Status update of the SolarPACES heliostat testing activities

Röger, Marc; Blume, Kristina; Schlichting, Tim; Collins, Mike

doi:10.1063/5.0087037

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Standardized quality test procedures (e.g. "SolarPACES Guideline for Heliostat Performance Testing" [5]) help generating comparable and reproduceable data. Unfortunately for heliostat design there is no similar standard but this could help preventing repeated but avoidable design errors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be derived by the deviation of the heliostat images collected during calibration and the corresponding aim point set by the control system. The tracking accuracy respectively the pointing errors are evaluated as described by Johnston [3] and in the "SolarPACES Guideline for Heliostat Performance Testing" [4] [5]. The long-term pointing errors as well as the number of datapoints per week of the AusraKAM (original heliostats with four-facet mirrors) and the retrofitted Synhelion heliostats are shown in Figures 7 and 8.…”

Section: Trackingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Operational experiences with the heliostat field at the Juelich solar towers

Göhring,

Kaufhold,

Maldonado Quinto

et al. 2023

Advances in Solar Energy: Heliostat Systems Design, Implementation, and Operation

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The heliostat field at the Juelich solar towers meanwhile has a history of 15 years of operation experience. This paper gives a short overview over the problems and improvements since the first erection of the field. Reflectors had to be replaced after just 5 years of operation and have been refitted with a high quality four facet reflector system with individual canting. Results of deflectometric measurements will be demonstrated. The poor tracking performance of the initial heliostat design led to a retrofit of the tracking system in the years 2019 to 2023. With the current system precise tracking could be achieved since mid-2021. This paper will show different technological approaches to reach the desired quality improvements. Tracking results from the first days of operation to the current day will be presented. The whole field is operated by the heliostat field control system HeliOS. The control system has some specific functionalities which are uncommon to standard single tower systems but are a requirement for the research focused field in Juelich and for the simultaneous operation of multiple receivers in two adjacent towers by multiple operators. We will demonstrate some features of the system in this paper.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Trackingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational experiences with the heliostat field at the Juelich solar towers

Göhring,

Kaufhold,

Maldonado Quinto

et al. 2023

Advances in Solar Energy: Heliostat Systems Design, Implementation, and Operation

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“…SolarPACES Guideline for Heliostat Performance Testing [3] to measure the performance of single heliostat units, i. SolarPACES Heliostat Field Performance Testing Guideline [4] to estimate the performance of whole industrial-sized heliostat fields…”

Section: Heliostat Guideline Objective Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The task III focus lies in defining procedures and techniques for designing, evaluating, and optimizing the components and subsystems involved in concentrating, receiving, transferring, storing, and applying solar thermal energy. In the field of heliostats, SolarPACES task III has been working on two major milestones [2], the:  SolarPACES Heliostat Performance Testing Guideline (version 1.0 launched), and the  SolarPACES Heliostat Field Performance Testing Guideline (draft version being sent to task III in Oct. 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for heliostat testing

Röger,

Schichting,

Blume

2023

Advances in Solar Energy: Heliostat Systems Design, Implementation, and Operation

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Power tower or central receiver systems use hundreds to ten thousands of two-axis tracking mirrors, so called heliostats, which reflect and focus the sunlight onto a receiver. The final quality of each individual heliostat and its interaction as a heliostat field determine the performance of a solar tower system. In recent years, the SolarPACES Guideline for Heliostat Performance Testing and prototype characterization has been developed to ensure the quality of individual heliostats. The paper gives a short introduction to the most relevant aspects of the recently published version 1.0 of this guideline. Its content is currently being incorporated into the international standardization activity IEC-TC-117 62862-4-3 (design qualification of heliostats).The total energy provided to the receiver is generated by the interaction of all heliostats acting together as a heliostat field. For this, a second guideline, the Heliostat Field Acceptance Guideline, has been developed in a German national project to be able to measure the performance of the solar field. This national draft guideline will be disseminated and peer reviewed internationally through the SolarPACES task III in October 2023. In this manuscript, first insights into the new field guideline are given.

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“…Field level standards are the basis of equipment and site acceptance and full system performance characterization. While testing the entire heliostat field is the direct precursor to site acceptance of the system, group heliostat tests can contribute meaningful data and reduce the testing burden upon full system installation [4].…”

Section: Introduction To Csp Standardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to IEC Standards for Heliostat Design Qualification and Site Acceptance in Central Receiver CSP Applications

Tsvankin,

Muller

2024

SolarPACES Conf Proc

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This paper surveys the existing landscape of standards relevant to heliostats, identifies their gaps, and proposes a path forward to a comprehensive set of heliostat guidelines, technical specifications, and standards under the framework of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC 117. Gaps in existing guidelines and standards are surveyed using a three-tiered taxonomy: component-level, heliostat-level, and field-level. At each level, the gap analysis is followed by a proposal for a coordinated path forward on the development of standards. At the component level, advances in the understanding of wind loading should inform a technical specification for drives and structures. Reflectors require consolidation of measurement guidelines into existing standards documents. Communications & controls require technical standards to inform their selection and secure implementation. At the heliostat level, IEC 62817 (solar trackers) adequately characterizes drive systems, structures, and electronics, but requires adaptation to heliostats’ use patterns, operating modes, and expected life cycles. IEC 62817 does not address heliostat beam quality and pointing accuracy, but the process for determining both is elaborated in the SolarPACES Guideline for Heliostat Performance Testing. This SolarPACES document requires two main modifications: adaptation to IEC language and inclusion of testing after heliostats which have undergone accelerated weathering and mechanical cycling (to understand performance degradation). At the field level, IEC 62862-4-2 addresses the function and control of heliostat fields but does not cover the statistically rigorous testing of heliostat groups, or field performance factors like security and soiling. The addition of documents under IEC-62862-4 is proposed to address this gap.

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Status update of the SolarPACES heliostat testing activities

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Operational experiences with the heliostat field at the Juelich solar towers

Operational experiences with the heliostat field at the Juelich solar towers

Guidelines for heliostat testing

Pathways to IEC Standards for Heliostat Design Qualification and Site Acceptance in Central Receiver CSP Applications

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