Scalloping reflector surface reduces sensitivity to manufacturing and aiming errors. Contrary to intuition, most effective shape of concentrating reflector for solar heat engine is not perfect paraboloid. According to design studies for Space Station solar concentrator, scalloped, nonimaging approximation to perfect paraboloid offers better overall performance in view of finite apparent size of Sun, imperfections of real equipment, and cost of accommodating these complexities. Scalloped-reflector concept also applied to improve performance while reducing cost of manufacturing and operation of terrestrial solar concentrator.
Error-Tolerant Quasi-Paraboloidal Solar Concentrator
NASA Tech Briefs ; 12 , 9
01.10.1988
Sonstige
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Pressurized Paraboloidal Solar Concentrator
| NTRS | 1982
Offset paraboloidal solar concentrator
| NTRS | 1981
Program for Paraboloidal Solar Concentrators
| NTRS | 1987