Indus­trial Auto­ma­tion

Ther­mo­graphic Monit­oring of Solar Power Tower – SPTC

Solar power towers also named concentrated solar power tower – power plant – CSP plants belong to the category of solar-thermal power plants whose basic principle relies on the absorption of direct radiation from the sun and its conversion into thermal energy. This takes place in a highly effective absorber, which is located in the upper part of a solar power tower of up to 250 metres in height. Around the solar power tower on the floor, thousands of motorized, movable mirrors (so-called heliostats) are arranged in concentric circles, which are aligned permanently by a control system in such a way that the solar radiation concentrates on the absorber as optimally as possible.

remote monitoring of solar power tower with infrared cameras

This heat energy is normally conducted from the absorber by liquid salt as a carrier medium and used to generate steam for the subsequent generation of electricity with conventional steam turbines and generators by means of a heat exchanger.

The very good storage capacity of this hot, liquid salt as a heat-transfer medium offers great benefit compared to other forms of solar energy generation by the fact that the generation of electrical energy can take place continuously.

With Solar Power Tower Check (SPTC) for CSP plants (concentrated solar power) InfraTec offers a high-performance system for fully automatic remote monitoring of the surface temperature for the entire absorber of a solar tower. SPTC works on the basis of infrared thermography technology and provides important measurement data reliably for optimum and safe operation of a key point of the solar power tower.

Solar Power Tower Check - Tower graphic
Position of IR cameras around the solar tower – measuring distance 330 m 1 – Solar Tower; 2 – IR Cameras; 3 – Heliostats
Solar Power Tower Check - Mirror arrays and protective housing

System Features

  • Multi camera system for fully 100 % monitoring of absorber surface

  • Highly detailed measurement of the panel temperature of the absorber

  • Extensive conditioning of live images through automated focus tracking, size rectification and image stabilization

  • Redundantly designed hardware and software for the entire system

  • Main display with options for parameter setting, monitoring, operation, display, evaluation & playback with SPTC software

  • Clear graphics with temperature values of the entire absorber surface, warning or alarm values in a table

  • Continuous and fast transfer of all temperature and system data to the central power plant control system

  • Customised system alignment and adjustment

Bene­fits of the SPTC System

  • Automatic and complete absorber temperature monitoring on 24 / 7 basis

  • HD thermography cameras and optimised tele lenses guarantee long-term precise and reliable temperature measurements via long distance

  • Reduction of maintenance costs and downtimes

  • Continuous real-time measurement and temperature analysis

  • Redundant design of the complete system for safe operation

  • Complex compensation of environmental influences

  • Reliable alerting with defined limit values

  • Specialised temperature measurement algorithm and software with interface to main operator system

  • Optimised system for commissioning and regular operation of CSP solar power tower plants

  • Optional remote access

Solar Power Tower Check - System structure

System Struc­ture of Hard­ware and Soft­ware Compon­ents

  • A – Master system

  • A1 ... A3 – IR camera (in protective housing with junction box)

  • A4 – PC 1

  • A5 – Temperature correction software

  • A6 – SPTC software

  • B – Slave system

  • B1 ... B3 – IR camera (in protective housing with junction box)

  • B4 – PC 2

  • B5 – Temperature correction software

  • B6 – SPTC software

  • C – Modbus TCP / IP

  • D – Central control system

Auto­mated Monit­oring of Thermal Solar Power Tower/​CPS Plants by Means of Ther­mo­graphy

The absorber tubes of a solar tower power plant are heated up intensely by the concentrated solar radiation of the heliostats during operation. The SPTC measures the resulting temperatures and their local distribution on the absorber panels without any interaction of an operator. The system transfers the measured values to the control system, which calculates the signals for controlling the individual heliostats. In this way, optimum absorption behaviour is set, which ensures the efficient operation of the plant.

Corresponding limit values resulting in automatic warnings if they are exceeded, can be defined for monitoring the temperature development of the entire solar absorber and for preventing overheating.

