SCHLESINGER KARL-GEORG (AT)
| US20060169846A1 | 2006-08-03 | |||
| US20210043790A1 | 2021-02-11 | |||
| US20100104235A1 | 2010-04-29 | |||
| US9266627B1 | 2016-02-23 | |||
| US6111190A | 2000-08-29 | |||
| US7321095B2 | 2008-01-22 | |||
| US10615301B1 | 2020-04-07 |
BEN JOHNSON: "Coursework for PH240, Power Sources for Space Exploration", 2012, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
| 4 1 Claims What is claimed is: 1. A method for concentration of solar radiation by a 1st stage optical system, to be utilized for white light beaming to a location in space for any form of energy supply. A location in space may refer to any location in space, but also any location on a moon, planet or astronomical body. The 1st stage optical system described herein is configured to achieve either an intensity of the generated white light beam that exceeds 1.4 MW/m2 upon generation or a concentration factor of at least 1000 over incoming radiation. Further, the 1st stage optical system described herein satisfies a lightweight criterion either collecting 100 kW of solar radiation per kg of weight, where collecting is defined by the solar irradiation per square meter and not by taking into account any transformation efficiencies, or is collecting at least x kW per kilogram of weight, where at a location with solar radiation of y kw per square meter, the parameter satisfies x > lOOy. Furthermore, the system satisfies an additional efficiency constraint of at least 99%, counted as the intensity of the white light beam upon generation over the intensity of solar irradiation at the given location. 2. A method as in claim (1) where the optical system makes use of one or a plurality of Bragg Mirrors. 3. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized with a crystalline, semiconductor-based coating 4. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized with a dielectric Mirror. 5. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized with a thin- film Vacuum Deposition Technology. 6. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is fabricated using a thin-film technology. 7. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is fabricated using an Atomic Layer Deposition technique. 5 An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized by individual Fresnel reflection layers that consist of graphene, hBN or other graphene-like layers in combination with either appropriate fillings or vacuum layers. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized by individual Fresnel reflection layers that consist of a diamond-like crystalline structure either based on carbon or on other iso-electronic material in combination with either appropriate fillings or vacuum layers. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is realized by individual Fresnel reflection layers that consist of Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTs) or Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), in combination with either appropriate fillings or vacuum layers. An optical system as in claim (2) where the Bragg Mirror is metamaterial -based utilizing a a subwave-length grating, that is realized by Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTs) or Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) or other nanotube or nanowire-structures. A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the generated white light beam might be utilized for beaming electricity to Earth. A method as in claim (12), where the conversion of the white light beam might be achieved by 1st converting the white light beam to electricity which in turn is used to power a microwave antenna. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but do not need to utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (12), where the conversion of the Wight Light beam might be achieved by 1st converting the white light beam to electricity which in turn is used to power a Laser system. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but do not need not utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (13) and claim (14), where any combination of the system in claim (13) and (14) is used. 6 A method as in claim (12), where the conversion of the white light beam might be achieved by utilizing a solar-powered Laser system to directly convert the highly concentrated white light beam to a Laser beam. A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the generated white light beam might be utilized for space mining, herein space mining might comprise asteroid mining, mining on the moon, mining on comets, mining on planets and their moons in the solar system and any other incarnation of space mining appreciated or to be invented or developed by a person skilled in the art. A method as in claim (17), where the heat of the generated white light beam might be utilized directly, which can be considered as beaming process heat in space. A method as in claim (18), where the temperature of the beamed process heat might be adjusted by the chosen optical concentration or adaptive optics or the location of the 1st stage optical system or any combination thereof. A method as in claim (17), where the generated wight light beam might be converted into electricity making use of the electricity in any possible form. A method as in claim (20), where the conversion of the white light beam might be achieved by 1st converting the white light beam to electricity which in turn is used to power a microwave antenna. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but do not need to utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (20), where the conversion of the white light beam might be achieved by 1 st converting the white light beam to electricity which in turn is used to power a laser system. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but do not need to utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (21) and claim (22), where any combination of the system in claim (13) and (14) is used. A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the generated white light beam might be utilized for splitting water in hydrogen and oxygen. 7 A method as in claim (24), where the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen is achieved by directly utilizing the white light beam in the form of process heat. A method as in claim (25), where the temperature of the beamed process heat can be adjusted by the chosen optical concentration or the location of the 1st stage optical system or any combination thereof. A method as in claim (24), where the water might be separated into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolytic application of an electrical current. The conversion of the white light beam into electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but do not need to utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (24) -(27) where the application of the white light beam for splitting water in hydrogen and oxygen might be applied at Earth orbit, for producing rocket fuel for in-space refueling. A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the generated white light beam might be utilized for beam propulsion of a space ship. The beam propulsion as described herein might refer to beaming energy to some form of a sail of a space ship to propel the ship by momentum transfer. The sail might comprise any form of material sail, electrical or magnetic sail systems, any combination thereof or any form of sail which might be utilized for beamed momentum transfer known or invented by a person skilled in the art. A method as in claim (29) where the white light beam might be used directly to transfer energy and momentum to the space ship, where the efficiency of transfer will depend on speed of the ship, orbital parameters, location, optical system of the 1st stage optical system and other possible parameters. A method as in claim (29) where the white light beam might be used to transfer energy and momentum to the space ship by first transforming a white light beam into a laser beam with a laser subsequently beaming to the sail of the space ship. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof where the photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but need not utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. 