DEVELOPMENT OF A LUMINESCENT SOLAR CONCENTRATOR FOR ENERGY CONVERSION

IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, RADIATION RESISTANT PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO OPERATE IN THE HIGH RADIATION ENVIRONMENT OF THE NEW COLLIDING BEAM MACHINES SUCH AS THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER (SSC) IN THE U.S. AND LARGE ELECTRON POSITRON (LEP) COLLIDER IN EUROPE. THESE DETECTORS OPERATE USING THE SAME PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES AS THE LSC. A ONE-HUNDRED-FOLD REDUCTION IN PHOTODEGRADATION OF PLASTIC SCINTILLATORS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED UTILIZING NEW COMBINATIONS OF PLASTICS, DYES, AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT, COMPARED TO PREVIOUS COMBINATIONS. THE DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS DONE USING ONE MILLION VOLT COBALT X-RAYS WHICH COULD RESULT IN EXCITATION OF PLASTIC AND DYES TO ALL POSSIBLE STATES, WHEREAS SOLAR RADIATION WOULD GIVE AN EXCITATION DISTRIBUTION TO A REDUCED SET OF STATES. IT IS, THEREFORE, NOT CLEAR HOW TO TRANSLATE THE IMPROVEMENT FACTOR OF ONE HUNDRED IN PHOTOSTABILITY TO THE CASE OF A LSC. PHASE I OF THIS SBIR AWARD IS TO CONDUCT EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS OF DEGRADATION RATES FOR THE NEW RADIATION STABLE LUMINESCENT PLASTICS IN SIMULATED AND ACTUAL SOLAR EXPOSURES. THESE MEASUREMENTS WILL ELUCIDATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF THIS NEW APPROACH TO PHOTOVOLTAIC OR PHOTO-CHEMICAL ENERGY CONVERSION.