Three-Dimensional Analysis of a Concentrated Solar Flux

In order to improve the durability of receivers used in solar concentrating systems, it is necessary to minimize thermal stress during their operation. A possible way to do that is to design receivers in which the radiative flux density is homogeneous at the surface. For this reason, a detailed 3D study has been carried out for the distribution of concentrated solar radiation in the focal zone of a parabolic concentrator. A computer program has been developed to obtain isosurfaces of solar irradiance and achieve a homogeneous radiation flux on the receiver surface. The algorithm of the program proposes a methodology to obtain flux isosurfaces for a great variety of optical configurations. The effect of the optical errors on the mirror surface has been studied, as well as the effect of the shape of the mirror, e.g., round, square, or faceted. The numerical calculations were made using the convolution ray tracing technique.