Heliostat Carousel Mounting System for Out-of-Round Track Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heliostat mounting systems in concentrating solar power plants face challenges in maintaining accurate and precise orientation over long periods in harsh environments due to warping, deflection, and loose manufacturing tolerances, leading to misalignment and reduced longevity.
Innovation Solution
A carousel-type mounting system with a frame that distributes forces across multiple hubs on a circular track, utilizing an azimuth actuator with biased rollers to accommodate warping and deflection, and a hub arrangement with idler and driven hubs to maintain precise orientation and reduce sway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the mounting system is constructed with looser tolerances to reduce manufacturing cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the heliostat and mounting system become out of alignment over long time periods in harsh environments
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system allows the circular track to dynamically adjust and accommodate warping and deflection that occur over time in harsh environments. The hubs can move along the track to maintain proper alignment, transforming a static rigid structure into a dynamic adaptive system that preserves alignment accuracy despite manufacturing tolerances and environmental stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by allowing the hubs to vary their position along the circular track. This parameter change enables the system to compensate for warping and deflection of the track, maintaining alignment accuracy without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances, thus reducing manufacturing cost while preserving reliability.
2Weight of stationary object
If the support mass is reduced to lower costs, then material cost decreases, but the ability to distribute wind and environmental forces is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system segments the force distribution function across multiple hubs that can independently move along the circular track. Instead of relying on a single massive support structure, the system divides the structural function among several lighter hubs, each capable of adjusting its position to optimize force distribution, thereby reducing overall support mass while maintaining strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The hubs are designed to move dynamically along the circular track to distribute environmental forces such as wind load. This dynamic capability allows a lighter support structure to achieve the same force distribution capability as a heavier static structure, reducing material cost while maintaining structural strength.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the circular track and components are exposed to harsh environments over long time periods, then the system operates continuously, but warping and deflection cause misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities where hubs can move along the circular track to compensate for warping and deflection that occur during long-term operation in harsh environments. This dynamic adaptation maintains orientation accuracy throughout the extended operational duration without requiring redundant manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-adjusting mechanisms where the hubs automatically adapt their positions in response to track deformation. This self-service capability allows the system to maintain precise orientation over long time periods without external intervention or additional manufacturing precision, effectively addressing the degradation caused by continuous exposure to harsh environments.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting system for a heliostat is provided that allows the heliostat to move with respect to two orthogonal axes to track the sun. The mounting system has features that allow the heliostat to precisely and accurately move about these axes even as various components degrade during operation in harsh environments and over long time periods. Embodiments of the mounting system can have a frame that supports multiple mirrors and translates forces from the mirrors to multiple hubs that move about a circular track. One of the hubs can include a fewer number of contact points to accommodate a circular track that is out of round. In addition, an actuator that moves the hubs around the circular track can be biased into the track to also accommodate a circular track that is out of round.