Guide system for a ball joint assembly of thermosolar plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ball joints in parabolic trough thermosolar installations often become blocked and fail under extreme conditions, leading to vaporization and potential fires due to excessive rotation angles, causing leaks and mechanical failures.
Innovation Solution
A single ball joint assembly with a spring-loaded support and a conical rotation angle limiter, featuring a conical bushing in the intermediate ball joint, limits the rotation of the output ball joint to prevent seizure and maintain alignment within safe operational angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If ball joints are allowed to rotate freely to accommodate axial and longitudinal displacement of the absorption tube, then the system can adapt to thermal expansion and tracker movement, but the ball joints become blocked and fail under extreme rotation angles
Solution Approach 1:
The conical bushing is installed in advance to prevent the ball joint from reaching maximum rotation angles. By preliminarily constraining the rotation range, the system avoids the harmful effect of ball joint seizure that would occur under extreme conditions, thus maintaining reliability while preserving necessary adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical bushing acts as an intermediary element between the ball joint components. It mediates the rotation movement by providing a guided conical surface that limits the rotation angle, preventing direct contact and seizure between the ball joint's internal components while still allowing controlled movement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the absorption tube is allowed to move freely due to heating and tracker rotation, then the system can track the sun and accommodate thermal effects, but the connection tube may break causing vaporisation and HTF spills
Solution Approach 1:
The conical bushing preliminarily prevents the harmful effect by limiting the rotation angle before the connection tube can break. This preliminary constraint ensures that the ball joint operates within safe angular limits, avoiding the catastrophic failure that would lead to HTF spills and vaporisation.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical bushing provides beforehand cushioning by guiding the rotation movement and absorbing potential shock loads that could cause connection tube failure. The conical geometry distributes stresses evenly, preventing sudden breaks that would release hot HTF and cause harmful effects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents ball joint seizure and mechanical failure, ensuring continuous operation and safety by maintaining the ball joint within designated rotation limits, thereby preventing leaks and fires.
Implementation Method 1
a support, fixed to the tracker, with a spring that keeps it linked to the ball joint assembly so it tends to always remain in its design position
Implementation Method 2
a rotation angle limiter, which guides the arm, together with the support and spring, which forms the connection tube in its movement; this limiter consists of a conical bushing that is installed in the middle ball joint of the single arm to limit the movement of said ball joint
Data Source
AI summary
A guide system comprising a mechanism formed by a support, fixed to the manifold, and a spring that joins said support to the arm formed by the connection tubes provided between the absorption tube and the fixed tube of the plant, whereby this mechanism keeps said arm linked to the manifold, tending to maintain a design position due to tension exerted by said spring; and a rotation angle limiting mechanism, installed in the intermediate ball joint, which limits the movement thereof, guiding the arm in its movement in order to correct a rotation position of the output ball joint.