Reflectors for solar thermal systems and methods for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10365463-B2
Application number	US-201415034942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2014
Priority date	Nov 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A reflector for helio-thermal systems may include a metallic carrier plate and a reflective coating that is applied to the carrier plate and is constructed from at least one metallic reflective layer and at least one protective layer applied to the reflective layer. Such reflectors have high reflective capabilities, are robust in relation to mechanical stress, and can be manufactured cost effectively. Such reflectors are also lightweight and dimensionally stable due to the fact that the carrier plate may be formed from a sandwich plate having at least one nonmetallic intermediate layer disposed between an upper and lower metallic cover plate. The upper cover plate may have a smoothed surface to which the reflective layer can be applied. The smoothed surface prior to the reflective layer being applied may have an arithmetic mean surface parameter Ra of less than 0.03 μm. Methods for manufacturing such reflectors are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reflector for a helio-thermal system, the reflector comprising:
a metallic carrier plate comprising a sandwich plate including an upper metallic cover plate, a lower metallic cover plate, and at least one non-metallic intermediate layer disposed between the upper and lower metallic cover plates, wherein the upper metallic cover plate includes a smoothed surface having an arithmetic mean surface parameter (Ra) of less than 0.03 μm, and wherein the upper metallic cover plate comprises steel;
a reflective coating disposed on the carrier plate, the reflective coating including at least one metallic reflective layer and at least one protective layer that is disposed on the at least one metallic reflective layer, wherein the at least one metallic reflective layer is disposed on the smoothed surface of the upper metallic cover plate.

2. The reflector of claim 1 wherein the at least one reflective layer comprises aluminum, silver, tin, zinc, or an alloy of at least one of aluminum, silver, tin, or zinc.

3. The reflector of claim 1 wherein the smoothed surface of the upper metallic cover plate comprises at least one tin layer.

4. The reflector of claim 1 wherein the at least one protective layer comprises at least one of silicon oxide or titanium oxide.

5. The reflector of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least one metallic reflective layer or the at least one protective layer has a thickness of 50 nm to 5 μm.

6. The reflector of claim 1 wherein at least one of the upper metallic cover plate or the lower metallic cover plate has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 4 mm.

7. The reflector of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least one metallic reflective layer or the at least one protective layer comprises at least one interference layer.

8. The reflector of claim 1 further comprising an anti-corrosion layer disposed on at least one of an external side of the upper metallic cover plate that faces away from the at least one non-metallic intermediate layer or an external side of the lower metallic cover plate that faces away from the non-metallic intermediate layer.

9. A method for manufacturing a reflector for a helio-thermal system, the method comprising:
rolling an upper metallic cover plate to form a smoothed surface on the upper metallic cover plate that has an arithmetic mean surface parameter (Ra) of less than 0.03 μm;
forming a metallic carrier plate from a sandwich plate comprised of the upper metallic cover plate, a lower metallic cover plate, and at least one non-metallic intermediate layer disposed between the upper and lower metallic cover plates, the metallic carrier plate being formed before or after formation of the smoothed surface on the upper metallic cover plate by rolling; and
applying a reflective coating to the smoothed surface of the upper metallic cover plate at some point after the smoothed surface is formed on the upper metallic cover plate by rolling, the reflective coating constructed from at least one metallic reflective layer and from at least one protective layer applied to the at least one metallic reflective layer;
wherein the upper metallic cover plate comprises steel.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising applying an anti-corrosion layer to the upper metallic cover plate prior to rolling.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
applying a tin layer to the upper metallic cover plate; and
fusing the tin layer with a laser or a heat source.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one metallic reflective layer of the reflective coating is applied to the smoothed surface of the upper metallic cover plate by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, an electro-static method, or an electro-chemical method.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one protective layer is applied to the at least one metallic reflective layer by a PVD method, a CVD method, or an electro-static method.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one protective layer is applied to the at least one metallic reflective layer by magnetron sputtering.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe Ag
• Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein Gmbh

Inventors

• Schuhmacher Bernd
• Drewes Stephan
• Kopplin Karl-Heinz
• Höhn Winfried
• Patberg Lothar
• Hirt Mark

Classifications

• C23C16/401

  containing silicon · CPC title

• B23K26/354

  by melting · CPC title

• G02B5/085

  at least one of the reflecting layers comprising metal · CPC title

• C23C14/584

  Non-reactive treatment · CPC title

• C23C28/345

  with at least one oxide layer · CPC title