Design of heliostat system for demonstration of fabrication and functionality

Abstract

There has been considerable amount of interest in the use of solar thermal power as an alternative source of energy. A promising option is the use of arrays of heliostats combined with a central receiver. A heliostat is a structure that tracks the position of the sun in two axes to direct sunlight to a central target point with the use of a mirror. In this project, I have designed and built a system of heliostats in order to demonstrate their functionality and fabrication. The main point is that the fabrication is reproducible for high school students using the available machinery in high school facilities. The stability of the heliostats is demonstrated with calculations that I developed to ensure that the structure does not flip over under the weight of the mirror that it must hold. Furthermore, the theoretical heat exchange analysis of the system will support the design parameters, specifically the size of the mirror that is to be used. The designs of the other parts of the structure rely on the size of the mirror. Then, I give an in-depth description of the fabrication process.