Improvements to solar thermal collectors

Abstract

A dish structure (10) has a virtual front surface, the front surface having a periphery, and a plurality of spaced apart non overlapping elongate front beams (16), each of which extends between two points on the periphery. Each front beam (16) has at least one mounting area (20) for receiving a reflective panel (150), the at least one mounting area (20) conforming substantially to the virtual front surface in the longitudinal direction of the front beam (16).

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to dish structures, and more particularly to dish structures for solar thermal collectors of the parabolic mirror type. However, the invention is not limited to parabolic mirror type solar thermal collectors. Background technique [0002] Sunlight is a source of "renewable" energy that can be captured for human use using various technologies. One concentrating method is to use many large parabolic dishes, each supporting a mirrored surface that concentrates the light onto its own heat collector fixed relative to the mirrored surface. As the earth moves during the day, each dish is manipulated so that sunlight remains focused on the collection point. [0003] Each dish typically has a radius of about 10 to 30 metres. The mirrored surface needs to follow the desired parabolic surface with relatively high precision, making the focal area relatively small and efficient. [0004] The prior art of forming a structure of a di...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0005] The problem with prior art space frame designs is that the individual components are relatively expensive to manufacture, and therefore the cost of the dish is usually high

This may be acceptable for a one-piece design such as a prototype or radio telescope dish, but is too costly for use in a solar thermal plant where hundreds or thousands of individual collector dishes may be required

An additional problem is that the mirrors cannot be easily mounted directly to the space frame and must be mounted via their own single support structure

This increases the mass and cost of the overall structure

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