Alignment method for solar collector arrays
| DWPI Title: Method of aligning line-focusing parabolic trough solar concentrator module for producing electricity, involves calculating theoretical projected image of receiver in mirror by corresponding camera |
| Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved method for establishing camera fixture location for aligning mirrors on a solar collector array (SCA) comprising multiple mirror modules. The method aligns the mirrors on a module by comparing the location of the receiver image in photographs with the predicted theoretical receiver image location. To accurately align an entire SCA, a common reference is used for all of the individual module images within the SCA. The improved method can use relative pixel location information in digital photographs along with alignment fixture inclinometer data to calculate relative locations of the fixture between modules. The absolute locations are determined by minimizing alignment asymmetry for the SCA. The method inherently aligns all of the mirrors in an SCA to the receiver, even with receiver position and module-to-module alignment errors. |
| Use: Method of aligning line-focusing parabolic trough solar concentrator module for producing electricity. |
| Advantage: The theoretical projected image of the receiver in mirror is calculated by the corresponding camera, and the mirror is adjusted to bring the theoretical projected image to overlay with the photographic image, so that the line-focusing parabolic trough solar concentrator module is aligned accurately, thus the overall parabolic collector efficiency is improved. |
| Novelty: The method involves providing an alignment fixture (20) with off-axis camera position (23a-23d) for each mirror row of the module. The alignment fixture is positioned perpendicularly to a line-focusing parabolic trough concentrator (11) at a distance from the module. A reflected heat collection element image (16) of the receiver in mirror is photographed with the corresponding camera. A theoretical projected image of the receiver in mirror is calculated by the corresponding camera. The mirror is adjusted to bring the theoretical projected image to overlay with the photographic image. |
| Filed: 1/19/2010 |
| Application Number: US2010689798A |
| Tech ID: SD 11223.2 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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