Link to document:
Status
Electronic Resource
Call number
Publication
5105 151 JPL 2143; Report; February 1985.
Language
Library's review
ABSTRACT:
A dish concentrator for solar thermal power is pointed at the sun during normal operation so that its concentrated solar beam enters the receiver aperture. A failure of some sort may cause the concentrator to remain fixed while the spot of concentrated sunlight, due to the rotation of the
A dish concentrator for solar thermal power is pointed at the sun during normal operation so that its concentrated solar beam enters the receiver aperture. A failure of some sort may cause the concentrator to remain fixed while the spot of concentrated sunlight, due to the rotation of the
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sun relative to the earth, moves slowly across the face of the receiver and the receiver aperture support structure. The intense local heating caused by this event may damage the receiver support structure, and/or nearby equipment such as cables, fluid lines, and instrumentation. This undesired event is called a solar "walk-off." A solar walk-off is caused by one of three primary failure mechanisms, namely: loss of power to the concentrator drive subsystem, (usually the result of a utility grid failure), failure of the drive subsystem (structurally, electrically or otherwise), or human error. Show Less