecting surface which makes sunlight converge on a heat collector, a sunlight collecting system in which a plurality of heliostats Bm are arranged in places which are irradiated by the sunlight between a plurality of heliostats An, in which each of the heliostats An and the heliostats Bm reflect light in a direction to a light collecting point of a heliostat group in which the heliostat is included.

Increased utilization of solar power is highly desirable as solar power is a readily available renewable resource with power potential far exceeding total global needs; and as solar power does not contribute to pollutants associated with fossil fuel power, such as unburned hydrocarbons, NOx and carbon dioxide. The present invention provides low-cost inflatable heliostatic solar power collectors, which can be stand-alone units suitable for flexible utilization in small, medium, or utility scale applications. The inflatable heliostatic power collectors use a reflective surface or membrane “sandwiched” between two inflated chambers, and attached solar power receivers which may be of photovoltaic and / or solar thermal types. Modest concentration ratios enable benefits in both reduced cost and increased conversion efficiency, relative to simple prior-art flat plate solar collectors.

The invention discloses a heliostat tracking error correction method. Based on the characteristics that a heliostat tracking deviation angle has small variation in a short time and the tracking deviation angles at the same moment in the adjacent days have small variation, an image collecting and processing system is adopted to detect and obtain the tracking deviation angles of a certain heliostat at multiple moments in the whole day, or the tracking deviation angles obtained by the heliostat at multiple moments in one day or previous days are taken as the intraday tracking deviation angle; an intraday tracking deviation curve of the heliostat is obtained by the interpolation; according to the tracking deviation curve, the current angle of the heliostat is corrected to ensure that the facula of the heliostat can basically accurately be projected to a target position. The invention obtains the tracking deviation angles at multiple moments by detection of heliostat tracking error many days a year or many times a day; the everyday corresponding tracking deviation curve of each heliostat can be found by one-year or multiple-year tracking deviation angle data analysis treatment and curve fitting; and thus, the facula of the heliostat can be projected to the target position more accurately.

The invention discloses a groove-tower combined solar-heat power generation system, which comprises a subsystem for low-temperature groove-type heat collection and low-temperature heat storage, a subsystem for high-temperature tower-type heat collection and high-temperature heat storage, as well as a power generation subsystem, wherein the subsystem for low-temperature groove-type heat collection and low-temperature heat storage is used for receiving and gathering solar radiation energy, converting the received solar radiation energy into medium-temperature heat energy and conveying the medium-temperature heat energy to the subsystem for high-temperature tower-type heat collection and high-temperature heat storage or a low-temperature heat accumulator; the subsystem for high-temperature tower-type heat collection and high-temperature heat storage is used for receiving and gathering solar radiation energy, converting the received solar radiation energy into high-temperature heat energy and conveying the high-temperature heat energy to a power subsystem or a high-temperature heat accumulator; and the power subsystem is used for converting the received heat energy into electric energy and outputting the electric energy. The system solves the problems that a groove-type solar-heat power generation system is low in heat-collecting temperature and difficult to promote; the optical efficiency of a heliostat filed of a simple-tower solar-heat power generation system is greatly affected by the scale of power plants; and the simple-tower solar-heat power generation system is not easy to maximize. The system has the advantages of reducing initial cost and occupied area.

A tracking heliostat array comprises a plurality of optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a frame separated from the optical elements. Each of the optical elements has an orientation with respect to the frame. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a plurality of supports coupled to at least one of the optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a turnbuckle coupled to at least one of the supports and to the frame. Rotation of the turnbuckle causes the corresponding support to be displaced relative to the frame. The orientation of the optical element relative to the frame is adjustable. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a traveling actuator configured to rotate at least one of the turnbuckles. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a positioning mechanism supporting the traveling actuator. The positioning mechanism is configured to move the traveling actuator from a first selected turnbuckle to a second selected turnbuckle.

Systems and methods of calibrating heliostat parameters for subsequent open-loop sun-tracking, the calibration based on driving artificial light source reflections from one or more heliostats into one or more image sensors.

A solar power arrangement for converting solar energy into electricity comprising; a solar chimney, the chimney having a flared base spaced from the ground the chimney including a transparent surface to allow solar energy to heat air within the solar chimney. A first air turbine drives a first generator, and the chimney including an exhaust. The first air turbine drives an air compressor and wherein the compressor includes an ambient air intake and a plurality of pipes for receiving compressed attached to the solar chimney. A plurality of heliostats focus solar energy on the pipes to heat the compressed air contained therein and a second turbine driven by expansion of the compressed air wherein the second turbine drives a second generator.

