| A full-spectrum solar collector/receiver system is being designed by a research team lead by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Nevada, Reno. This solar energy system is unique in that it utilizes the majority of the solar spectrum by splitting the visible light and the infrared (IR) energy for two different end uses.; This research is concerned with the optics that will provide uniform irradiance of the IR energy on the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) array. The benchmark full-spectrum collector/receiver and prototype TPV array have been built, so the work performed here is to match the two systems together. A non-imaging (NI) system for the IR flux incident on the TPV array mounted behind the secondary mirror is designed. Several different cross-sectional shapes, as well as reflective and refractive tubes are investigated. It is shown that a rectangular-shaped, hollow, internal-reflecting tube is the best choice for the benchmark system. |