8 A method as in claim (29) where the conversion of the white light beam might be achieved by utilizing a solar-powered laser-system to directly convert the highly concentrated white light beam to a laser beam. A method as in claim (29) where the white light beam is first converted to electricity and utilized subsequently to generate a particle beam of any form which then is utilized for beaming energy and momentum to the space ship. The conversion of the white light beam into electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but do not need to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but need not utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (1) - (11) where the generated wight light beam might be used for any application in space industry, space manufacturing, space colonies where the application might encompass any direct use in space as well as use on planets or moons or any other astronomical bodies, the application might also encompass any use for transportation in space industry or space colonies. A method as in claim (34), where the generated white light beam might be 1st converted into electricity and subsequently to be used in any form. The conversion of the white light beam into electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. The photovoltaic elements might but does not need to be limited to be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but need not utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (34), where the heat of the generated white light beam might be utilized directly, which can be considered as beaming process heat in space. A method as in claim (36) where the temperature of the beamed process heat might be adjusted by the chosen optical concentration or adaptive optics or the location of the 1st stage optical system or any combination thereof. A method as in claim (34), where the generated white light beam might be used in any chemical application, be it by use of process heat, electrochemical applications, or photochemical applications which might encompass laser applications as well as white light photochemical applications. The white light photochemical applications also might but do not need to include any use of color filter and any other form of spectral separation. 9 A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the generated white light beam might be used for power supply to datacenters in space, on planets, moons or any other astronomical bodies. A method as in (39) where the white light beam might be achieved by 1st converting the white light beam to electricity which in turn is used to power a datacenter. The conversion to electricity might be achieved by utilizing photovoltaic elements or by thermo-solar elements or any combination thereof. In some incarnations, the photovoltaic elements might be especially adapted to concentrated solar radiation. The thermo-solar elements might but need not utilize Piezo electric elements to convert steam pressure into electricity. A method as in claim (1) - (11), where the White Light beam might be used to provide any form of local energy in space, on a planet, on a moon, or any other astronomical body know by a person skilled in the art. |
The present disclosure generally relates to optical systems and methods for collecting, concentrating, and projecting solar radiation in space, which may result in a white light beam. In this disclosure, the terms white light and white light beaming do not refer to any spectral composition of the source or beam. Neither the source nor beam are restricted to visible light but might comprise any other form of electromagnetic radiation. The term white light is only understood to imply that we are not using a coherent source of radiation as given in a laser system. The term white light is established in this form in technical radiation beaming literature in space, e.g., see J. H. Bloomer ( 1967) 1 .
Provided herein are also methods to take advantage of the generated white light beam that contain but are not limited to generation of heat, or conversion into other types of energy, that might include but are not limited to kinetic, electric, magnetic, photochemical or chemical energy.
1 J.H. Bloomer, The Alpha Centauri probe, in: Proceedings of the 17th astronautical congress, Gordon and Breach 1967, 225-232 2 Background
According to a report published by Space Foundation, the global space industry has increased with an uninterrupted growth in the last five years, amounting to USD 447 bn volume in 2020 2 .
The so-called space-for-earth economy - which comprises products and services fabricated in space for terrestrial use - is booming. The number of spacecraft and orbital launches is continuously rising, and the number of operating satellites has more than quadrupled in the last 15 years 3 .
Both governmental institutions and private companies worldwide are pursuing projects that strive for a running space-for-space economy. Several global activities, including passing a new legal framework for asteroid mining and space resources, can unleash a sustainable economic development of producing goods and services in space for use in space. While investment banks like Morgan Stanly, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs predict a volume of USD 1 - 2.7 trillion by 2040, experts from SpaceNews and Science and Technology Daily respectively even expect USD 10 trillion for the cis-lunar economic zone by 2040.
Emerging in-space habitats, space mining, in-orbit servicing, and outer space explorations will create utterly new industry sectors that all need a reliable and sustainable energy supply. Given large peak power levels to operate instruments and support equipment 4 , the energy requirements of current space applications are already challenging. Solar arrays, nuclear batteries in the form of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTG) or fuel cells are the most typical power sources utilized for space activities. However, solar arrays only work efficiently in regions with sufficient solar radiation. Otherwise, large PV panels are needed to compensate for the lower solar radiation intensity, leading to increased launch costs and more complex maneuvering systems. On the other hand, nuclear
2 Space Foundation, The Space Report 2021 Q2
3 UCS Satellite Database
4 Ben Johnson, Stanford University, Coursework for PH240, Power Sources for Space Exploration, Fall batteries and fuel cells involve extensive safety and support equipment, respectively resulting in an unfavorable Watt per weight ratio.
An optical system set up in space that concentrates and directs solar radiation as described herein, may address these challenges.
1. Through highly concentrating solar radiation, even locations in outer space can be reached.
2. The generated white light beam can be converted flexibly depending on the intended application, e.g., converted into electricity, utilized for photochemical applications, or direct use as process heat.
3. Since the number of conversion steps is optimized for the specific application, resulting in an unmatched total efficiency.
4. The optical system mainly relies on mirrors and lenses. Thus, there are no specific requirements on safety handling or support equipment.
5. The overall simple system architecture leads to a very advantageous Watt to weight ratio.
The optical system will be set up and assembled in space using additive manufacturing techniques for lightweight materials. Therefore, only minimal loads of lightweight materials need to be sent to space, and launch costs can be reduced. This allows for excellent scalability of the system concerning dimension and corresponding energy output. The optical system can meet near-term energy demand in space but might also be set up as larger structures quickly compared to other concepts. Similar plans were announced by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), striving to build miles-wide “megastructures” in orbit 5 .
All in all, the optical system described herein addresses both the current challenges of energy supply in space and provides a scalable and highly flexible solution for future endeavors.
5 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9942959/Chin a-looking-build-ginormous-miles-wide- megastructures-space.html
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