The invention discloses a heliostat tracking control device, which comprises a main controller and a closed-loop tracking sensor. The main controller comprises a DSP control circuit, a RTC real-time clock, digital signal input and output units, an analog signal input unit, a signal amplifying circuit, a human-computer interface device, a display device, a watchdog circuit, an asynchronous motor, a line of serial port communication interface which carries out the communication with a monitoring computer, and a line of serial port communication interface which carries out the communication with an azimuth angle and altitude angle encoder. The invention further discloses a heliostat tracking control method, the method adopts the open-loop and the closed-loop combined control, the open-loop roughly calculates and adjusts the position of a heliostat and the closed-loop corrects and eliminates the accumulated error till the precise tracking. The heliostat tracking control device has the advantages that the heliostat tracking control device can not have the accumulated error or the failure of the tracking system due to the rainy and cloudy weather. The system adopts the combined control algorithm within the control period, thus achieving the precise tracking of the heliostat. The tracking reaction speed, the power consumption and the cost are low, thus forming a modular structure.

An instrument for a solar energy system including a receiver and a heliostat to reflect solar energy on to the receiver. The instrument includes a first element adapted to form an image of the sun, a second element adapted to form an image of the receiver, and a detector. The detector is positioned to receive each of the images and a comparator is adapted to detect a distance between the images. The comparator generates an error correction signal based on the distance between the images. The error correction signal is received by a controller that controls the operation of a postioner that adjusts the position of the heliostat accordingly.

The invention relates to a plane mirror being capable of projecting sunlight directionally which is the usually-called Tingri mirror and belongs to the solar energy application technical field. In the device, positioning plus elevation tracking or auto-rotating plus elevation tracking is adopted; the device comprises a plane mirror, a frame with a dimension small enough to be formed at one time, an adjusting device, a positioning and guiding pipe arranged a center tower and the Tingri mirror, a positioning sensor and a control system which carries out control and error judgment according to signals produced by reflection light reaching a mirror surface of a four-quadrant photosensitive element through the positioning and guiding pipe. If the invention is adopted, as long as sunlight, no matter where the sun move, the reflection light of the Tingri mirror can always project into a collector. Due to the adoption of the positioning and guiding pipe, the positioning sensor and DCS (distributed control system), a mirror with a small area can be used, reducing the difficulty in production, installation and commissioning and thus reducing the cost significantly.

A heliostat 5 for use in a sunlight concentration system for utilizing sunlight as energy according to this invention has a plurality of small concave mirror elements 8 and reflects and focuses sunlight reflected off the individual concave mirror elements to a light concentration portion as if upon reflection off a single large concave mirror 9. The angles of the concave mirror elements 8 are changed to define a single concave mirror having a predetermined curvature. When the incident angle of sunlight with respect to the concave mirror is large, the curvature is reduced (like a shallow dish). When the incident angle is small, the curvature is increased (like a deep dish).

A solar collector system includes a plurality of frames. Each frame includes at least a pair of spaced apart side members, a plurality of cross members connected to the side members, the cross members pivotally moveable from a shipping configuration to a deployed configuration wherein in the deployed configuration, each cross member is positioned relative to an adjacent cross member with a predetermined angle, and a plurality of stantions extending from the frames. The solar collector system further includes a plurality of heliostats, each heliostat mounted to one of the stantions, and a plurality of ballasts coupled to the frames, each ballast having a lower surface contacting the ground without substantially penetrating the ground to maintain a position of the frames on the ground.

A solar concentration plant which uses water / steam as a heat-carrying fluid, in any thermodynamic cycle or system for the exploitation of process heat, which is comprised of an evaporation subsystem, where saturated steam is produced under the conditions of pressure of the system, and a superheater subsystem through which the steam reaches the required conditions of pressure and temperature at the turbine inlet, and in which an attemperation system (10) may be incorporated, these being physically separated and interconnected by means of a drum (5) in which the separation of water and steam takes place, and in which a strategic control of the pointing of the field of heliostats (1) towards either of the subsystems (evaporator or superheater) may be carried out, with individual or group pointing of the heliostats, in such a way that they jointly control both the pressure within the drum (5) and the outlet temperature of the superheated steam (11).

