Solar walk-off protection

Technical Report · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5626934· OSTI ID:5626934

Awaya, H; Bedard, R

A point-focus solar concentrator is normally pointed toward the sun during operations to direct concentrated solar flux into the aperture of the receiver. If solar-tracking control is lost, severe damage may occur when the concentrated solar beam moves, or ''walks off'' the aperture across the face of the receiver. Alternative methods of solar walk-off prevention/protection for a specific assumed generic dish module and electric plant design are identified. The cost of a baseline case (no walk-off prevention/protection) is first calculated, including initial capital; recurring operating, maintenance, and capital replacement costs; and the cost of restoring the plant to operation following a solar walk-off. The alternative cases (with walk-off prevention/protection) are then evaluated by increasing the solar plant cost as a function of specific walk-off prevention/protection design alternatives and decreasing the cost of walk-off events given the specific level of prevention or protection offered by the alternative cases. The alternative plant designs are then compared with the baseline case and against each other by annualizing all costs. No single walk-off protection solution is universally applicable. Decisions concerning solar walk-off prevention/protection for specific installations must be based on engineering evaluations that consider the alternative choices given a specific plant, dish module, and site.

• Research Organization: California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL); California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5626934
• Report Number(s): SAND84-7019; ON: DE85012112
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
PARABOLIC DISH COLLECTORS
EQUIPMENT PROTECTION DEVICES
SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEMS
FAILURES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST ESTIMATION
DIESEL ENGINES
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
SHIELDING
CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
HEAT ENGINES
HELIOSTATS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
PARABOLIC COLLECTORS
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR TRACKING
CSP
Concentrating Solar Power
141000* - Solar Collectors & Concentrators