Principles of Building Systems with Concentrated Solar Energy

Abstract

Design methods and mathematical models for calculating the characteristics of solar module concentrators with specified optical energy parameters have been developed and investigated. These parameters increase the efficiency of solar power plants operating both in a stationary mode and with a tracking system. Modules with parabolic concentrators, linear and cylindrical photodetectors were used in stationary and solar-tracking arrays. The basic structural and functional parameters of solar modules, the concentration and distribution of concentrated solar radiation over the focal spot width depending on the parametric angle based on the lower and upper parabolas were calculated using physical and mathematical models and derived universal analytical expressions. The given characteristics show possible variants of the dependence of the geometric concentration on the parametric angle of the concentrator for different values of the parameters of the universal analytical equation. The dependences of the geometric concentration on the parametric angle of parabolic concentrators are calculated for different values of the structural parameters: the profile of the module of two conjugate compound concentrators; the concentration distribution along the receiver from the upper and lower concentrators and the module as a whole; and the distribution of illumination along the lateral surface of a cylindrical solar radiation receiver. It is shown that the ratio of the experimental concentrations to the calculated characteristics agrees with the optical efficiency of the modules. The above calculation methods based on the principles of constructing systems with concentrated solar energy allow a comparative analysis of the parameters and the choice of the design of various types of concentrators for the solar modules being developed.