Solar Collector System

The present invention is directed to a solar collector system and more specifically to solar field modules which concentrate sunlight onto a solar receptor by the use of heliostatic tiltable mirrors.

Heliostatic field modules of mirrors have been suggested in the past but have not been arranged in what is believed to be the most efficient configuration both from the overall field module pattern geometrical configuration and from the point of view of the individual heliostatic mirrors.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved solar collector system.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system as above which efficiently utilizes the solar collection capacity of the individual heliostatic mirror units.

It is another object of the invention to provide a relatively inexpensive and durable and easily repaired heliostatic mirror unit.

It is another object of the invention to provide a solar collector system as above which is effectively interfaced with the requirements of the associated thermal power plant.

In accordance with the above objects there is provided a solar collector system. A plurality of solar receptors are supported on towers. A predetermined plurality of the heliostatic mirrors are laid out in a geometric pattern to form a field module with a unique associated tower on which the field module concentrates solar energy. The field modules are substantially contiguous to one another and interlocked. The unique tower is located outside its associated field module.

FIG. 1 is a simplified elevational view of solar collectors and a solar receptor embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the array of interlocking hexagonal fields and their associated towers;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a plurality of the solar collector field modules of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a simplified sectional view of a single solar collector used in both FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a power house used in the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a power plant illustrating extremum control;

FIG. 8 is an array of solar receptors similar to the plan view of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 9 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a solar receptor.

FIG. 10 is a simplified combination of FIGS. 2 and 6 illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a simplified elevational view of solar collectors 10 which consist of a field of heliostatic (i.e., following the sun) tiltable mirrors 11 which focus and concentrate sunlight onto a solar heat receptor 12 mounted on a tower 13. The configuration and design of the solar heat receptor 12 is described and claimed in a copending application in the name of the present inventor entitled "Solar Thermal Electric Power Plant", filed Aug. 25, 1976, Ser. No. 771,641. In general, the mirrors face south and are automatically controlled to follow the movement of the sun to concentrate the maximum amount of solar energy during the day onto the solar heat receptor 12.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the array of interlocking hexagonal fields and their associated towers. Receptor 12 at the top of tower 13 receives solar energy reflected from the mirrors in hexagonal field 14. Similarly, the mirrors in field 30 illuminate receptor 31 at the top of tower 32. The base of tower 32 is within the field 33, not within the field 30. There is a significant distance 34 between the base of tower 32 and the boundary between field 33 (within which the tower is located) and field 30 (whose reflected light illuminates the heats receptor 31). The concentrated solar energy received by receptor 31 is carried in pipes 36 by hot heat-exchange fluids to the distant power house 35 which contains the steam turbine. The hexagonal field pattern in FIG. 2 minimizes the piping cost because it maximizes the utilization of the land. There is an appropriate or "best" receptor for any mirror at any field location.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of several solar towers 13 with their solar receptor 12 mounted thereon and associated heliostatic mirrors which are laid out in a hexagonal geometric pattern 15. The tower and the associated mirrors are termed a field module. All of the hexagonal fields 15 have their sides substantially contiguous to one another and are interlocked. The tower and receptor 12, 13 for an associated field is outside of the area of the field module. For example, tower #3 is outside the hexagonal field of "heliostats for tower #3" as indicated. A similar pattern is carried throughout. With this type of field module organization, no ground area space is wasted allowing the overall piping distances to be shorter. In addition, the angles of the mirrors with respect to each tower are optimized.

Specifically, the field of mirrors that concentrate solar light on one solar receptor lies to the north of the receptor. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the furthest mirror reflects light at a 20.degree. elevation angle and the nearest mirror reflects light at a 60.degree. elevation angle. The vertical angle of acceptance is only 40.degree.. In the elevation direction, the maximum angular deviations from the normal to the receptor window of the reflected light from the nearest mirrors on the south boundary edge of the hexagon is 30.degree.. However, a wider angle will increase the number of mirrors per module, and the radiation power per tower. Thus, an excessive angle will increase the cosine loss, the tracking loss, and the specular reflection loss at the window. Thus, depending on the specific equipment used, the optimum angle for minimum costs must be determined by taking all the foregoing factors into account.

