Status of stretched-membrane heliostats
Since the early 1980s, Sandia National Laboratories has been developing stretched-membrane heliostats for solar central receiver power plants. They differ from conventional glass-mirror heliostats in that the optical surface is a stretched membrane -- a thin metal foil stretched over both sides of a large diameter ring. The reflective surface is provided by either a silvered-acrylic film or thin glass mirrors attached to the front membrane. Heliostats with single 14-m diameter (150 m{sup 2}) stretched-membrane reflectors have been designed. Because of their simplicity and light weight, stretched-membrane heliostats are expected to cost up to one-third less than conventional glass-mirror designs. Two generations of 50-m{sup 2} prototype stretched-membrane mirror modules have been built and evaluated at Sandia's Central Receiver Test Facility in Albuquerque, NM. They demonstrated that the optical performance of membrane heliostats rivals that of glass-mirror heliostats. The durability of the silvered-acrylic reflective film has improved so that a lifetime of at least 5 years is likely; methods of replacing the film in the field are being investigated. Sandia recently initiated the final phase of development: the design of fully integrated, market-ready heliostats. Field tests of these heliostats are planned to begin in FY90. 17 refs., 6 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/CE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 7024684
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-89-1500C; CONF-900449--2; ON: DE90000801
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
141000* -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
CENTRAL RECEIVERS
EQUIPMENT
FIELD TESTS
FOILS
HELIOSTATS
MEMBRANES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POWER PLANTS
SANDIA LABORATORIES
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR RECEIVERS
TESTING
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS