The Fixed Mirror, Distributed Focus (FMDF) hemispherical bowl is a solar thermal power technology which has been studied for several years as a potentially attractive means of producing electricity. This paper discusses projections of the collector (concentrator and receiver) performance and cost that could be achieved by five variations of the FMDF technology, based on the assumption of continued technology development and high volume production. The major loss mechanisms were determined for the concentrators and receivers and then design point losses and efficiencies were developed. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) computer code SOLSTEP was then used to determine the annual performance. The cost analysis was based on a “commercial” solar thermal industry that could exist by the late 1990s. The industry is assumed to be installing several hundred megawatts per year of electric capacity, and is assumed to have improved the maturity of solar thermal components so that technical and economic risks are similar to other energy systems.
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November 1992
Research Papers
Performance and Cost Implications of the Fixed Mirror, Distributed Focus (FMDF) Collector
J. A. Dirks,
J. A. Dirks
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
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T. A. Williams,
T. A. Williams
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
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D. R. Brown
D. R. Brown
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
Search for other works by this author on:
J. A. Dirks
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
T. A. Williams
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
D. R. Brown
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Nov 1992, 114(4): 254-259 (6 pages)
Published Online: November 1, 1992
Article history
Received:
November 1, 1989
Revised:
April 1, 1990
Online:
June 6, 2008
Citation
Dirks, J. A., Williams, T. A., and Brown, D. R. (November 1, 1992). "Performance and Cost Implications of the Fixed Mirror, Distributed Focus (FMDF) Collector." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. November 1992; 114(4): 254–259. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2930014
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