User's guide for MIRVAL: a computer code for comparing designs of heliostat-receiver optics for central receiver solar power plants
MIRVAL is a Monte Carlo program which simulates the heliostats and a portion of the receiver for solar energy central receiver power plants. Models for three receiver types and four kinds of heliostats are included in the code. The three receiver types modeled are an external cylinder, a cylindrical cavity with a downward-facing aperature, and a north-facing cavity. Three heliostats which track in elevation and azimuth are modeled, one of which is enclosed in a plastic dome. The fourth type consists of a rack of louvered reflective panels with the rack rotatable about a fixed horizontal axis. Phenomena whose effects are simulated are shadowing, blocking, mirror tracking, random errors in tracking and in the conformation of the reflective surface, optical figure of the reflective surface, insolation, angular distribution of incoming sun rays to account for limb darkening and scattering, attenuation of light between the mirrors and the receiver, reflectivity of the mirror surface, and mirror aiming strategy.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-04-0789
- OSTI ID:
- 6371450
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-77-8280
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Comparison between results of th HELIOS and MIRVAL computer codes applied to central receiver solar-energy collection
Evaluation of the FMC line cavity central receiver concept
Related Subjects
CENTRAL RECEIVERS
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
COMPUTER CODES
M CODES
HELIOSTATS
TOWER FOCUS POWER PLANTS
ALGORITHMS
ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
ERRORS
FLOWSHEETS
FOCUSING
INSOLATION
MANUALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MIRRORS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
OPTICS
PERFORMANCE
SHADING
SIMULATION
SOLAR TRACKING
DIAGRAMS
DISTRIBUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
POWER PLANTS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
140702* - Solar Thermal Power Systems- Central Receiver