Investigating the optical performance of Cassegrainian systems at ultra-high concentrations

Abstract

Abstract.A Cassegrainian optical design reaching ultra-high concentration fluxes (more than 1000 suns) is presented. The system is based on the use of four independent off-axis pairs of parabolic-hyperbolic reflectors that concentrate sunrays onto a central receiver (TOE, tertiary optical element) which works as a Köhler integrator. This design reaches an effective concentration ratio simulated of 1682 suns while using relative small mirrors. The acceptance angle characteristic is analyzed in terms of both the detailed ray tracing on the TOE and the irradiance pattern on the solar cell for a misalignment situation near to the acceptance angle of the design, which is 0.61º.