Highly reliable components and a flexible structure characterise the turnkey SPTC monitoring solution. Thus, it can be easily adapted to the different conditions and system environments in the solar power tower.

Compon­ents

  • HD thermography cameras with highest resolution of (1,024 × 768) IR pixels

  • Rugged 19"-industrial standard main cabinet

  • Protective housing designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions

  • Decentralised installable components (IR-cameras, PC, alarm unit), fiber optic cable for interference-free data transmission

  • TCP / IP based flexible structure

  • Highly redundant transmission adjustment based on different measurement methods

  • Redundant power supply, data transmission, complete data exchange via master and slave PC

  • Easy to use SPTC software allows flexible customisation

Soft­ware

Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display
Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display

Composite thermal image of the measurement range of the absorber surface and display of the temperature values

Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display
Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display

Data analysis to align the transmission and evaluate the state of the associated components

Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display
Solar Power Tower Check - Software Master Main Display

Live view of IR cameras with status overview of redundant system components

Example Projetcs of SPTC Solu­tions

Solar Power Tower Check - Mirror arrays

Luneng Haixi 50 MW Molten Salt Tower

Concentrated Solar Power/​CSP Project

Infrared Cameras as Life Insurance for a Billion Dollar Project
Thermography

Infrared Cameras as Life Insurance for a Billion Dollar Project

Solar power plants usually suffer from the disadvantage that they only supply energy when the sun is shining during the day. CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) solar tower power plants are different: they charge a large thermal buffer storage during the day, which allows the continuous generation of electrical energy also at night‐time. One of these solar tower power plants recently went into operation in the middle of the Atacama coastal desert in Chile. 

Solar Power Tower Check - Aerial view Jülich - Picture credits: Stadtwerke Jülich GmbH

Jülich Solar Tower

Test Facility for Commercial Solar Power Tower

Solar Power Tower Check - Mirror arrays

Luneng Haixi 50 MW Molten Salt Tower

Concentrated Solar Power/​CSP Project

Infrared Cameras as Life Insurance for a Billion Dollar Project
Thermography

Infrared Cameras as Life Insurance for a Billion Dollar Project

Solar power plants usually suffer from the disadvantage that they only supply energy when the sun is shining during the day. CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) solar tower power plants are different: they charge a large thermal buffer storage during the day, which allows the continuous generation of electrical energy also at night‐time. One of these solar tower power plants recently went into operation in the middle of the Atacama coastal desert in Chile. 

Solar Power Tower Check - Aerial view Jülich - Picture credits: Stadtwerke Jülich GmbH

Jülich Solar Tower

Test Facility for Commercial Solar Power Tower

Product Flyer

Get all the information you need at a glance in our product flyers

InfraTec SPTC Flyer

Public­a­tions of our Customers

Use of SPTC for these Indus­tries & Applic­a­tions

thermal imaging for thermal optimisation

Thermal Optim­isa­tion

Identify possible problems already in the development phase well before serial production.

All branches and application areas
InfraTec service

Full Service Package

For more than 30 years InfraTec has been providing comprehensive service in addition to high-end thermographic cameras. For example, you can have your camera recalibrated by us. On the basis of a project analysis, we assist you in the realization of thermographic measurements and tests. In the event of a malfunction, you will receive extensive support from our in-house service department via remote maintenance. Let’s find out, what we can do for you.

InfraTec Service - Technical Support

InfraTec Service – Technical Support

Our Company’s own service department accompanies you even with complex automation solutions far beyond the actual sale. In the event of malfunctions, your enquiry is forwarded directly to the employees via a hotline. By remote maintenance, you will receive an initial diagnosis. Together with you, we analyse the cause of the problem and quickly find a solution.

Thermography trainings

Training of your Employees

In our training centre in Dresden, you can attend practical thermography training courses. After the transfer of the turnkey system, upon request qualified employees of our service team will introduce you step by step to your automation solution and instruct future users on your premises.

