Conical Solar Tunnel to Redirect Solar Radiation

[jude.dsouza]

Am looking to build a solar tunnel that would not only redirect solar visible light radiation, but also heat, with minimum losses. Basically need to deflect angle of incident radiation by around 30 degrees.

Am considering an inverted truncated cone design, with a polished inner surface, which would be slightly tilted with respect to incident radiation. My question is - what section would be ideal for the inner surface

- would a conical surface work best as planned, or is a cylinder better?

- would a planar surface work, or would it be more efficient with a curved inner surface, parabolic or elliptical ?

Am looking to carry the heat / light deep down into a 50 metre deep distance. Would any lens be able to do that? Do not need to concentrate, just redirect the radiation. Am not sure if there are any lenses that can carry light that far ?

 

[Antiphon]

You will be hard pressed to do 50 meters. Your best shot would be quartz optical fibers fed by a tracking solar concentrator. Anything else will gobble up the light unless your diameter for the shaft is 5 meters or more.

 

[jude.dsouza]

Thanks Antiphon

As a matter of fact, I am looking to build in the 3.5 - 4 metre diameter range.

How would an ideal section work in that case? Again, would it be possible to use an array of lenses to substitute the truncated cone? Refraction over Reflection ?

Which would be more efficient, as am concerned about maintaining as much of the incident radiation as possible ?

Thanks for your quick reply, and shall look that option up as well.