MATHEMATICAL MODELLING AND DESIGNING OF MULTI-AXIS SUNTRACKING MECHANISM

Abstract

The output power produced by high-concentration solar thermal and photovoltaic systems is directly related to the amount of solar energy acquired by the system, and to maximize the input solar energy, sun is tracked therefore necessary to track the sun’s position with a high degree of accuracy. The movement of earth, hourly and seasonally, affects the radiation intensity on solar systems. Sun-trackers move the solar systems to compensate for these motions, keeping the best orientation relative to the sun. Sun tracking is necessary for Concentrated Solar Technology (CST). Continuous movement of sun causes problems to maintain a clear focus on the receiver, therefore it is necessary to use tracking systems for CST. Many types of tracking systems have been proposed. Accordingly, this project guides to know the requirements for designing a solar tracking system specifically to be used for CST. A multi-axis tracking mechanism is proposed for fixed receiver solar concentrator. The mechanism is called multi-axis because, each mirror has two axis to move about and number of mirrors are used. Therefore, the tracking mechanism is called multi-axis. The designing work is done in CATIA V5 R20 software with part design workbench and each part was assembled in assembly workbench. The designing of mechanism is done with some assumptions. Based on the design proposed, a small mathematical modelling is done to know the estimation of energy that can be acquired by the system. The mathematical modelling also describes the concentration that can be achieved.