Camera protective housing for infrared cameras by InfraTec

Wide Range of Protective Hous­ings

The InfraTec product range includes numerous protective housings. The all-weather and robust metal housings allow the use of the thermal cameras in harsh environments and protect against mechanical stress, dust and splash water. Depending on requirements, users can also choose ATEX-certified protective housings that can be used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

InfraTec camera equipment

InfraTec Thermal Camera Equip­ment

InfraTec offers high-quality accessories for all infrared camera series. This allows users to flexibly adapt their camera to changing test and measurement environments and optimize it for daily indoor and outdoor use. The corresponding components are specially designed for the corresponding model and open up new possibilities – for current applications and new tasks.

InfraTec service

Full Service Package

For more than 30 years InfraTec has been providing comprehensive service in addition to high-end thermographic cameras. For example, you can have your camera recalibrated by us. On the basis of a project analysis, we assist you in the realization of thermographic measurements and tests. In the event of a malfunction, you will receive extensive support from our in-house service department via remote maintenance. Let’s find out, what we can do for you.

InfraTec Service - Technical Support

InfraTec Service – Technical Support

Our Company’s own service department accompanies you even with complex automation solutions far beyond the actual sale. In the event of malfunctions, your enquiry is forwarded directly to the employees via a hotline. By remote maintenance, you will receive an initial diagnosis. Together with you, we analyse the cause of the problem and quickly find a solution.

Thermography trainings

Training of your Employees

In our training centre in Dresden, you can attend practical thermography training courses. After the transfer of the turnkey system, upon request qualified employees of our service team will introduce you step by step to your automation solution and instruct future users on your premises.

Camera protective housing for infrared cameras by InfraTec

Wide Range of Protective Hous­ings

The InfraTec product range includes numerous protective housings. The all-weather and robust metal housings allow the use of the thermal cameras in harsh environments and protect against mechanical stress, dust and splash water. Depending on requirements, users can also choose ATEX-certified protective housings that can be used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

InfraTec camera equipment

InfraTec Thermal Camera Equip­ment

InfraTec offers high-quality accessories for all infrared camera series. This allows users to flexibly adapt their camera to changing test and measurement environments and optimize it for daily indoor and outdoor use. The corresponding components are specially designed for the corresponding model and open up new possibilities – for current applications and new tasks.

Infrared Cameras for SPTC

InfraTec Infrared camera
Zoom Cameras

VarioCAM® HD Z

Image Format(1,024 x 768) IR-Pixel
Detector typeUncooled Microbolometer Focal Plane Array

InfraTec Infrared camera
System Cameras

VarioCAM® HD head 900

Image Format(2,048 x 1,536) IR-Pixel
Detector typeUncooled Microbolometer Focal Plane Array

InfraTec Infrared camera
System Cameras

VarioCAM® HDx head 600

Image Format(640 x 480) IR-Pixel
Detector typeUncooled Microbolometer Focal Plane Array

InfraTec Infrared camera
System Cameras

VarioCAM® HD head 800

Image Format(1,024 x 768) IR-Pixel
Detector typeUncooled Microbolometer Focal Plane Array

Fairs and Trade Shows

Logo SEMI-THERM
Thermography

SEMI-THERM – 40th Annual Semi­con­ductor Thermal Meas­ure­ment, Modeling and Manage­ment Symposium

2024-03-26 - 2024-03-27
San Jose, USA

Logo Control
Thermography

Control

2024-04-23 - 2024-04-26
Stuttgart, Germany

Logo Fraunhofer IMWS
Thermography

CAM-Work­shop

2024-06-04 - 2024-06-05
Halle, Germany

Logo SEMI-THERM
Thermography

SEMI-THERM – 40th Annual Semi­con­ductor Thermal Meas­ure­ment, Modeling and Manage­ment Symposium

2024-03-26 - 2024-03-27
San Jose, USA

Logo Control
Thermography

Control

2024-04-23 - 2024-04-26
Stuttgart, Germany

Logo Fraunhofer IMWS
Thermography

CAM-Work­shop

2024-06-04 - 2024-06-05
Halle, Germany

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