The plan view in FIG. 3 shows field locations 37 and 38 at the extreme west and east vertices of the hexagon 30. The mirrors at these two locations reflect light along rays 39 and 40 respectively to receptor 31. In the plan view, the normal to the window of receptor 31 points straight north. Rays 39 and 40 each intersect the window at approximately 30.degree. angle of incidence with respect to the normal. At this angle of incidence, the specular reflection from the glass is low. At larger angles of incidence, the specular reflection increases. Keeping other dimensions constant, as the distance from 37 to 38 increases, the specular reflection losses increase, although the number of mirrors and the reflected energy increase. There is an optimum dimension, such that increasing the distance from 37 to 38 begins to diminish the received energy per unit of investment.

In general it is believed that the non-regular hexagon is the ideal pattern for this application. For an interlocking type field as in the present invention the east-west distance between towers is greater than the diagonal or northwest-southeast direction. Moreover in design studies for minimum cost it is believed that the distance between adjacent towers in the northwest-southeast direction should be greater than the north-south direction. To accomplish this the hexagons are relatively wide in the east-west direction.

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment where the heliostatic mirror areas are octagons with a square protrudance. Again as in the case of FIG. 3 the tower B is apart from the heliostatic field area of tower B as indicated. Also shown are the maintenance roads through the various areas of the various field modules.

An individual heliostatic mirror is shown in FIG. 5 and includes a fiberglass epoxy base platen 16 with its substantially planar surface 17 having the wind guards 18a and 18b extending upwardly from its edges. A mirror-like surface is provided by a sheet or film of metallized polyester or Mylar (TM) 19 which is retained on the planar surface 17 by an electrostatic hold-down grid 21. As shown in FIG. 5 for simplicity of construction, surface 17 is flat. However, plastic film 19 will easily stretch to accommodate the shape of a paraboloid mirror platen which can easily be substituted. In addition to electrostatic hold-down, the film could also be held in place by vacuum. In either case the reflecting film 19 is easily replacable from a maintenance standpoint. The portion of the film which is reflecting light can be a part of a longer film which is available for future replacement.

FIG. 6 illustrates a typical power plant using the heat receptors of either FIGS. 3 or 4. The various solar receptors are indicated as SR.sub.W, which refers to the triethylene glycol (TEG) liquid flowing through the double paned windows and solar receptors SR.sub.1, SR.sub.2 and SR.sub.3 which are water or steam tubes of increasingly higher temperatures which are taken from the appropriate sections of the solar receptor. All of the foregoing is illustrated in detail in the copending application.

Referring now to the specific building blocks of the power plant a warm feedwater reservoir unit 51 which is at approximately 50.degree. C. has its output pressure raised to 200 psi by feedwater pump 52 and passes through a first preheater 53. This preheater is a heat exchanger for the low pressure TEG for which SR.sub.W is the heat source. As indicated, the triethylene glycol exits preheater 53 at 140.degree. C., is circulated through the window solar receptor and heated to 200.degree. C. and returned to the preheater. It thus acts as a heat source for raising the feed water temperature to 180.degree. C. at the exit 54. A storage unit 56 is in parallel with the incoming and outgoing TEG pipes.

A second feedwater preheater 57 is a condensing heat exchanger using reheated turbine exhaust as indicated at 388.degree. C. and 226 psi after having passed through the heat storage unit 61. The turbine intermediate stage bleed from a low pressure turbine 58 is used at night and a bleed from an incoming line 59 through a heat storage unit 61 is used during the day. Such routing is done by valves with the indicated nomenclature for valve open in day only and valve open at night only. Heat storage unit 61 may use molten metal and provide for operation of the solar plant during peak energy hours in the evening.

A third heater 62 is actually the plant boiler which receives 360.degree. C. water at 3,000 psi from the solar receptor field SR.sub.1 and boils the water in the plant boiler to 335.degree. C. at 2,000 psi as indicated at the exit 63. Thus, dry steam is produced.

The next stage is a super heater and includes the solar receptor SR.sub.2 which has as its input steam from exit line 63 of the plant boiler 62 which flows into the solar heat receptor, is heated to a higher temperature, and exits on the line 66 at 1,700 psi and 500.degree. C. and supplies high pressure turbine 67. The exhaust 68 from high pressure turbine 67 which is at 394.degree. C. and 700 psi is reheated in a solar receptor SR.sub.3 to 500 psi, 500.degree. C. on line 59 and used as the input to the low pressure turbine 58. This reheat is provided by a suitable bank of solar receptors especially for that purpose.

For example, referring to FIG. 2 each of the field modules may operate at a separate optimum temperature or temperature range to produce fluids heated in those ranges. Since the relative flow rates in these solar receptors can be used to balance the heat available at the two or more temperatures to the heat usable in the steam system itself, this means that an optimum thermal efficiency can be achieved in this manner.

