26 research outputs found

    Design and realisation of a position actuator for the E-ELT primary mirror

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    Meeting highest performance requirements for lowest price and mass for the M1 segment support unit for E-ELT

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    The largest optical telescope in the world will be the E-ELT. Its primary mirror will be 42m in diameter. This mirror will consist of 984 hexagonal segments that are all individually supported. Each mirror will be controlled in six DOF while local shaping of the segments is provided by so called warping harnesses. These will correct for focus, astigmatism and trefoil. Hence a mirror with an extreme diameter to thickness ratio of almost 30 is obtained. Its support structure must guarantee a maximum surface form error of 30 nm rms independent of the segment attitude. Furthermore its stiffness to mass ratio must allow natural frequencies of 50Hz or higher to obtain sufficient bandwidth for the actuators that control the piston and tip/tilt of the segment. Designing such structure is a challenge that has been successfully completed. Three prototypes have been built and are about to be delivered to ESO. This paper discusses the main performance requirements and how they could be transferred into an elegant structure design. Furthermore an overview will be given on the main performance parameters in order to see whether the present design can be further optimized. © 2010 SPIE

    Comparison ofexperimental and simulation results for turbulent gas-solid riser flow

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    This paper compares measurements of the radial solids concentration in a riser with CFD simulations. An Eulerian model based upon the kinetic theory for granular flow, extended with models describing turbulence modulation and dispersion, is used to treat the particulate phase. Coupling between momentum equations of the gas and particulate phases is taken into account via a mean drag force formulation. Solids distribution profiles over three horizontal planes are measured by the use of optical probes. The pressure drop is used to estimate an average solids concentration profile along the riser. The comparison is reported for a single superficial gas velocity and solids mass flux

    Comparison of experimental and simulation results for turbulent gas-solid riser flow

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    This paper compares measurements of the radial solids concentration in a riser with CFD simulations. An Eulerian model based upon the kinetic theory for granular flow, extended with models describing turbulence modulation and dispersion, is used to treat the particulate phase. Coupling between momentum equations of the gas and particulate phases is taken into account via a mean drag force formulation. Solids distribution profiles over three horizontal planes are measured by the use of optical probes. The pressure drop is used to estimate an average solids concentration profile along the riser. The comparison is reported for a single superficial gas velocity and solids mass flux

    Comparison of experimental and simulation results for turbulent gas-solid riser flow

    No full text
    This paper compares measurements of the radial solids concentration in a riser with CFD simulations. An Eulerian model based upon the kinetic theory for granular flow, extended with models describing turbulence modulation and dispersion, is used to treat the particulate phase. Coupling between momentum equations of the gas and particulate phases is taken into account via a mean drag force formulation. Solids distribution profiles over three horizontal planes are measured by the use of optical probes. The pressure drop is used to estimate an average solids concentration profile along the riser. The comparison is reported for a single superficial gas velocity and solids mass flux

    Dynamic analysis and control of mirror segment actuators for the European Extremely Large Telescope

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    Segmented primary mirror telescopes require dedicated piston-tip-tilt actuators for optimal optical performance. Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has developed various prototypes of such actuators, in particular for the E-ELT. This paper presents the dynamics analysis and feedback control results for a specific two-stage prototype. First, the dynamics of the actuator in interconnection with the to-be-positioned mass has been analyzed, both using frequency response measurements and first principles modeling, resulting in a detailed understanding of the dynamic behavior of the system. Next, feedback controllers for both the fine and the coarse stage have been designed and implemented. Finally, the feedback-controlled actuator has been subjected to a realistic tracking experiment; the achieved results have demonstrated that the TNO actuator is able to suppress wind force disturbances and ground vibrations with more than a factor 103, down to 1.4 nm root mean square, which is compliant with the requirements

    Design and realisation of a position actuator for the E-ELT primary mirror

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    The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) primary mirror has a diameter of approximately 39 m, and consists of 798 near-hexagonal shaped segments. Three position actuators (PACTs) are responsible for the active control of the degrees of freedom that define the optical plane of a segment: piston (z), tip (φ), and tilt (ψ). In this extended abstract, the concept design and realisation of such an actuator is presented. The PACTs are designed to have a stroke of 15 mm with a position accuracy of 1.7 nm RMS. To overcome the large dynamic range, a dual-stage design has been adopted. A cost-effective PACT with a low axial stiffness is proposed and realised, with a voice coil as fine stage actuator, and a coarse stage driven by a BLDC-motor and a leadscrew. A flexure straightguide, dimensioned such that it has a long lifetime (≥30 years), is applied to minimise hysteresis and friction. PACT must operate at different angles with respect to vertical, to keep track of sky targets during observation, while keeping the power dissipation below 1.5 W. As the axial load during operation can vary between 0 and 900 N, an off-loading mechanism is integrated into the flexure straightguide. The results of the first measurements look promising, and it is expected that the performance can be shown during the conference

    PACT: the actuator to support the primary mirror of the ELT

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    The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has started technology development for their next generation optical telescope. Due to its ultra large collecting area, The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will require a paradigm shift in telescope design to keep the overall program cost at an acceptable level. The E-ELT will feature a 42 meter segmented primary mirror and will make extensive use of active and adaptive optics. Each primary mirror segment will be supported by three actuators that control piston and tilt. TNO has developed a low cost nanopositioning actuator (PACT) for the primary mirror segments. The actuators will be tested by IAC and ESO, with support from TNO, under operational conditions in a Wind Evaluation Breadboard (WEB) at the Roque de Los Muchachos observatory in La Palma
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