Spindle Toroid Solar Concentrator for Easier Alignment and Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solar concentrators are expensive to fabricate and install, require precise alignment, and are application-specific, limiting their flexibility and adaptability for diverse geographic conditions and energy needs.
Innovation Solution
A solar concentrator with a spindle toroid geometry using concentric reflectors that focus solar radiation into a ring-shaped focal area, reducing the need for precise alignment and allowing for easier assembly and repair, featuring a keystone arrangement of curved petals with monocoque construction and a reflective surface for efficient energy concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional solar concentrators are used, then solar radiation can be concentrated, but fabrication and installation costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector surface is divided into multiple discrete facets or segments arranged in a polyhedral configuration. Each facet independently reflects solar radiation toward the focal region, allowing modular fabrication and assembly while maintaining effective solar concentration. This segmentation reduces manufacturing complexity and cost compared to precision-formed continuous surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a polyhedral approximation of a spherical or spheroidal reflector geometry. By using multiple planar facets arranged to approximate a curved surface, the system achieves effective solar radiation concentration similar to a continuous parabolic or spherical mirror, but with simpler, more manufacturable flat panel components.
2Ease of operation
If conventional solar concentrators are used, then solar energy can be concentrated, but precise alignment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented faceted structure provides inherent alignment tolerance. Each facet is independently positioned and oriented, allowing for easier assembly and adjustment without requiring ultra-precise alignment of a continuous surface. The discrete nature of the segments permits practical field installation while maintaining effective solar concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The faceted reflector design creates a focal region rather than a single focal point, providing a larger target area for the receiver. This multi-point or distributed focal region approach increases tolerance to misalignment and makes the system more robust to positioning variations, effectively decoupling alignment precision from concentration efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional solar concentrators are used, then they can be designed for specific applications, but adaptability to diverse geographic conditions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The polyhedral faceted reflector design provides a universal geometric configuration that can be scaled and adapted to various solar concentration ratios and application requirements. The same basic faceted structure can serve different geographic locations and energy needs by adjusting the number, size, and arrangement of facets, reducing the need for application-specific custom designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter adjustments in the faceted structure (such as facet angle, size, and distribution) to optimize performance for different geographic conditions, solar paths, and climate conditions. This parametric flexibility enables adaptation to diverse applications without fundamentally changing the core design architecture.
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 spindle toroid geometry concentrates solar energy into a smaller area with improved heat distribution, reducing costs and complexity, enabling flexible adaptation to various applications while maintaining high efficiency in energy conversion.
Implementation Method 1
a solar concentrator comprising a pair of concentric reflectors having a spindle toroid geometry for focusing the collected solar radiation into a ring-shaped focal area
Data Source
AI summary
A solar concentrator comprises a pair of concentric reflectors having a spindle toroid geometry for focusing the collected solar radiation into a ring-shaped focal area, as opposed to the “point” or “line” focus of prior art configurations. In a preferred embodiment, each reflector is formed of a plurality of curved petals that are disposed in a contiguous, keystone arrangement that requires no additional fixturing to hold the petals in place. Such an arrangement reduces the weight, complexity and cost of the final solar concentrator structure.