A clamp-on measurement system for flexible and accurate fluid temperature measurements for turbulent flows with Reynolds numbers higher than 30,000 is presented in this paper. This noninvasive system can be deployed without interference with the fluid flow while delivering the high accuracies necessary for performance and acceptance testing for power plants in terms of measurement accuracy and position. The system is experimentally validated in the fluid flow of a solar thermal parabolic trough collector test bench, equipped with built-in sensors as reference. Its applicability under industrial conditions is demonstrated at the 50 MWel AndaSol-3 parabolic trough solar power plant in Spain. A function based on large experimental data correcting the temperature gradient between the measured clamp-on sensor and actual fluid temperature is developed, achieving an uncertainty below ±0.7 K (2σ) for fluid temperatures up to 400 °C. In addition, the experimental results are used to validate a numerical model. Based on the results of this model, a general dimensionless correction function for a wider range of application scenarios is derived. The clamp-on system, together with the dimensionless correction function, supports numerous combinations of fluids, pipe materials, insulations, geometries, and operation conditions and should be useful in a variety of industrial applications of the power and chemical industry where temporal noninvasive fluid temperature measurement is needed with good accuracy. The comparison of the general dimensionless correction function with measurement data indicates a measurement uncertainty below 1 K (2σ).
Abstract. For the development and establishment of concentrating solar thermal collectors a reliable and comparable performance testing and evaluation is of great importance. To ensure a consistent performance testing in the area of lowtemperature collectors a widely accepted and commonly used international testing standard (ISO 9806:2013) is already available. In contrast to this, the standard ISO 9806:2013 has not completely penetrated the testing sector of concentrating collectors yet. On that account a detailed literature review has been performed on published testing procedures and evaluation methodologies as well as existing testing standards. The review summarizes characteristics of the different steady-state, quasi-dynamic and fully dynamic testing methods and presents current advancements, assets and drawbacks as well as limitations of the evaluation procedures. Little research is published in the area of (quasi-) dynamic testing of large solar collectors and fields. As a complementary a survey has been conducted focusing on currently implemented evaluation procedures in this particular field. Among the ten participants of the survey were project partners of relevant industry and research institutions within the European project STAGE-STE (Work package 11 -Linear focusing STE technologies). The survey addressed general aspects of the systems under test, as well as required process conditions and detailed characteristics of the evaluation procedures. In congruence with the literature review, the survey shows a similar tendency: the quasi-dynamic testing method according ISO 9806:2013 presents the most common and advanced evaluation procedure mainly used in the context of tracking concentrating collectors for the performance assessment of parabolic trough collectors operating with thermal oil or pressurized water. These common solar systems can be evaluated with minor adaptions to the testing standard. Evaluation procedures focused on in-situ measurements in solar fields or collectors are scarce and complex as well as an evaluation of linear Fresnel collectors or other systems operating with non-common heat transfer media like molten salt and direct steam. As those are still SolarPACES 2015
Parabolic trough concentrating collectors play a major role in the energy efficiency and economics of concentrating solar power plants. Therefore, existing collector systems are constantly enhanced and new types were developed. Thermal performance testing is one step generally required in the course of their testing and qualification. For outdoor tests of prototypes, a heat transfer fluid loop (single collector or entire loop) needs to be equipped with measurement sensors for inlet, outlet, and ambient temperature as well as irradiance, wind speed, and mass or volumetric flow rate to evaluate the heat balance. Assessing the individual measurement uncertainties and their impact on the combined uncertainty of the desired measurement quantity one obtains the significance of the testing results. The method has been applied to a set of EuroTrough collector tests performed at Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain. Test results include the uncertainty range of the resulting modeling function and exemplify the effects of sensors and their specifications on the parameters leading to an uncertainty of ±1.7% points for the optical collector efficiency. The measurement uncertainties of direct normal irradiance and mass flow rate are identified as determining uncertainty contributions and indicate room for improvement. Extended multiple sensor deployment and improved calibration procedures are the key to further reducing measurement uncertainty and hence increasing testing significance.
The first lay-down heliostat with monolithic concentrator was erected at the Solar Tower Jülich. The main components and their main features are described: azimuth and elevation drive, concentrator, control, and the cleaning system concept. The dimensions of the elevation drive and the carriage already match the requirements of a 50 m² heliostat that shall be developed in a follow-up project.SolarPACES 2018 AIP Conf.
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