Infrared temperature sensors for solar panel

• US 20040086021A1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SolarReserve Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Litwin, Robert Zachary
• Granted Patent: US 6,926,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/120
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 20/20 Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 40/50 Preventing overheating or overpressure by draining the working fluid F24S40/60
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 50/40 responsive to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 80/20 Working fluids specially adapted for solar heat collectors
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 90/00 Solar heat systems not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers

Abstract

A solar receiver system for utilizing solar energy to produce electrical power and to generate a temperature profile of a plurality of receiver tubes utilized in the system. The solar receiver system includes a solar receiver having a plurality of receiver panels including the plurality of receiver tubes through which a coolant flows. Additionally, the solar receiver system includes a plurality of IR cameras adapted to view at least a portion of a surface area of the solar receiver. Each IR camera is adapted to have a field of view including a different specified region of the surface area of the solar receiver. Furthermore, the solar receiver system includes a master control system adapted to receive an IR image from each IR camera, wherein each IR image depicts surface area temperatures and variances over the region of the solar receiver viewed by each IR camera. The master control system generates a temperature profile of the surface area of the solar receiver utilizing the IR images.

Claims

1. A system for generating a temperature profile of at least a portion of a surface area of a solar receiver having a plurality of receiver panels, said system comprising

a plurality of IR cameras positioned to view at least a portion of the surface area of the solar receiver, wherein each said IR camera is located having a specified spatial relationship with said solar receiver and is adapted to have a field of view including a different specified region of the surface area of said solar receiver;

and

a control system adapted to;

receive information relating to an IR image from each said IR camera, each said IR image depicting surface area temperatures and variances of the region of the solar receiver viewed by each said IR camera;

translate said information relating to said IR images into temperature data; and

generate a temperature profile of said portion of the surface area of said solar receiver utilizing said temperature data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said temperature data comprises discrete temperature values at a plurality of points equally spaced along a length of each one of a plurality of receiver tubes included in each of the receiver panels, the temperature values representative of temperature values of an outside surface of the receiver tubes.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said control system is further adapted to utilize said discrete temperature values to generate said temperature profile and generate a graphical representation of said temperature profile.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said graphical representation comprise at least one of:

a graphical image graphically depicting temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area;

a matrix table comprising numerical data representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area; and

a chart comprising plotted values representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is manually adjustable.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is remotely adjustable.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said control system is accessible via a network such that said temperature profile is accessible from a remote location.

8. A method for generating a temperature profile of at least a portion of a surface area of a solar receiver including a plurality of receiver panels, said method comprising:

positioning a plurality of infrared (IR) cameras around the solar receiver for viewing at least a portion of the surface area of the solar receiver, each IR camera being positioned to view a specified region of the solar receiver surface area;

transmitting IR images of surface area temperatures and variances over the region of the solar receiver viewed by each IR camera from each IR camera to a control system; and

generating a temperature profile of at least a portion of the surface area of the solar receiver utilizing the control system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating a digital temperature profile comprises translating the IR images into digital temperature data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein translating the IR images into digital temperature data comprises generating discrete temperature values at a plurality of points equally spaced along a length of each of a plurality of receiver tubes included in each receiver panel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating a temperature profile further comprises:

utilizing the control system to generate the temperature profile using the discrete temperature values; and

generating a graphical representation of the temperature profile utilizing the control system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating a graphical representation comprises generating at least one of the following:

a) a graphical image graphically depicting temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area;

b) a matrix table comprising numerical data representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area; and

c) a chart comprising plotted values representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises accessing the control system from a remote location via a network.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein positioning a plurality of IR cameras comprises adapting each IR camera such that the field of view is manually adjustable.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein positioning a plurality of IR cameras comprises adapting each IR camera such that the field of view is remotely adjustable.

16. A solar receiver system for utilizing solar energy to produce electrical power, said system adapted to generate a temperature profile of an outside surface of a plurality of receiver tubes utilized in said system, said solar receiver system comprising;

a solar receiver comprising a plurality of receiver panels, each said receiver panel comprising a plurality of receiver tubes through which a coolant flows;

a plurality of IR cameras adapted to view at least a portion of a surface area of said solar receiver, wherein each said IR camera is located having a specified spatial relationship with said solar receiver and is adapted to have a field of view including a different specified region of the surface area of said solar receiver; and

a control system adapted to;

receive an IR image from each said IR camera, each said IR image depicting surface area temperatures and variances over the region of the solar receiver viewed by each said IR camera;

translate said IR images into temperature data comprising discrete temperature values at a plurality of points equally spaced along a length of each said receiver tube, the temperature values representative of temperature values of the outside surface of said receiver tubes; and

generate a temperature profile of at least a portion of the surface area of said solar receiver utilizing said temperature data, the surface area temperature profile representative of the temperature profile of the outside surface of the receiver tubes.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said control system is further adapted to utilize said discrete temperature values to generate said surface area temperature profile and generate a graphical representation of said surface area temperature profile.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said graphical representation comprise at least one of:

a graphical image depicting temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area;

a matrix table comprising numerical data representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area; and

a chart comprising plotted values representing the temperature values and variances over at least a portion of the solar receiver surface area.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is manually adjustable.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is remotely adjustable.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said control system is accessible via a network such that said temperature profile is accessible from a remote location.

22. An apparatus for monitoring a temperature of at least a portion of a solar receiver of a solar power generating system, wherein the solar receiver includes at least one solar receiver panel, said apparatus comprising:

at least one imaging device positioned so as to be able to view at least a portion of said solar receiver and to produce at output signal representative of a temperature of said portion of said solar receiver; and

a control system in communication with said imaging device for using said output signal from said imaging device and generating therefrom temperature data relating to a temperature profile of said portion of said solar receiver.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said imaging device comprises an infrared (IR) camera.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said temperature data comprises discrete temperature values at a plurality of points equally spaced along a length of each one of a plurality of receiver tubes included in said receiver panel, the temperature values representative of temperature values of an outside surface of said receiver tubes.

25. A method for monitoring a temperature of at least a portion of a solar receiver of a solar power generating system, wherein the solar receiver includes at least one solar receiver panel, said method comprising:

using at least one imaging device to view at least a portion of said solar receiver and to produce at output signal representative of a temperature of said portion of said solar receiver; and

using said output signal to generate therefrom temperature information relating to a temperature profile of said portion of said solar receiver.