The low pressure turbine 58 exhausts into a spray condenser 74 at 1.84 psi absolute and 50.degree. C. Some of the warm condensate is stored in a warm feed reservoir 51. However, most of the warm condensate is pumped through a heat rejection exchanger 76, a cool feed water reservoir 77 and then by means of a pump 78 back to the condenser 74 serving as the liquid spray for the condenser at the spray input 79. The heat rejection exchanger 76 rejects its heat into a cool pond or reservoir 81 which is kept cool by a dry cooling tower 82. The pond can be large enough to have a time constant of approximately one week and is to be protected or shaded from solar radiation so that it does not heat up during the day. The dry cooling tower has an effective time of operation at night and during high wind velocity conditions. Gravity separation can be used in the reservoirs so that the coolest bottom layer is used in the heat rejection exchanger and the high temperature water is fed into the top layer. The tower pumps from the top layer and feeds into the bottom layer, as illustrated. The dry cooling tower does not need a high power fan because it is not required to reject heat during the day time when air temperatures are high. It operates only when the air temperatures are low, or when the wind-augmentation is sufficient.

In general, all of the flows and parameters of the power plant of FIG. 6 in conjunction with the solar receptors of FIGS. 2 and 9 can be efficiently controlled by an extremum control system. That is, for example, all of the flows of either steam or water through the solar heat receptors can be shifted slightly, the total output or efficiency of the system measured and if this is a positive change, the change can be made permanent. This can be done until the peak of the extremum curve is reached. The same can be done with other inter-related operating portions of the system such as the actual electrical output versus steam input to the turbine.

FIG. 7 shows the turbine steam supply 66, turbine 67, the boiler 62 and water storage 64 for FIG. 6. Also shown is the field water pump 300, the boiler heat control pump 301, the return pipe 302 from the solar receptor pipes SR.sub.1, a temperature sensor 303 which senses the water temperature in pipe 302, and temperature pressure and flow sensors 304, 305, and 306, respectively, for the state of the turbine inlet steam in supply 66. The process controller 307 receives the temperature signal from sensor 303, compares it with a reference, amplifies the error signal and delivers a command on 308 to control pump 300 to hold the sensed temperature constant. When the solar radiation diminishes, the pump flow rate diminishes to keep the fluid temperatures entering reservoir 64 relatively constant.

The sensors 304, 305 and 306 measure the temperature, pressure and flow rate of the steam entering the high pressure turbine and deliver these signals on channels 309, 310 and 311 respectively to computer 312 which calculates the thermodynamic performance of the turbine system and also calculates the mechanical output of the turbines and delivers this calculation on channel 313 to controller 314.

Controller 314 is of the extremum type which maximizes the computed signal on channel 313. The output control signal on channel 315 controls the pumping rate of the input fluid to boiler 62 by controlling the pump 301.

The controller 314 cross-correlates changes in pumping rate in 301 with the resulting computed mechanical output, and if this correlation is positive, it slowly increases the average pumping rate, until the computed output is a maximum with respect to the pumping rate of pump 301.

This control system partially decouples solar transients from the turbine conditions. In the absence of solar light, pump 300 essentially stops, and pump 301 extracts energy from reservoir 64 to keep the boiler 62 functioning.

An alternative source of information for computer 312 is the three-phase wattmeter 316 connected to the electrical output of generator 317 and measuring the electrical power delivered to the power system. This measured electrical power signal is delivered on channel 318 to controller 314. When this signal is used, the controller maximizes the generator output power with respect to flow rate in pump 301.

FIG. 8 shows an array of solar receptors 90 through 96 inclusive, located symmetrically inside the dotted line hexagon field boundaries similar to the plan view in FIG. 3. Each mirror is controlled in such a manner that it reflects to a receptor which lies to the south, and generally to the east in the morning, but at some time during the day it changes its control and reflects to a different receptor which lies generally to the west in the afternoon. The effect of these controls is to produce a moving hexagon field boundary. For tower and receptor 91 at noon, the hexagon boundary forms a hexagon field whose center is straight north of reflector 91 as shown by the solid hexagon 101. This is the same pattern as shown in FIG. 3. In the early morning, the hexagon is shifted to the west and slightly south, to the hexagon 100. Mirror locations A through M are shown in FIG. 8. In the early morning, mirrors E, F, G, H and K are illuminating receptor 91. Mirrors A, B, C, D and J illuminate receptor 90. Mirror L illuminates receptor 94 and mirror M illuminates receptor 95.

