Design of a Novel Heliostat for a Large-Scale Desalination System

Abstract

The optical design and the mechanical structure of a new heliostat is described for application in the Solar Water plc large-scale desalination plant, to be constructed in the Middle East. The heliostat field is required to reflect direct solar radiation onto a section of the desalination dome, requiring the design of a new type of heliostat. A novel dual-tilted dual-axis tracking heliostat is the design selected to meet the optical requirements specification. The supporting structure also requires a unique approach, which we describe in this paper. The optical and mechanical analysis of the heliostat and its operation are also presented.