PARABOLIC TROUGH REFLECTOR SOLAR WATER HEATER GREEN POWER
on May 24 in Lowes DIY
www.greenpowerscience.com This is a very simple trough design you can run a 100′ trough for less than $500.
Related Posts
- PARABOLIC DISH MIRROR REFLECTOR SPHERICAL SUN PARABOLIC SOLAR COOKER REFLECTIVE ALUMINUM
- DIY Parabolic Trough Mirror made in 20 minutes Stainless Steel Mirror
- FRESNEL LENS SOLAR HOT WATER, Heat Solar Pool Heater Solar Swimming Pool Heater
- Andasol Power Plant Salt Storage Solar Millenium – solar thermal parabolic trough plant
- Saving Energy with Solar Power : Using Rainwater in a Water Heater
a riving knive on the saw would stop the pinching, where come from its a legal requrement.
I’m working on this myself and considering first to put the mylar onto a sort of rubber / plastic perhaps a shower certain of some sort then to put that onto the inside of the trough.
Or perhaps better to just use a different adhesive material to smooth the surface problems that way you could use the squeegee to smooth the mylar and get rid of the dimples.
Wire wheel brush on a drill might smooth it out simple enough also.
@anasynpunk Hi,
Go to our website link, you are looking for part C.
Any ideas as to where I could purchase the thick reflective surface you’re using? I am trying with 3 mil reflective mylar but am encountering some problems. The pvc I purchased is heavily dimpled(looked for the best but they are all equally “unsuitable”) and is exaggerated upon adhesion. Anyone have any ideas as to rectifying this problem? Sanding tips, other reflective materials?
Would it be more effective if you covered the entire half pipe with plexiglass to create some green house effect for it?
You know this could be a business for eavetrough and siding for cold climates. Just use the mirrored trough with a black aluminum mesh flat top. Now you have a frost/ice proof trough that will never have ice dam issues that are absolutely plagueing canada. Thanks for the little boost I needed.
How about just spraying some chrome paint on the PVC half pipe, instead of the chrome sheeting?
You should find the focus of the parabola to maximize the efficiency. (All of the sun will focus at exactly one point)
Measure your parabola and graph it properly on graph paper. Then find the equation in the standard parabola form (x – h)^2 = 4p (y – k). Use the points (h, k + p) to find the focus. Then convert your blueprint on the graph paper into the real thing. It’ll work a whole lot better this way than if you guessed where to put the water piping.
hey uncle bob i have just sawn off the edge of my pe*** will driving down to the hospital give me a greater carbon footprint than crawling on my belly and using some gaffer tape ?these things i need to know . please reply soom as the blood is draining from my heeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaddddddd urrrrrrrrrrrrr
I’m wondering which would be better, a parabolic trough or a absorberplate design?
Is it really insulated well enough to hold heat through the night?
I made one of these and puchased the refletive meterial off Dan’s web site I made it 4ft long and have perfict conditions for it to work but only get min temp differerence comming out no mater how slow I regulate water flow, how long do I need to make it to make 170F temp?
galavanized pipe
Thanks so much !
@huynguyenkimnga – at home requirements
Perhaps it is first possible with cook alu foil, it´s costs comparatively few cents…
and then stable Plastik foil…!?
@huynguyenkimnga – at home requirements
Perhaps it is first possible with cook alu foil, it´s costs comparatively few cents…
and then stable Plastik foil…!?
And now we have a parabolic… solar reflector, heater… How do I use it??
hey, where could i get the mirror? what kind of material is for that coating. The efficiency would be different with each coating , right? what coating is the best?
Bare sheet metal is poor mirror. Special coatings required to boost reflective efficiency. Just buy flexible mirrors. Horizontal pipes require only occasional vertical adjustments to maintain seasonal focus. Vertical pipes require constant minute adjustments to track sun; more wear and tear, more powerful motors. Roof mounting must avoid snow accumulation; mount in vertical box to shed snow. Mount above worst-case snow on roof. Top slopes back.
If you have enough windows, skylights, fluorescent and LED lights, your major energy budget is devoted to Heating Air, Heating Water and Cooking. That is where solar really makes economic sense. Electricity is better made though solar voltaic cells, wind, tides, and micro turbines.
However, if you want to use high temperatures to run generator, you need cloud free skies and solar tracking parabolic dish, or a large number of heliostats (approximating parabolic segments).
The pipe is not mounted at the center of the circle, but half-way down the radius, or closer to the mirror. Yes, this works very well unless the pipe diameter is made too small.
Actually mirrored objects can get quite hot if infrared may not reflect or emit well. This is why polished metals get so hot in sunlight. There is no coating to interface light between the surface and air, leaving an A/E ratio of 3.
If you are going to put this on the roof, it is best to mount it vertically in gangs, put a mirror below the lower end and raise it all above the snow line. I have got to agree that insulating the pipe is needed; a single layer of glass with a 1/8″ air gap would be a great help. The Chinese are making evacuated quartz tubes in huge quantities for cheap (what else?). Perfect vacuum insulation. The pump runs while collector is hotter than the storage tank. One-way valves for night.
You can rotate the reflector once bi weekly or so to optimize sun tracking.
This is great, Dan R.
If you get your hand on stainless steel, please note that it has a large amount of nickel. If you heat stainless hot enough, it turns a dark blue and becomes an excellent absorber, but poor IR emitter, with an A/E ratio of up to 11. Then you can skip the paint. Try this on your parabolic mirror target!!