TCP100

This test facility was implemented in 2014, and it is composed of the TCP-100 solar field and a thermocline storage tank with 115 m³ of Santotherm-55 oil.

The TCP-100 solar field is composed of six parabolic-trough collectors, model TERMOPOWER, installed in three parallel loops, with two collectors in series within each loop, see Figure 11. Each collector is composed of eight parabolic trough modules with a total length of 100 m and a parabola width of 5.77 m. The total solar collecting surface of each collector is 545 m². The focal distance is 1.71 n, the geometrical intercept factor is ≥0.95, and the peak optical efficiency is 77.5%. The receiver tubes used in this solar field were delivered by Archimede Solar Energy (Italy) and the working fluid is Syltherm®800.

The solar field is connected to a 10 m³ oil expansion tank for a maximum temperature of 400°C. Thermal energy can be transferred from the solar field primary circuit to a thermocline oil storage tank with a total volume of 176 m³ and 115 m³ of Santotherm 55 oil with a maximum working temperature of 300°C.

This test facility is specially designed to perform studies related to control systems for parabolic trough solar fields. This is the reason why two collector loops are provided with the solar tracking system developed by PSA, while the third loop is provided with a commercial solar tracking system with continuous movement.