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Solaris A Solar Powered Stirling Engine. Sponsor: Dr. A. Krothapalli For Energy and Propulsion Research Laboratory Dustin Harrelson Chris Newton Asegun Henry Hunter Ashmore. Outline. Requirements Design Dish Heat Containment Stirling Engine/Generator Tracking System Frame
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SolarisA Solar Powered Stirling Engine Sponsor: Dr. A. Krothapalli For Energy and Propulsion Research Laboratory Dustin Harrelson Chris Newton Asegun Henry Hunter Ashmore
Outline • Requirements • Design • Dish • Heat Containment • Stirling Engine/Generator • Tracking System • Frame • Future Work
Requirements • Solar Heat Powered • Generate an optimum electrical output • Track the sun • Reset itself automatically at night • Funding of $5000
Design • 10ft parabolic dish • Covered in aluminized mylar • Heat containment, tracking system, stirling engine and generator located at focal point • Frame/Support System • Needs to support weight of dish along with heat containment, stirling engine, generator, and tracking system • Be able to move dish along azimuth and altitude angles
Design Stirling engine, generator, heat containment and tracking system at focal point
Dish 10 foot parabolic dish • Old C-Band Dish • Donated • Converted to Solar Reflector
Dish Closer inspection of Screen Mesh ¼ Section of Dish
Dish Completed section of dish Covering dish with aluminized mylar
Dish Dish completely covered in aluminized mylar Ready for testing
Dish • Preliminary Testing of Dish • Reached maximum temperature of 720ºF • Average Temperature of 500ºF
Tracking System Requirements • Follow sun as it moves through sky • Enough freedom of motion to point at sun at any part of the sky • Sensor system to detect suns position • Actuator system to align dish with sun • Integrated with frame
Tracking System • Have 2-axis motion • 90º of altitude travel • 240º of azimuth travel Altitude Angle (s) – angular distance above horizon Azimuth Agle (s) – angular distance measured along the horizon in a clockwise direction
Tracking System • Quadrant Photodiode Amplification Module • 4-element array • Silicon Photodiodes • Produces a current which is proportional to the light falling on it • Module planned for use • Phresh Photonics’ SiQu50-M
Future Work • Confirmation of: • Stirling Engine/Generator • Frame • Heat Containment • Tracking System • Energy Output of Dish • Begin Construction of ‘Solaris’ • Location of where to construct