Photoresponsive polymer design for solar concentrator self-steering heliostats

Jessica Barker; Amod Basnet; Moinak Bhaduri; Caroline Burch; Amenda Chow; Xue Li; William S. Oates; Jordan E. Massad; Ralph Smith

doi:10.1117/12.2045964

9 March 2014 Photoresponsive polymer design for solar concentrator self-steering heliostats

Jessica Barker, Amod Basnet, Moinak Bhaduri, Caroline Burch, Amenda Chow, Xue Li, William S. Oates, Jordan E. Massad, Ralph Smith

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9057, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2014; 90572L (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2045964
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Concentrating solar energy and transforming it into electricity is clean, economical and renewable. One design of solar power plants consists of an array of heliostats which redirects sunlight to a fixed receiver tower and the generated heat is converted into electricity. Currently, the angles of elevation of heliostats are controlled by motors and drives that are costly and require diverting power that can otherwise be used for producing electricity. We consider replacing the motor and drive system of the heliostat with a photosensitive polymer design that can tilt the mirror using the ability of the polymer to deform when subjected to light. The light causes the underlying molecular structure to change and subsequently, the polymer deforms. The deformation of the polymer is quantified in terms of photostrictive constitutive relations. A mathematical model is derived governing the behaviour of the angle of elevation as the photostrain varies. Photostrain depends on the composition of the polymer, intensity and temperature of light and angle of light polarization. Preliminary findings show a photomechanical rod structural design can provide 60° elevation for temperatures of about 40°C. A photomechanical beam structural design can generate more tilt at lower temperatures. The mathematical analysis illustrates that photostrains on the order of 1% to 10% are desired for both rod and beam designs to produce sufficient tilt under most heliostat field conditions.

Citation Download Citation

Jessica Barker, Amod Basnet, Moinak Bhaduri, Caroline Burch, Amenda Chow, Xue Li, William S. Oates, Jordan E. Massad, and Ralph Smith "Photoresponsive polymer design for solar concentrator self-steering heliostats", Proc. SPIE 9057, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2014, 90572L (9 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2045964

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available