Solaris A Solar Powered Stirling Engine Sponsor: Dr. A. Krothapalli For Energy and Propulsion Research Laboratory Dustin Harrelson Chris Newton Asegun Henry Hunter Ashmore

Outline Requirements Design Dish Heat Containment Stirling Engine/Generator Tracking System Frame Future Work

Requirements Solar Heat Powered Generate an optimum electrical output Track the sun Reset itself automatically at night Funding of $5000

Design 10ft parabolic dish –Covered in aluminized mylar Heat containment, tracking system, stirling engine and generator located at focal point Frame/Support System –Needs to support weight of dish along with heat containment, stirling engine, generator, and tracking system –Be able to move dish along azimuth and altitude angles

Design Stirling engine, generator, heat containment and tracking system at focal point

Dish 10 foot parabolic dish Old C-Band Dish Donated Converted to Solar Reflector

Dish ¼ Section of Dish Closer inspection of Screen Mesh

Dish Covering dish with aluminized mylar Completed section of dish

Dish Dish completely covered in aluminized mylar Ready for testing

Dish Preliminary Testing of Dish Reached maximum temperature of 720ºF Average Temperature of 500ºF

Heat Containment

Stirling Engine

Tracking System Requirements Follow sun as it moves through sky –Enough freedom of motion to point at sun at any part of the sky –Sensor system to detect suns position –Actuator system to align dish with sun Integrated with frame

Tracking System Have 2-axis motion –90º of altitude travel –240º of azimuth travel Altitude Angle (  s ) – angular distance above horizon Azimuth Agle (  s ) – angular distance measured along the horizon in a clockwise direction

Tracking System Quadrant Photodiode Amplification Module –4-element array –Silicon Photodiodes Produces a current which is proportional to the light falling on it Module planned for use –Phresh Photonics’ SiQu50-M

Frame

Future Work Confirmation of: –Stirling Engine/Generator –Frame –Heat Containment –Tracking System –Energy Output of Dish Begin Construction of ‘Solaris’ –Location of where to construct