Page 169 - Design of Solar Thermal Power Plants

154 3. GENERAL DESIGN OF A SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT

FIGURE 3.22 Parabolic trough collector module test platform of Aandia National Labo-
ratories of America.

Trough Collector Applied in SEGS Power Plant, Test Report for
Parabolic Trough Collector Mounted with Schott Vacuum Receiver, and
Parabolic Trough Collector Steady State Test Report for Industrial
Applications [26].
Early tracking solar collector tests carried out by SNLA and the
subsequent Solar Energy Research Institute of America were based on
the general technologies in ASHRAE 93-77. However, this method was
not completely applicable for the tracking solar collector, because there
were no massive explanations, analysis and precise testing technolo-
gies specifically described in this standard to be related to the tracking
solar collector testing. Being aware of the incompleteness of this
method, the solar energy commission of ASTM established a subor-
dinate professional commission, which carried out a series of studies
on standards from the aspect of economic test methods. The target
of this standard was to define the annual energy output of the
appointed tracking solar collector at a specific location. This profes-
sional commission operated by following the principle of voluntari-
ness and unanimity through consultation, members of which included
manufacturers, users and other representatives from industries,
governments, colleges, and universities as well as testing laboratories.
Solar Energy Research Institute of America drafted the original
standards for this professional commission; the ultimate achievement
was the ASTM standard test method E905-87: “Standard Test Method
for Determining Thermal Performance of Tracking Concentrating
Solar Collectors,” the newest version of which was the updated
version in 2007.