Infrared temperature sensors for solar panel

• US 6,926,440 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SolarReserve Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Litwin, Robert Zachary
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbitsky, Gail
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRUCHNIC, STANLEY J
• Application Number:
  US10/286,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20040086021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 348/159, 374 4- 7, 374/45, 374/57, 374/137, 374/124, 374/121, 374/120, 340/584, 340/870.17, 165/287, 250/332, 250/334, 250/338.1, 250/341.6, 126/680, 126/593, 126/595, 126/597
• US Class Current: 374/124
• 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 approximately one half of the surface area of said solar receiver, wherein each said IR camera is located to have a field of view including a different one half of the surface area of said solar receiver such that said field of view for each IR camera includes a portion of overlap with said field of view of at least one of said other IR cameras; and

a control system adapted to;

receive information relating to an IR image from each said IR camera, each said IR image depicting IR readings at a plurality of equally spaced points across the entire related one half of the surface area of said solar receiver viewed by each said IR camera;

translate said plurality of IR readings into digital temperature data comprising discrete digital 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 digital temperature values representative of temperature values of an outside surface of the receiver tubes, wherein said overlap portions provide additional digital temperature data for said equally spaced points within said overlap portions;

generate a digital temperature profile of at least approximately one half of the surface area of said solar receiver utilizing said digital temperature data, wherein said additional digital temperature data received from said overlap portions provides added accuracy of said digital temperature profile at said overlap portions; and

generate an alarm signal when the temperature at any of said equally spaced points exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said control system is further adapted to utilize said discrete digital temperature values to generate said digital temperature profile and generate a graphical representation of said digital temperature profile.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said graphical representation comprises 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.

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

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

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

7. 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, wherein each IR camera is for viewing approximately one half of the surface area of the solar receiver, each IR camera being positioned to view a different one half of the solar receiver surface area such that the field of view for each IR camera includes a portion of overlap with the field of view of at least one of the other IR cameras;

transmitting, from each IR camera to a control system, IR images depicting IR readings at a plurality of equally spaced points across the entire related one half of the surface area of the solar receiver viewed by each IR camera;

translating the plurality of IR readings into digital temperature data comprising discrete digital 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, wherein the overlap portions provide additional digital temperature data for the equally spaced points within the overlap portions;

generating a digital temperature profile of at least approximately one half of the surface area of the solar receiver utilizing the digital temperature data, wherein the additional digital temperature data received from the overlap portions provides added accuracy of the digital temperature profile at the overlap portions; and

generating an alarm signal when the temperature at any of the equally spaced points exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating a digital temperature profile further comprises:

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

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

9. The method of claim 8, 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.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises accessing the control system from a remote location via a network.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein positioning a plurality of IR cameras comprises adapting each IR camera such that the field of view is manually adjustable.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein positioning a plurality of IR cameras comprises adapting each IR camera such that the field of view is remotely adjustable.

13. 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, wherein each IR camera is adapted to view approximately one half of a surface area of said solar receiver, wherein each said IR camera is located to have a field of view including a different one half of the surface area of said solar receiver such that said field of view for each IR camera includes a portion of overlap with said field of view of at least one of said other IR cameras; and

a control system adapted to;

receive an IR image from each said IR camera, each said IR image depicting IR readings at a plurality of equally spaced points along a length of each said receiver tube within the related one half of the surface area of the solar receiver viewed by each said IR camera;

translate said plurality of IR readings into digital temperature data comprising discrete digital temperature values at each of the equally spaced points, the temperature values representative of temperature values of the outside surface at each point of said receiver tubes, wherein the overlap portions provide additional digital temperature data for the equally spaced points within the overlap portions; and

generate a digital temperature profile of at least approximately one half of the surface area of said solar receiver utilizing said digital temperature data, wherein the additional digital temperature data received from the overlap portions provides added accuracy of the digital temperature profile at the overlap portions; and

generate an alarm signal when the temperature at any of the equally spaced points exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said control system is further adapted to utilize said discrete digital temperature values to generate said surface area digital temperature profile and generate a graphical representation of said surface area temperature profile.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said graphical representation comprises 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.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is manually adjustable.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the field of view of each said IR camera is remotely adjustable.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said control system is accessible via a network such that said temperature profile is accessible from a remote location.