Claims
- 1. A method for fabricating a reflector for a central receiver system, the method comprising:
maintaining a mirror at a first temperature; maintaining a facet at a second temperature; and using an adhesive compound placed between the mirror and the facet to bond the mirror to the facet.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first temperature is less than an operating temperature of the mirror when the reflector is in use.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein a material for the facet and a material for the mirror are selected to have different coefficients of thermal expansion such that the mirror experiences a compressive stress when the mirror and the facet are allowed to return to an ambient temperature during a manufacturing process.
- 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the facet to provide a channel for enabling a cooling fluid to be flowed over a surface of the facet in thermal contact with the mirror.
- 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the facet to include at least one cooling fin.
- 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the mirror into a convex shape.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the mirror into a concave shape.
- 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the facet in a triangular shape.
- 10. The method of claim 5, further comprising forming the facet to include a serpentine-shaped cooling channel.
- 11. A method for forming a reflector for use with a central receiver system, comprising:
maintaining a mirror having a first coefficient of thermal expansion at a first temperature; maintaining a facet at a second temperature, wherein the facet has a second coefficient of thermal expansion substantially similar to the first coefficient of thermal expansion and the second temperature is greater than the first temperature; placing a thermally conductive adhesive material between the mirror and the facet; and allowing the adhesive to cure to bond the mirror and the facet together and in thermal communication with one another via the thermally conductive adhesive material.
- 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming the facet in a triangular shape.
- 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming the facet to include a cooling flow channel by which a cooling fluid can be routed thereover.
- 14. A method of forming a reflector in a manner that induces a compressive stress within the reflector when the reflector is at an ambient temperature, comprising:
providing a mirror at a first temperature; heating a facet to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature; disposing a thermally conductive adhesive between one surface of the mirror and one surface of the facet; holding the mirror and the facet in contact with one another with a tool while the adhesive is allowed to cure, to thus impart a compressive stress into the mirror as the facet cools; and releasing the reflector from the tool, wherein the reflector has a compressive stress imparted thereto.
- 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming the facet with a plurality of cooling channels.
- 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming the facet with a plurality of cooling fins.
- 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming the facet with a triangular shape.
- 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming the facet with a honeycomb support structure.
- 19. A method for forming a reflector for a solar receiver system, comprising:
heating a facet to a first temperature in excess of a maximum operating temperature which the facet will experience during use with the solar receiver system; placing a mirror adjacent the facet; placing a thermally conductive adhesive on a surface of one of the mirror and the facet; bringing the mirror and the facet into contact with one another through use of a tool such that the adhesive is disposed between the mirror and the facet, while the mirror is maintained at a second temperature less than the first temperature; allowing the adhesive to cure such that the reflector is formed with a compressive stress imparted to the mirror; and removing the reflector from the tool.
- 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming the facet in a triangular shape.
- 21. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming the facet with a serpentine channel for directing a cooling fluid over one surface of the facet.
- 22. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming the facet with at least one cooling fin.
- 23. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming the facet from steel.
- 24. The method of claim 19, further comprising maintaining the mirror at a temperature that is less than an operating temperature at which the mirror will experience during operation of the reflector.
- 25. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming the facet with a honeycomb support structure.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/879,363 filed on Jun. 12, 2001. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09879363 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Child |
10755960 |
Jan 2004 |
US |