Optimization and performance of an optically asymmetrical heliostat field

The recent trend of integrating CRS into hybrid plants with combined cycles ix creating a new situation, since die solar field is forced to make use o f sites near gas pipelines and industrial arras. Land there becomes a signi ficant portion of plant cost and constraints lead to some particular proble ms for layout optimization and subsequent optical performance. The COLON SO LAR heliostat field represented a real challenge during the design phase, b ecause of. the important restrictions stemming from the available site. Fie ld optimization required adapting the existing codes to the COLON SOLAR sit e, since the field is not oriented to the North, is narrower than required and presents a number of restrictions associated with industrial pipelines and electrical grids (both aerial and buried) found on the site. Flux distr ibutions on the absorber surface obtained with HELIOS and DELSOL3 demonstra ted that in any given situation the centroid shifted about 25 degrees to th e East because of the higher number of heliostats iu the West. The influenc e of such peculiarities in the field on design and the minimization of thei r effect on plant performance are discussed.