In order for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) to become a significant contributor to utility scale baseload power, dramatic reductions in cost and increases in performance must be achieved. 3M Company and Gossamer Space Frames have developed advanced collectors that are centered on a step-change in solar technology aimed at transforming the economics and industrialization of CSP. In particular, we focus on mirror film based reflective materials, stiff and shape accurate panel constructions, and lightweight and accurate space frames. These technology elements have been combined into a new parabolic collector design with an aperture of 7.3 m and length of 12 m. The geometric concentration ratio of the design is 103, far exceeding current designs. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has measured an intercept factor exceeding 99% on the subject collector fielded at SEGS II (Daggett, CA). The successful implementation of this technology platform has implications for new solar collector designs for both point and line focus systems.
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ASME 2012 6th International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the ASME 2012 10th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology
July 23–26, 2012
San Diego, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division
- Solar Energy Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4481-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Next Generation Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors for CSP
Daniel T. Chen,
Daniel T. Chen
3M Renewable Energy Division, St. Paul, MN
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Glenn Reynolds,
Glenn Reynolds
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
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Allison Gray,
Allison Gray
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
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Ben Ihas,
Ben Ihas
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
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Gary Curtis,
Gary Curtis
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
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Attila Molnar,
Attila Molnar
3M Renewable Energy Division, St. Paul, MN
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Dean Hackbarth,
Dean Hackbarth
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
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Robert Vezzuto
Robert Vezzuto
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
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Daniel T. Chen
3M Renewable Energy Division, St. Paul, MN
Glenn Reynolds
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
Allison Gray
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
Ben Ihas
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
Gary Curtis
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
Attila Molnar
3M Renewable Energy Division, St. Paul, MN
Dean Hackbarth
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
Robert Vezzuto
Gossamer Space Frames, Huntington Beach, CA
Paper No:
ES2012-91511, pp. 631-635; 5 pages
Published Online:
July 23, 2013
Citation
Chen, DT, Reynolds, G, Gray, A, Ihas, B, Curtis, G, Molnar, A, Hackbarth, D, & Vezzuto, R. "Next Generation Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors for CSP." Proceedings of the ASME 2012 6th International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the ASME 2012 10th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology. ASME 2012 6th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A and B. San Diego, California, USA. July 23–26, 2012. pp. 631-635. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ES2012-91511
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