Supporting System for Parabolic Solar Concentrating Collectors

Abstract

The collector rests on a ball joint by means of which it is connected to the ground, said ball joint being surrounded by a series of hydraulic arms arranged in two imaginary concentric rings. The aforementioned arms are hinged at the ends thereof to the collector and the corresponding foundation. In addition, the structure is stabilized by at least four towers ( 12 ) connected in pairs by a cable ( 13 ) that follows a closed path and is rigidly secured to the structure ( 2 ) at two diametrically opposed points of attachment ( 14 ), in such a way that the collector is pulled in one direction or another by means of multiple pulleys associated with the lower and upper ends of each of the two opposing towers, said cable passing through a braking means ( 17 ).

1 . Supporting system for parabolic solar thermal collectors of the trough type, characterized in that the vertex of the collector structure ( 2 ) rests on a ball joint ( 3 ) which connects it with the ground or the foundations, and around such joint, and matching two concentric imaginary rings, there are at least eight hydraulically operated arms ( 8 ) within the inner ring and twice the number of hydraulically operated arms ( 10 ) at the outer ring, and every pair of arms of the outer ring forms an isosceles triangle with the relevant pair of arms of the inner ring, which forms the acute vertex; all of them are connected to the collector and to the relevant foundations by means of articulated joints and, furthermore, it has been foreseen that the system is supplemented at least with four towers ( 12 ), and preferably, always in an even number, six towers, connected together two by two trough a cable ( 13 ), which are diametrically opposed outside the collector, so that each cable ( 13 ) describes a closed path, and it is connected to the structure ( 2 ) at two anchoring points ( 14 ) arranged in the periphery and diametrically opposed, passing through a plurality of pulleys connected to the lower and upper ends, respectively, of each one of the opposed towers; the cable, when crossing these pulleys, passes through a braking means ( 17 ). 
     
     
         2 . Supporting system for parabolic solar thermal collectors of the trough type according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the braking means ( 17 ) comprise a hydraulically operated clamp connected to the tower itself ( 12 ).