In the early morning, the hexagon boundary is 100, and during the morning, the hexagon boundary continuously moves east and slightly north, so that by noon, mirrors D, E, F, G, L and M, which lie inside boundary 101, illuminate receptor 91, Mirrors A, B and C illuminate receptor 90. Receptors J and K illuminate receptor 93. Mirror H illuminates receptor 92. In the afternoon, the hexagon moves east and slightly south, so that by late afternoon the boundary is hexagon 102. Now, mirrors B, C, D, E and J lie inside 102 and illuminate 91. Mirror A illuminates receptor 90. Mirrors F, G, H and K illuminate receptor 92. Mirror L illuminates receptor 95 and M illuminates receptor 96. Mirrors in the special region S illuminate the receptor 94 in the morning (like L) and receptor 96 in the afternoon (like M), but never attempt to illuminate 91 at noon (because of the blocking action of 95).

The purpose of this change in mirror aiming is to maximize the area of the mirror presented to the incoming solar light, by making the mirror surface more nearly perpendicular to the solar rays, and minimizing the cosine loss.

The following table shows the reference number of a tower receptor in FIG. 8 which is illuminated by the mirror location indicated by the lettered row at the time of the column heading.

The hexagonal field shape is superior to a rectangular field shape because the corners of the rectangle nearest the receptor are very inefficient in delivering energy, because the corner mirror normals have a large angle with respect to the ray to the receptor, and the angle of incidence at the window is large. Similarly, the most distant corner mirrors of the rectangle could be more efficiently used if they illuminate a tower which is not straight south of the center of the rectangle. Cutting off these rectangle corners and staggering the towers will yield the octagon plan design similar to FIG. 4, which is superior to rectangular fields, because the patterns are interlocked, no land area is wasted, and the azimuth angles at the receptors are restricted to a narrow range.

The octagons in FIG. 4 can be converted to the hexagons in FIG. 3 with an increase in reflected power efficiency by the following transformation. Draw the line 105 between the external vertices 106 and 107 of field E. Draw the line 108 between external vertices 109 and 110 of field E. Shifting the boundaries 111, 112, 113 and 114 of the octagon to lines 105 and 108 will increase the area of field E. In a similar manner, shifting the boundaries 115, 116, 117 and 118 of the octagon to lines 119 and 120 drawn between external vertices 107 and 121 and 110 and 122, respectively will diminish the area of field E. The resulting hexagonal field defined by 105, 108, 119 and 120 has the same area as the original field E, but has a more desirable optical performance.

One form of receptor 12, as also disclosed in the above copending Smith application, is shown in cross-section in FIG. 9 and includes a double paned window 216 having separate glass panes 217 and 218 with a flow space 219 between the panes. The windows are typically of low iron glass and are coated on the outside, that is at the air glass interfaces 217a, 218a, with a magnesium fluoride optical coating to minimize reflection. The interpane space is filled with triethylene glycol (TEG) which enters the space at 221 and exits at 222. These inputs and exits are connected to the power plant to provide preheat for the power plant's boiler feedwater.

The preferred liquid to be used in the interpane space 219 is colorless so that it does not absorb energy from the sun and should have an index of refraction close to that of the panes 217 and 218. Thus, with a low iron glass window which has an index of refraction of approximately 1.50 one of the group of the following may be used (in addition to the TEG which has a refractive index of 1.456); butyrophenone, o-toluidine, chlorobenzene, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and trimethylene dibromide. In addition, a suitable mixture of two liquids can provide an equivalent refractive index.

Thus, in summary the double paned window structure performs a triple function: the interpane fluid provides valuable heat to the steam preheaters in the power house; the fluid cools the windows for extended life; and because of the relatively low temperature of the glass, the infrared and convection losses to the environment are greatly reduced. Moreover, because of the nearly equal refractive indices of the glass and fluid the reflection from the inside surfaces of the glass is negligible. Thus, the window transmits more than 95% of the solar energy to the heat receptors in the cavity 223.

Because of the importance of keeping the glass of the window cool the fluid pumping rate is controlled to hold the outlet temperature at 200.degree. C.

The interpane fluid may also serve yet another purpose of cooling tower supports 213. The pipes 226 and 227 are in close thermal connection with the support tower (for example, welded to it) and are in series with the input union 221.

