Large Solar Furnace

• Large Solar Furnace

No, it's not the aliens base and not a film set sci-fi movies. It - Large Solar Furnace (BSP) with a capacity of 700 kilowatts, located in Uzbekistan. Total in the world two of the furnace, and the second is located in France. Together, let us look at this unique facility.

Large solar furnace is a complex optomechanical complex with automatic control, consisting of geliostatnogo paraboloidal concentrator field and forming the focal zone a fixed high-density energy flux concentrator. The area of ​​the reflecting surface geliostatnogo field - 3020 m², the hub - 1840 m². The temperature in the concentrator focus rays exceeds 3,000 degrees Celsius. This is the largest solar oven in the world.

2. Geliokompleks located 45 km from Tashkent, in Parkent area, in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains at an altitude of 1100 meters above sea level. It was built between 1981 and 1987. Place to build very carefully chosen: first the whole complex is located on a single rock mass, which is very important t to it is located in a seismically hazardous area, and secondly, the number of sunny days per year is not less than 270...

3. begin examination with small solar furnace. It is a mirror parabaloid about 2 meters in diameter, focusing the sun's rays to a point 2 cm in diameter.

4. The maximum temperature that can be obtained in the furnace - 2000 degrees Celsius. Interesting visual effect can be observed with objects placed closer focal distance. Here, for example, netwind'a picture standing next to the mirror increases, and all that is further reflected in the upside.

5. "Will the Party, the people desire a complex sun will be built here," May 1981. Implement the ambitious project "Institute of the Sun" has been made possible thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm of academician Said Azimovich Asimov. Triangulation station and the memorial plaque at the highest point of the complex - 1100 meters above sea level.

Scientific geliokompleks includes 4 business units: the main building, geliostatnoe field concentrator technology tower.

6. Geliostatnoe field consists of 62 heliostats arranged in a staggered manner (to reduce shading) on ​​the gentle slope of the mountain opposite the hub.

7. Each heliostat size 7, 5x6, 5 meters consists of a 195 flat mirror elements called "facets".

8. The reflective geliostatnogo field area is 3022 square meters.

From the archive. Longitudinal section of the hub and geliostatnogo field.

9. The sensors automatically adjust the position of each heliostat in accordance with the movement of the sun. Each heliostat can be rotated both vertically and horizontally.

10. The size of the individual mirrors - 50x50 centimeters.

facet 11. The reflective layer is formed by vacuum deposition of aluminum on the rear side and is protected acrylic paint.

12. Total 12090 mirrors used on geliostatnom field.

13. The mirror control is fully automated and uses ready-made program for each day, taking into account the position of the sun in the sky.

14. And here is the main object - the parabolic solar concentrator. It is the world's largest gelikontsentrator, an area of ​​1840 square meters. To assess the scale look at the people at the bottom left of the frame.

From the archive. Sketch of the hub and geliostatnogo field.

15. The concentrator uses 10,700 mirrors, a total area of ​​1840 square meters. Mirrors 214 are assembled in blocks of size 4, 5x2, 25 m, 50 mirror each.

16. The hub is fixedly positioned and oriented in a north-south direction.

17. The flow of solar energy directed heliostats is reflected from the parabolic mirror concentrator surface and focuses at one point on the process turret, a diameter of 40 centimeters.

18. In the center of the parabolic concentrator surface, at a height of 6 floors located pyrometric laboratory where control the operation of the furnace.

19. A Panoramic view of tower and technological hub.

20. Outer hub point falls on a mark 1100 meters above sea level, which coincides with the point of installation at the top of a memorial plate geliostatnogo field. The size of "mirror" hub - 47h54 meters. And every single mirror has a size of 45x45 centimeters.

21. The weight of metal structures hub - 200 thousand tons.. On the top (12th floor) walk-freight elevator. And this is the hub looks from the inside.

22. The south side of the hub. For protection from sunlight and thermal deformation metallikonstruktsy closed hub special sun screens. In the foreground simple experimental solar furnace assembled from steel sheets.

23. The pyrometer Laboratory 6 Hub floor. Its windows overlook the technological tower. Hence, control the operation of the furnace.

24. At the top mark on the hub is an observation deck. Downstairs Sun village, condominium for employees of the institute.

25. More over red sight buttons to align all 62 heliostats.

26. It also offers panoramic views of the geliostatnoe field.

27. The matrix of the target marks.

28. The focal length Hub - 18 meters, it is at this distance is a technological tower with oven. When not in use the oven door closed and forcibly cooled.

29. The staircase-lift block on the south side of the hub.

30. The solar furnace advantage of achieving an instantaneous high temperature, allowing to obtain pure material without contaminants (including through mountain air purity). It therefore metals and alloys are characterized by an extremely high purity and lack of contaminants. And one more important argument - for solar energy does not have to pay.

Well, of course we can not ignore the second big solar oven in the world.

Big solar furnace in Font-Romeu-Odeillo (France)

Sun's lab was the first solar oven in the world with such dimensions. Its construction was carried out in 1962-1968 years. The entire complex earned in 1970. The furnace consists of a parabolic concentrator, with dimensions 54h48 meters and 63 heliostats. The total area of ​​the reflecting surface of the concentrator only 10 square meters less than that of the BSP in Parkent, but due to the fact that the entire complex is located above (at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level) and applied a high-quality mirror - maximum power of the French solar furnace above and is 1 Megawatt.

BSS can be used to obtain pure zirconium metal without any impurities. The melting point of zirconium oxide - 2700 degrees Celsius! Kiln in this case may be about 2, 5 zirconium tonnes per day.

You will agree that geliokompleksy very similar to each other.

Now in the Physico-Technical Institute (PTI), the NGO "Physics-Sun" engaged in scientific and technical developments in the field of high energy physics, physics of semiconductors, solar energy conversion, solid-state theory.

Once it was carried out skin tests of spacecraft and military vehicles, and now the production line of ceramic products created on the basis of the Institute, based on the materials synthesized in the BSP. In particular, this body fuses and high-voltage porcelain. It also designed and built a small solar furnace capacity of 1500 watts, which are already working in Egypt and India. More BSP can be used as an astrophysical tool for studies of the sky at night.

Unique complex technical base "Physics-Sun" allows for versatile observation of the sun and do not only theoretical but also experimental research.