Advanced Measurement Systems �to evaluate CSP Plants

Abstract

CSP Systems can be considered as a technology that - other than PV -cannot be evaluated just by testing its subcomponents in the laboratories in order to characterize the system performance. Instead, it requires measurement systems that are capable to be used on site, covering a large collector area or can be used on top of a tower with limited access. The presentation will give an overview on a set of different advances measurements systems that are specifically developed for this purpose. This includes the use advanced of UAVs that can monitor the parabolic trough collector optical quality by flying over it, in situ measurements of heat losses of parabolic trough receivers in the collector loops, optical quality of heliostat fields or solar flux distribution on large central receiver systems. Particular measurement technology to characterize hot air flow in volumetric receives is also presented. The measurement systems have been developed and validated and characterized under lab conditions or in prototypes before they were applied in larger scale facilities or in some cases already in commercial CSP plant. The target is to help the operator of the plant to identify inefficiencies or degradations and find the physical reasons for them. They systems also help to validate computer models that predict the systems performance on the basis of component characteristics that have been evaluated in the laboratory.