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StaMeP

Development of standardized measurement methods and test stands for the performance verification of components of solar thermal power plants

For high-performance solar thermal power plants, developers, component manufacturers as well as builders and operators are increasingly dependent on an objective comparability of the performance of components, but also on acceptance procedures for entire solar fields. At the beginning of the project, the required uniform test and acceptance standards did not yet exist in order to compare the quality of the CSP-specific components, to put the performance in relation to the offer prices and thus to achieve a sustainable cost reduction. Closing this gap leads directly to more transparency and competition, improved component quality and power plant efficiency and thus, in the short term, lower electricity production costs. Further innovations are more targeted and new components can be launched on the market more quickly.

With the activities in the joint project StaMeP, the standardization for CSP components has been intensively supported and accelerated by the DLR and Fraunhofer ISE. Selected methods, test rigs and measuring devices to prove the quality of individual components and the performance of solar fields in solar thermal power plants were examined. Measurement and evaluation methods were analyzed, further developed and validated for the most important components mirrors, absorbers, flexible pipe connections and complete solar fields, and the following scientific and technical work packages were processed:

•     Development of a test procedure for in-situ measurements for the reliable determination of the optical and thermal collector performance by means of dynamic measurements
•     Development of acceptance tests to determine / verify technical parameters of the solar field (in particular optical efficiency and thermal losses) with high accuracy within the shortest possible test period
•     Development of measuring devices to determine the specular reflectance of mirror surfaces and extension of the existing measuring guidelines
•     Testing and evaluation of methods for measuring optical properties of absorber tubes and receivers; Recommendation for a measurement standard
•     Definition and validation of the procedures for determining the dimensional accuracy of mirror constructions as the basis for a standardization proposal
•     Development of a test bench for the qualification of flexible pipe connections (REPA, Rotation and Expansion Performing Assembly).
•     Dissemination of the project results and conversion into concrete proposals for standardization in the relevant organizations and committees

In detail, measuring and test rigs were developed, their suitability was proven and the comparison with alternative methods carried out in round robin tests, and the parameters with the necessary informative value about the quality were determined. The results were incorporated into standardization processes. In doing so, emphasis was placed on the widest possible dissemination and cooperation with the globally important standardization bodies, industry and other research institutions.