I had to concoct this method because there was no software available. I have since progressed to the solar design t-square which allows you to design in 3 dimensions! Using cheap laser pointers. It may prove useful to solar designers everywhere!
Jan
28
I had to concoct this method because there was no software available. I have since progressed to the solar design t-square which allows you to design in 3 dimensions! Using cheap laser pointers. It may prove useful to solar designers everywhere!
24 comments
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pwnageinthemaking says:
January 28, 2012 at 7:23 am (UTC 0)
im to dumb to understand any of this. i just clicked on this video? because i saw the word “concoct” in the description and laughed.
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 7:54 am (UTC 0)
@bxxj The automotive thermostat sounds like an excellent idea.
I thought about it? but never got round to doing it. You can have the entry water pipe coiled round the exit water pipe to reuse some of the heat too. It is the obvious way, using an off the shelf automotive part to control the flow. 140 F is 60 centigrade (for me and others). Pasteurization is achieved by a combination of temperature and duration. Engineers should be able to make your device up fairly quickly.
bxxj says:
January 28, 2012 at 8:29 am (UTC 0)
I recently saw a solar pasteurizer that used a automotive thermostat as a flow valve. they work at 140 to 160 degrees. since your “dish” is not dependent on precise angles the heating and cooling? effects of a gravity flow water cylinder or possibly a simple water bag controlled by a automotive thermostat just off the focal point might work very well. very low tech and reliable.
ahmd1431 says:
January 28, 2012 at 9:23 am (UTC 0)
O Jesus, son? of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven?
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gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 9:38 am (UTC 0)
@vossua So you didn’t check?
There is no need for pistons and refrigerants. I did a small one with a water clock and 2 paint buckets.
That is a dripper tracker.
I also made one with a clock (wall clock with hands) controlling the process. The clock based tracker.
Just demo’s. They worked.
But I have not done a demo of the liquid piston tracker. Just diagrams.
If you make the liquid piston tracker, it can be more reliable and more accurate than your refrigerant? thing
and cheaper too.
vossua says:
January 28, 2012 at 10:32 am (UTC 0)
You could make solar pistons from copper pipe and commercially available refrigerant or in absence of this, one could use propane, butane or possibly [with much less efficiency] acetone.
I do not know what is commercially? available in your area, but many items can be bought without license or permit in most places which will perform the needed actions. One simply needs skills and determination.
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 11:14 am (UTC 0)
@vossua Please check out my dripper tracker options. They are here in video form and on solarcooking on their tracking page. (I cannot do the link here). There are 3 to choose from. A guy working at uvic said the liquid? piston tracker would be perfect for a student the mecatronics course in UVIC university to design. If I was a business they would have done it. But I am not and rules are rules! Liquid piston would be the most accurate. Time based too! Robust in wind too!
vossua says:
January 28, 2012 at 11:51 am (UTC 0)
We in my group are building a precisely calibrated ‘clock’ tracker based on actual sidereal time, but its going to be for utility scale collectors.
I’m sure the average commercial light sensitive solar tracker is too costly for such an adventure but one person built an expansion based device once which was based on placing bulbs of a gas similar to freon inside? dark colored cylinders then arranging them in such a fashion that they were shaded from direct sunlight when properly aimed…
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 12:13 pm (UTC 0)
@vossua It is a big problem! I? have been thinking of “workarounds” for a few years since this video.
The clam shaped solar cooker (last year) is the latest thing and it works. It probably works REALLY well if aimed properly BUT it has to be aimed at the sun and aligned with the PATH of the sun.
Thats hard!
My solar compass is part of an attempt to easily do this.
Seasons make it tough.
The tracking solar accumulator is semi automatic and is a potential solution for parabolic dishes.
vossua says:
January 28, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC 0)
The only problem I see is the? inability of the user to think well enough to AIM their mirror!
datzfast says:
January 28, 2012 at 1:01 pm (UTC 0)
@canavan advantage, you dont have to reposition often, disadvantage the highest temp possible for? the area of collection not achieved.
jcanivan says:
January 28, 2012 at 1:31 pm (UTC 0)
Great video.? gaiatechnician
So what are theadvantages and disadvangages of a compound parabola.
John
datzfast says:
January 28, 2012 at 2:07 pm (UTC 0)
thanks for your response i will check out the T-square?
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 2:18 pm (UTC 0)
@datzfast The video is a couple of years old.? So it is outdated. It is part of a long term “learning” or design process. I left it up because there are plenty of links to it and it does show the laser in design concept fairly well.
By round, do you mean 3 dimensional? like a dish. No, it does not work as round. If you want to see what it develops into, please search solar design t-square and clam shaped solar cookers. With the solar design t-square, you can design custom dishes.
datzfast says:
January 28, 2012 at 2:32 pm (UTC 0)
ok but yea cant make a round compond parabolic or? can you
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC 0)
@artsychic2000 The? best ones here are cheap 15 dollar 9 inch torpedo laser levels. And it is all about the brightness. Wheres the point of the 60 dollar super level if its point disappears in bright sunlight? And one that makes a point usually comes with attachments to make a line anyway. The useless one I used in the video was only useful for that video because even though it is bright, it only makes a line! (which totally wastes the power)
artsychic2000 says:
January 28, 2012 at 3:01 pm (UTC 0)
lol…i got one of those for my husband for christmas. He said? it was useless too : p
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 3:02 pm (UTC 0)
@solarsenthil Please also note that the solar design t-square could be used to design parabolic dishes too. Even an approximation of one made with mirrors? on a flat piece of plywood.
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 3:14 pm (UTC 0)
@solarsenthil Thank you. This video is outdated and some of my conclusions were wrong. (You cannot just revolve a curve to get 2 hours acceptance ) . But I leave it up because it is useful to people as a starter or primer.
The newer stuff is solar design t-square and clam shaped dishes? for 1 or 2 hour solar cooking. The t square also use a laser and is much more accurate on the 3d physics. (Not perfect but very very close) and it does a great job in 3 dimensions.
solarsenthil says:
January 28, 2012 at 3:51 pm (UTC 0)
it is very useful but your video explanation? requires clarity. thanks
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 4:03 pm (UTC 0)
@moryl My video should be called parabolic is the wrong shape for “unattended solar cooking”. You might need a winston w curve on a trough. Its probably about the best you can do.
if you want a parabolic dish then the mechanical mathematician should work or? you can do it mathematicially. But you have to do tracking to keep the dish focused.
So yeah, Winstons W curve was patented but it expired and anyone can use it now. Brian
moryl says:
January 28, 2012 at 4:27 pm (UTC 0)
hello Gaia,
I am looking to build a parabolic dish to heat water. THis is for a project in developing country.
My? question is how to draw, accurately the compund parabola curve? I did not realy understand how you optain the combined the 2 curves. Do you have a technic?
Thanks .
Leo
PaulArveson says:
January 28, 2012 at 4:52 pm (UTC 0)
scotty – Sorry, but you are incorrect. The laser level emits a parallel beam that represents a source at a far distance like the sun. It is not? a near source like a light bulb. The experiment is ok.
gaiatechnician says:
January 28, 2012 at 5:27 pm (UTC 0)
@scottythefiddler Thanks for the comment. I think that? in 2 dimensions it is fine but not when you extrapolate it to 3 dimensions.
At the time, (over a year ago) that I added it, I thought that you could just rotate your shape round a centerline and have a dish with great unattended cooking time. This is not so. Please check my solar design t-square and clam shaped solar cooker videos for the updates. I leave this on because it IS useful to people and it is watched a lot.