Analysis of geometry and optical properties of solar parabolic trough collectors uses a number of specific techniques that have demonstrated to be useful tools in prototype evaluation. These are based on photogrammetry, flux mapping, ray tracing, and advanced thermal testing. They can be used to assure the collector quality during construction and for acceptance tests of the solar field. The methods have been applied on EuroTrough collectors, cross checked, and compared. This paper summarizes results in collector shape measurement, flux measurement, ray tracing, and thermal performance analysis for parabolic troughs. It is shown that the measurement methods and the parameter analysis give consistent results. The interpretation of the results and their annual evaluation give hints on identified relevant improvement potentials for the following generation of solar power plant collectors.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Papers
Parabolic Trough Optical Performance Analysis Techniques
Klaus Pottler,
Klaus Pottler
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain
Search for other works by this author on:
Steffen Ulmer,
Steffen Ulmer
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain
Search for other works by this author on:
Klaus-J. Riffelmann,
Klaus-J. Riffelmann
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Andreas Neumann,
Andreas Neumann
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Björn Schiricke
Björn Schiricke
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Eckhard Lüpfert
Klaus Pottler
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain
Steffen Ulmer
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain
Klaus-J. Riffelmann
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, Germany
Andreas Neumann
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, Germany
Björn Schiricke
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Solar Research, Cologne, GermanyJ. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2007, 129(2): 147-152 (6 pages)
Published Online: June 18, 2006
Article history
Received:
June 7, 2005
Revised:
June 18, 2006
Citation
Lüpfert, E., Pottler, K., Ulmer, S., Riffelmann, K., Neumann, A., and Schiricke, B. (June 18, 2006). "Parabolic Trough Optical Performance Analysis Techniques." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2007; 129(2): 147–152. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2710249
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Numerical Investigations on Minimization of Convective Heat Losses From Hemispherical Cavity Receiver Using Air Curtain
J. Sol. Energy Eng (June 2025)
Related Articles
Experimental Verification of Optical Modeling of Parabolic Trough Collectors by Flux Measurement
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2009)
Photogrammetry: A Powerful Tool for Geometric Analysis of Solar Concentrators and Their Components
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2005)
A Solar Trough Concentrator for Pill-Box Flux Distribution Over a CPV Panel
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2010)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
The Application of Digital Photogrammetry in Digital Information of Mine
International Conference on Instrumentation, Measurement, Circuits and Systems (ICIMCS 2011)
Theory and Key Technology of Digital Mine Measurement System
International Conference on Mechanical and Electrical Technology, 3rd, (ICMET-China 2011), Volumes 1–3
Fundamentals of Ray Tracing
The Monte Carlo Ray-Trace Method in Radiation Heat Transfer and Applied Optics