Recent content by Karnifax

yes increasing the focal length would be a really good solution. I have not been able to calculate the efficiency because I am having a really hard time writing equations that relate the angle of attack and the tangent of lens.

the lens won't crack, there will be a continuous supply of fresh water which will keep the lens <100 degrees Celsius. Only if I allowed the container to run out of water then it would get hot enough for the lens to crack, but if there is water, then it won't get too extreme. hitting the...

And this is a dumb question but here we go. There is a critical angle when light is going from a medium with an index of refraction that is greater than the medium that it is about to enter. Is there a critical angle for the opposite? Like I am imagining in my head that if I shot a laser, barely...

I am talking about the angle of incidence at that angle would be so great that the light would simply bounce off the plane of glass. Think about it, the light approaching the focal point from the outer edges of the parabolic reflector will be close to parallel with the flat plane of...

Yeah but if the window is a flat plastic sheet then I'm going to get a lot of reflection of the photons that are entering from the outer edges of the parabolic mirror, and they will not enter the container. This is because the angle of incidence will be close to 90 degrees.

Sorry for not explaining myself well. What I am trying to make is a solar still. I am going to have a parabolic mirror and at the focal point I am going to have a container with a hole in it, so that the photons will enter the container (through the hole) and then scatter inside the container...

right, so like a convex lens? or a convex lens that is more semi-spherical? Fresnel lenses do a good job with transmitting light as well too tho

right, so like a convex lens?

yeah but the photons from the edge of the parabolic mirror will bounce off the clear window

The light doesn't have to be focused inside the container, it just need to get inside with the highest efficiency.

I need an efficient way to capture the light into a closed container, so i can't just leave the aperture open to the environment, it must be closed.

I was wondering what type of lens would be best for capturing the light incoming from a parabolic reflector into a container? The Fresnel lens looks like a good candidate, but I am still not quite sure. Does anyone have any insight on this subject? Just for info, the parabolic lens redirects...