The invention provides a method for improving the accuracy of the control of the automatic sun track following of a heliostat, which comprises the following steps that: a camera arranged in front of a heat absorber provides a control system with an accurate position of a light spot formed by light reflected onto the heat absorber by the heliostat in real time; and when a deviation in the position of the light spot occurs, the control system judges the deviation and sends a heliostat control command to control the heliostat to act to restore the position of the light spot formed by the light reflected onto the heat absorber by the heliostat to a given position. The method can monitor the operation state of the whole heliostat field and visually monitor the condition of the light spot formed by the light reflected by the heliostat. When used in a tower type solar thermal power plant, the method can improve the control accuracy of the whole tower type solar thermal power plant, improve the power generation efficiency and reduce operation cost by monitoring heliostats and correcting the deviation in the position of the light spots.

The invention discloses a method for scheduling a heliostat field in a tower solar thermal power station. In the method, an open-closed loop combined control mode is adopted; in open loop control, the control direction and position of a heliostat are computed in real time according to the running rule of the sun, the latitude and longitude of the heliostat as well as the geometric relationship between the positions of the heliostat and a heat absorber; and in closed loop control, a target position corresponding to each heliostat is determined through a closed loop sensor, and the heliostat is accurately tracked according to a real-time angle value of the heliostat fed back by the closed loop sensor, so that the energy-flux density of the heliostat field is homogenized and scheduled. According to the method, automatic homogenizing and scheduling of the energy-flux density projection of the heliostat field are realized, and the defects of poor energy-flux density homogenizing effect and unavailable self-correction caused by a large tracking error existing in open loop control are overcome effectively; and moreover, the method is easy to implement and is convenient to operate.

An azimuth sensor unit 15 and an altitude sensor unit 16 have pairs of optical sensors 18 and 20, respectively, disposed along their respective directions, which pair of optical sensors are disposed toward the sun in the form of a tapered section narrower to the front end and broader to the rear end with their light-receiving surfaces outward, and the azimuth sensor unit and the altitude sensor unit themselves rotate so as to balance light-receiving amounts of their respective pairs of optical sensors and send signals for rotating a concave mirror 10 in the same directions by half the amounts of the rotations of the azimuth sensor unit and the altitude sensor unit to a drive mechanism.

Which, using a heat transfer fluid in any thermodynamic cycle or system for using process heat, comprises:two-dimensional solar concentrator means for heating the heat transfer fluid from a temperature T1 to a temperature T2; three-dimensional solar concentrator means for overheating the heat transfer fluid from a temperature T2 to a temperature T3; such that the advantages of working at high-temperatures of the three-dimensional solar concentrator means are taken advantage of with overall costs similar to those of two-dimensional solar concentrator means.In a specific application for generating electric power, the two-dimensional solar concentrator means consist of a parabolic trough collector (1), while the three-dimensional solar concentrator means consist of a heliostat field and central tower (2) for generating overheated steam that expands in a turbine (6) coupled to an electric generator (7).

This invention deals with the general topic of adaptive non-imaging tracking of the sun. A transmission-mode electro-optical system is presented for solar energy tracking and collection. The scale of the system may range from small portable systems to large-scale industrial power plants used for the production of environmentally benign energy. It maybe integrated directly into buildings and other platforms without the need for heliostats to hold photovoltaic cells or other energy conversion devices above the building or other host platform. It makes solar energy harvesting systems practical by allowing the separation of tracking, collection, concentration, aggregation, distribution, and energy conversion. This novel system is unique and distinct from other sun tracking and energy conversion systems because it allows adaptive solid-state electronics to be used in place of conventional mechanical tracking heliostats. Furthermore, it is highly precise and therefore allows very high levels of concentration to be achieved in an dynamic environment. It is also cost effective because it leverages integrated opto-electronics instead of mechanical devices to perform sun tracking.

The invention discloses a supporting and adjusting device applied to a reflecting mirror of a heliostat, comprising at least 3 supporting components and a shape-adjusting component fixed at the backside of the reflecting mirror by connecting pieces, wherein the 3 supporting components are used for determining position and angle of the plane of the reflecting mirror while the shape-adjusting component is used for adjusting curvature of the reflecting mirror; the 3 supporting components are jointly connected to a connecting claw central sleeve respectively by a connection claw supporting arms thereof; the connecting claw central sleeve is internally provided with a fixed shaft; the fixed shaft is locked by a pressing nut, one end of the fixed shaft is connected with the shape-adjusting component, a connecting piece corresponding to the shape-adjusting component is internally provided with an adjusting cavity which can enable the shape-adjusting component to move in a linear way in the cavity. Therefore, the invention has the advantages of convenient use, easy adjustment and better photospot regulating effect.