The Tracking of the Sun for Solar Paraboloidal Dish Concentrators

Shanmugam, S.; Christraj, W.

doi:10.1115/1.1824103

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The effects of tracking errors on the performance of the point focus system were analysed by Hughes . The method of one‐axis tracking of the sun in the north to south direction is explained for parabolic dish concentrator (PDC) by Shanmugam and Christraj . The effect of continuous operation of a low‐cost electromechanical two‐axis tracking system on the solar energy collected in a parabolic trough collector system was investigated by Bakos, and it was observed that there was a 46.46% increase in the collected solar energy compared with fixed surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental analysis of a two-axis tracking system for solar parabolic dish collector

Natarajan¹,

Thampi²,

Shaw³

et al. 2018

Int J Energy Res

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Summary In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a two‐axis tracking system for solar parabolic dish concentrator and experimentally evaluated the performance of the tracking system. In this proposed design, the sensor design uses the illumination produced by the convex lens on the apex of a pyramid to align the dish in‐line with the sun. The change in incident angle of the solar rays on the lens surface shifts the area of illumination from the apex of the pyramid towards its faces. Photodiodes placed on the faces of the pyramid are used as the sensitive elements to detect the movement of the sun. The sensor output is fed to a microcontroller‐based system to drive the stepper motor on the basis of the programmed algorithm such that it receives normal incidence of sunlight on the sensor. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, a conventional available 1‐W photovoltaic (PV) panel is placed at the focal point to measure the short circuit current and open circuit voltage. With respect to the conventional solar PV panel, it is observed that the positioning accuracy of the proposed tracking system enhances the short circuit current of 0.11 A by 86%. Thus, the proposed tracking system can be used in a stand‐alone parabolic dish with concentrating PV module as the focal point for further studies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental analysis of a two-axis tracking system for solar parabolic dish collector

Natarajan¹,

Thampi²,

Shaw³

et al. 2018

Int J Energy Res

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“…A programmable logic controller (PLC) was used to calculate the solar vector and to control the sun tracker so that it follows the sun's trajectory. In addition, Shanmugam & Christraj (2005) presented a computer program written in Visual Basic that is capable of determining the sun's position and thus drive a paraboloidal dish concentrator (PDS) along the East-West axis or North-South axis for receiving maximum solar radiation. In general, both sun-tracking approaches mentioned above have both strengths and drawbacks, so some hybrid sun-tracking systems have been developed to include both the open-loop and closed-loop sensors for the sake of high tracking accuracy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

General Formula for On-Axis Sun-Tracking System

Chong¹,

Wong²

2010

Solar Collectors and Panels, Theory and Applications

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“…The solar energy absorbed by these collectors can be increased by their integration with solar tracking systems which compute the direction of the solar vector based on location and time [1]. Using such tracking systems, the effectiveness of the solar collectors can be enhanced by ensuring that they are always oriented toward the sun [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Solar orientation measurement is an essential task in the solar energy field. Many previous studies have addressed the application of solar collectors in the development of solar energy technologies [14][15][16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Orientation Measurement Systems with Integrated Solar Cells

Chiang¹,

Lee²,

Hwang³

et al. 2008

TOBCTJ

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This paper presents a novel solar orientation measurement system based on solar cells. A methodology for calculating the solar orientation is developed in which the time and latitude angles of the sun are determined from the measured output voltages of inclined solar cells. Three types of measurement system are considered, namely a single cell type, a double cell type, and a quadrantal cell type. The relationship between the measured output voltages of the solar cells and the solar position is fully explored and documented for each measurement system. In the quadrantal measurement system, a variation in the time angle or latitude angle of the sun generates a corresponding change in the comparative output voltages of the East-West (E-W) or South-North (S-N) solar cells, respectively. By inclining the solar cells at an angle of 45 degrees, it is found that the comparative voltage ratio is sufficiently large that the time and latitude angles can be accurately predicted. The proposed measurement system provides a valuable contribution to the on-going development of tracking systems in the solar energy technology field.

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The Tracking of the Sun for Solar Paraboloidal Dish Concentrators

Cited by 16 publications

References 3 publications

Experimental analysis of a two-axis tracking system for solar parabolic dish collector

Experimental analysis of a two-axis tracking system for solar parabolic dish collector

General Formula for On-Axis Sun-Tracking System

Solar Orientation Measurement Systems with Integrated Solar Cells

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