Elastic approximation for a solar parabolic trough

For the production of the reflective surface of a solar parabolic trough concentrator in the form of a parabolic cylinder, a cost effective method is to use the elastic buckling of a flat sheet. However, the surface resulting in such a buckling is only a coarse approximation of the parabola, that is not precise enough for the need of a high quality concentrator. We propose a method to correct this defect of approximation by applying additional external forces on the buckled sheet. These external forces include an edge torsion force and a pressing force on the sheet. Optimal positions and parameters of these additional forces are computed for various cases, that give a result in theoretical maximal concentration ratio up to 171, so this method offers a very attractive approach for low cost and high efficiency solar energy solutions.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source https://hal.science/hal-00675143
Author Xiao, Gang
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 26, 2026, 09:41 (UTC)
Created May 26, 2026, 09:41 (UTC)
Identifier hal-00675143
Language en
Rights https://about.hal.science/hal-authorisation-v1/
contributor Laboratoire Jean Alexandre Dieudonné (JAD) ; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
creator Xiao, Gang
date 2012-02-29T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 82b0f093-f1ad-4549-8979-118253ccdee7
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2024-03-11T00:00:00
set_spec type:UNDEFINED