Optical performance effects of the misalignment of nonimaging optics solar collectors

Jonathan Ferry; Melissa Ricketts; Roland Winston

doi:10.1117/12.2276712

7 September 2017 Optical performance effects of the misalignment of nonimaging optics solar collectors

Jonathan Ferry, Melissa Ricketts, Roland Winston

Proceedings Volume 10379, Nonimaging Optics: Efficient Design for Illumination and Solar Concentration XIV; 1037907 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2276712
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The use of non-imaging optics in the application of high temperature solar thermal collectors can be extremely advantageous in eliminating the need to track the sun. The stationary nature of non-imaging optics collectors, commonly called compound parabolic concentrators (CPC’s), present a unique design challenge when orienting them to collect sunlight. Many facilities throughout the world that adopt CPCs are not situated to orient the collectors in the ideal angle facing the sun. This East-West misalignment can adversely affect the optical and power performance of the CPC collector. To characterize how this misalignment effects CPCs, reverse raytracing simulations are conducted for varying offset angles of the collectors from solar South. Optical performance is analyzed for an ideal East-West oriented CPC with a 40-degree acceptance angle. Direction cosine plots are used to develop a ratio of annual solar collection by the CPC over the total annual solar input. From these simulations, average annual collector performance is given for offset angles ranging from 0 to 90 degrees for different Earth Latitudes in 10 degree increments.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Jonathan Ferry, Melissa Ricketts, and Roland Winston "Optical performance effects of the misalignment of nonimaging optics solar collectors", Proc. SPIE 10379, Nonimaging Optics: Efficient Design for Illumination and Solar Concentration XIV, 1037907 (7 September 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2276712

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available