Publications Details

The lustering of TBC-2

Diver, R.B.; Jones, S.; Robb, S.; Mahoney, A.R.

Two test bed concentrators (TBCs) were designed to provide high-performance test beds for advanced solar receivers and converters. However, the second-surface silvered-glass mirror facets on the TBCs, which were originally manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, have experienced severe silver corrosion. To restore reflectance, TBC-2 was refurbished with a lustering technique developed at Sandia National Laboratories. In the lustering technique, second-surface silvered thin-glass mirrors were applied over the corroded facets, thereby increasing the dish reflectivity and raising the available power of TBC-2 from approximately 70 to 78 kW{sub t}. Degradation of the original optical accuracy of the TBC facets was determined to be minimal. Lustering was chosen over facet replacement because of the lower cost, the anticipated improvement in corrosion resistance, and the shorter project duration. This report includes background information, details of the lustering process, and test results from TBC-2 characterization, both before and after lustering.