Absorber tube displacement in parabolic trough collectors – A review and presentation of an airborne measurement approach. (15th November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Prahl, C.; Röger, M.; Stanicki, B.; Hilgert, C.
• Is Part Of: Solar energy. Volume 157(2017)
• Page Start: 692
• Page End: 706
• Publication Date: 2017-11-15
• Subjects: Parabolic trough -- Distant observer -- Unmanned aerial vehicle -- Absorber tube displacement; Solar energy -- Periodicals; Solar engines -- Periodicals; 621.47
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2017.05.023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-092X

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: A comprehensive review on the cause and effect of absorber tube misalignment for parabolic trough collectors is presented. State of the art measurement techniques can hardly be used to check and optimize solar plants. A fully automated airborne approach is presented and validated. Abstract: Parabolic trough collectors for concentrating solar sower plants are large scale optical devices with demanding requirements on optical and mechanical properties. Accurate mirror shape and absorber tube alignment are necessary to harness solar radiation with high efficiency. There are several methods to assess the shape of the mirror surface, yet there exist few approaches to effectively measure the position of the absorber tube. This paper provides a comprehensive overview on causes and effects of absorber tube displacement and on state of the art measurement techniques. A new approach on fully automated airborne absorber tube position measurement for parabolic trough collectors is presented, which outperforms existing methods concerning speed, spatial resolution, and level of automation, thereby achieving an accuracy of about 1.5 mm in vertical and lateral direction.