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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Fixed mirror solar concentrator for power generation

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6808304
The General Atomic Company (GA) Fixed Mirror Solar Concentrator (FMSC) employs a fixed mirror trough that produces a sharp line focus regardless of sun position. The heat receiver, which employs a compound parabolic (Winston) secondary concentrator, is moved in a circular arc to track the focal line. With secondary concentration the FMSC has a theoretical upper concentration limit of 206 suns, and the secondary concentrator makes possible the design of a practical FMSC to efficiently generate steam at modern steam plant operating conditions. Because the mirror trough of the FMSC is stationary, it can be made using low-cost type construction approaches. General Atomic has fabricated FMSC modules of precast concrete and glass mirrors to supply a 260-m/sup 2/ collector field to Sandia Laboratories for their Solar Total Energy Demonstration Facility. These modules were constructed on-site at Sandia using local labor. The combination of concrete substrate and glass mirrors yields a rugged, low-maintenance concentrator that has good potential for low-cost, high volume, on-site construction. Scientific Atlanta, Inc., has developed another construction approach based on supporting the glass mirrors with inexpensive metal stampings. These structures can be quickly assembled in the field.
Research Organization:
General Atomic Co., San Diego, Calif. (USA); Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta (USA). School of Mechanical Engineering
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-04-0789
OSTI ID:
6808304
Report Number(s):
GA-A-14883; CONF-780425-3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English