Research On Space Deployable Flexible Parabolic Dish Concentrator

The sun is the inexhaustible and inexhaustible core energy of the earth.The use of solar power on the ground to generate electricity is affected by the absorption and scattering of the atmosphere,the attenuation of clouds,rain,fog and snow,and the change of seasons and day and night.The energy density is low and very unstable.In the geosynchronous orbit,the sun’s rays will not be weakened by the atmosphere,nor will it be affected by seasonal,day and night changes.It can receive solar radiation stably within 99% of the time,with an average of about 1.353 k W/m2,which is 6-15 times that of the ground.It is an ideal location for the construction of solar power stations.Space solar power station is the current frontier scientific direction in the field of international solar energy,and the concentrator is its key core component.However,the current research is in the conceptual design stage,and there are technical problems such as low efficiency,low precision,high quality,and complex structure.Most solar systems on the ground use solid-surface mirrors to collect solar energy,which requires a high cost to achieve high accuracy.Facing the application requirements of large-caliber solar concentrators in space solar power stations,this paper proposes a new configuration of lightweight,high-precision space self-expanding flexible concentrators,and adopts theoretical modeling,calculation simulation,optimization design an d principle prototype test The combined method is used to study the principle of parabolic configuration,structural stability,dynamic behavior,focusing accuracy,etc.First,this paper proposes an optimized and innovative design method for a large-aperture flexible condenser based on the composite structure of the multi-layer plate elastic petal lens body.The rigidity-optimized elastic petal lens body thin plate is fixed by the root,and the end is pulled by the flexible cable to form a parabola.The variable-rigidity elastic petal mirror body thin plate is realized by the shape-optimized stiffener plate.A method for optimizing the stiffness of the flexible sheet using software interaction is proposed,and the finite element software ADINA,Monte Carlo method,genetic algorithm and particle swarm algorithm are used in conjunction to build an optimized design platform,with the goal of minimizing the focus accuracy error,and the optimization design is strengthened.The shape of the ribs and the distribution of small holes control the bending of the thin plate of the elastic petal lens body to form a high-precision paraboloid,which improves the surface accuracy of the condenser and reduces the overall quality.Secondly,this paper proposes a new configuration of integrally tensioned self-expanding flexible concentrator,which is mainly composed of shape-optimized elastic petals,petal root hinges,elastic self-expanding extension arms,flexible tension ropes and rope adjustment mechanisms.A new configurat ion of elastic self-expanding large-scale extension arm is proposed,its strain energy is modeled,and the principle of self-expansion is revealed.This configuration has the characteristics of self-expansion,high rigidity and high stability.Realize the expansion and contraction of the super-large concentrator mechanism by rotating and lamination with a single degree of freedom around the axis.The self-elastic structure is adopted to store and release energy to realize the passive drive of the whole mechanism.The use of elastic hinges instead of traditional rigid hinges improves the storage ratio of the mechanism and reduces the complexity of the structure.This configuration has circumferential symmetry,good stability and rigidity,and has the advantages of non-drive self-expanding,high storage ratio,light weight,and simple structure.Finally,design and develop a self-expanding flexible condenser prototype and carry out experimental research.The stiffness,spreading performance and concentrating precision of the concentrator structure were evaluated,and the spreading and retracting performance and mechanical properties of the elastic self-expanding arm were verified.Compared with the traditional method,the new concentrator configuration proposed in this paper has the characteristics of high precision,high storage ratio,light weight,and high bankability,which provides a new design method for the concentrator structure of space solar power plants.It is expected to be applied to space solar power plant projects,as well as to super-large space systems such as space thermal systems,space folding antennas,space telescope systems,and solar sails.