Cavity 223 is formed by the thermal insulation 228 which provide a semi-circular enclosure which terminates at the window 216. Within the cavity 223 are a number of water or steam carrying tubes which are coated with black heat absorbing material. The panel of tubes at the back of the cavity area 223 marked C and D are the main absorber of solar energy. The tubes in front designated A and B form a lower temperature screen and they intercept only about half of the incoming light. The visible light reflection from the front tubes is a major loss component and is kept low by the geometry of the cavity 223 and by a high absorption coating. Visible light reflected from the back panel is mostly absorbed by other tubes, but is also kept low by a high absorption coating. Specifically, tubes A and B are coated with a low infrared emissivity intermetallic aluminum-nickel and C and D with a high visible absorption coating of intermetallic aluminum-chromium. The tubes are typically constructed of stainless steel. The infrared radiation from the back of the panel in the C and D tubes' location is mostly absorbed by the walls, by other back tubes and by the front tubes. The infrared radiated by the front tubes A and B is absorbed by the window 217. However, this radiation is kept low by the relatively low tube temperature. For example, the incoming fluid such as water might enter at 320.degree. C. from the power house, circulates through the A tubes and then through the B tubes, indicated and exits at 360.degree. C. The low emissivity coating for infrared on the front tubes minimizes heat transfer from the front tubes to the window.

High pressure water flows out from the power house in the A tubes at a minimum temperature and at 200 atmospheres pressure. Such high pressure prevents the water from boiling. In the solar receptor module the water is passed from the A to the B tubes reaching a maximum temperature of 360.degree.. and returned from the B tubes to the power house. Fifty-five percent of the heat required by the thermodynamic system is provided by this water. The heat exchange fluids flowing outside of the receptors are in certain headers which are heavily insulated. Thus, the conductive heat loss is negligible, and the piping costs in addition to the receptors is low.

Dry steam flows out from the power house in the C tubes and returns through the D tubes. These are the tubes in the rear portion of the cavity 223 as opposed to the intermediate location of the A and B tubes. The radiation heat exchangers in the receptor cavity 223 are a net flow from the D tubes to the A and B tubes and the window. Thirty-one percent of the heat required by the thermodynamic system is provided by the returning dry steam in the D tubes which exits at 500.degree. C.

As referred to earlier in the specification in conjunction with FIG. 2 each of the field modules may operate at a separate optimum temperature to produce fluids heated in those ranges. FIG. 10 illustrates this concept which in essence is a combination of FIGS. 2 and 6. Specifically, there is shown the receptor 12, tower 13, fields 14, 30, tower 32, and receptor 31. The heat exchanger 62, turbine 67 and turbine 58 are all also shown in FIG. 6. The piping for the heat exchange fluids from and to the power house 36 is shown as the assembly of pipes 59, 63, 66 and 68 which are also shown in FIG. 6. Two additional pipes are labeled 251 and 255 in both FIG. 10 and FIG. 6.

Referring specifically to the details of FIG. 10, a first heat exchange fluid is pumped by fluid pump 250 through pipe 251 to the row of towers 252 containing towers 13 and 253. In this row, tower 13 has a receptor 12 and tower 253 has a receptor 254 through which the fluid in pipe 251 flows and is heated. The receptors in row 252 contain the pipes marked SR-1 in FIG. 6. The fluid exits from receptors 254 in pipe 255 which carries it back to the storage reservoir 64 and to the heat exchanger 62. The fluid in 64 is slightly above the temperature of the boiling water. The pressure in 64 obviously can be much different than the pressure in 62.

High-pressure high-temperature boiler feedwater is supplied by pipes 54 and 259 to the boiler portion of heat exchanger 62, and saturated steam is delivered by the separation drum 260 to steam line 63. This steam goes to the tower row 261, via pipe 63, containing receptors 31 and 262. Inside of receptors 31 and 262 are the pipes marked SR-2 in FIG. 6. Here the steam is superheated, and dry steam flows back in pipe 66 to the power house and to turbine 67. This fluid is at a much higher temperature than the fluids in 62.

The exhaust from turbine 67 in pipe 68 flows to the field tower row 264, containing receptor 265. In the receptors of row 264 are pipes marked SR-3 in FIG. 6. In these, the steam is reheated to a high temperature, medium pressure, and the reheated steam flows in pipe 59 to the low-pressure turbine 58. The temperature in pipe 59 is of the same order of magnitude as the temperature in 66, but the pressure in 59 is much lower than in 66.

The low pressure steam being reheated in receptor 265 has a large volume, so that row 264 is chosen close to the power house. The fluid in 64, 251, 254 and 255 has a small volume, and therefore row 252 can be distant from the power house.