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Refractive Secondary Concentrators for Solar Thermal ApplicationsThe NASA Glenn Research Center is developing technologies that utilize solar energy for various space applications including electrical power conversion, thermal propulsion, and furnaces. Common to all of these applications is the need for highly efficient, solar concentration systems. An effort is underway to develop the innovative single crystal refractive secondary concentrator, which uses refraction and total internal reflection to efficiently concentrate and direct solar energy. The refractive secondary offers very high throughput efficiencies (greater than 90%), and when used in combination with advanced primary concentrators, enables very high concentration ratios (10,0(X) to 1) and very high temperatures (greater than 2000 K). Presented is an overview of the refractive secondary concentrator development effort at the NASA Glenn Research Center, including optical design and analysis techniques, thermal modeling capabilities, crystal materials characterization testing, optical coatings evaluation, and component testing. Also presented is a discussion of potential future activity and technical issues yet to be resolved. Much of the work performed to date has been in support of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Solar Thermal Propulsion Program. The many benefits of a refractive secondary concentrator that enable efficient, high temperature thermal propulsion system designs, apply equally well to other solar applications including furnaces and power generation systems such as solar dynamics, concentrated thermal photovoltaics, and thermionics.
Document ID
19990110278
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Wong, Wayne A. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Macosko, Robert P. (Analex Corp. Brook Park, OH United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1999
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.15:209379
E-11793
IECEC-99-01-2678
NASA/TM-1999-209379
Meeting Information
Meeting: Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Country: Canada
Start Date: August 1, 1999
End Date: August 5, 1999
Sponsors: Society of Automotive Engineers
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 632-81-OA
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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