Industrial Automation Solution

SPT-CHECK - Solar Power Tower Monitoring

High-performance, fully automated thermographic remote monitoring of solar power towers.

Image of infrared camera within enclosure in front of solar panels with a GUI of thermographic monitoring software

Automated Thermographic Monitoring for Solar Power Tower Optimization

SPT-CHECK is a high-performance infrared monitoring system custom designed for thermal solar power towers/CPS plants.

This fully automated, remote monitoring solutions works by using high-performance, reliable thermographic cameras to measure temperature and temperature distribution of key components (absorber panels) of the tower. Measured values are transferred to the control system, which can then control individual heliostats for optimum absorption and improved efficiency of the plant.

The turnkey SPT-CHECK system is built with highly reliable, curated components and includes key features such as automatic warnings for overheating prevention, and customization options for easy adaptation to different conditions and system environments.

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Labelled schematic of solar power tower relative to IR cameras and heliostats

Precision Measurement of Absorber Surface Temperature

Solar-thermal power plants function to absorb radiation from the sun and convert it into thermal energy. To do so, highly effective absorbers are strategically placed on the upper portion of the solar power tower, hundreds of meters in the air.

At the base of the tower, thousands of motorized, movable mirrors (heliostats) are arranged in concentric circles, aligned and controlled to concentrate the solar radiation on the absorbers for maximum efficiency.

SPTC-CHECK Monitoring System utilizes infrared thermography to provide fully automated, high-performance monitoring of the surface temperature of the entire absorber of the Solar Tower. The system transfers the measured values to the control, which then provides signals to individual heliostats to ensure optimal absorption. Automatic warnings are issues if pre-defined limit values are exceeded to prevent overheating.

InfraTec thermal camera inside a rugged outdoor enclosure imaging solar panels

SPT-CHECK Key Features

Multi-camera system for 100% absorber surface monitoring
Highly detailed temperature measurement
Automated focus tracking, size rectification and image stabilization
Parameter setting, monitoring, operation, display, evaluation & playback easily accessible in software main display
Clear communication of temperature values of entire absorber surface, warning and alarm values
Continuous, rapid transfer of all temperature and system data to central power plant control system
Customized system alignment and adjustment

Solar power panels in background, schematic of SPTC-CHECK system structure of hardware and software components and image of cameras within protective housing

SPT-CHECK System Components

High-definition thermographic camera with up to 1,024 x 768 pixel resolution
Rugged 19" industrial cabinet
Protective camera housing for extreme weather conditions
Decentralized installable components (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
Power supply, data transmission, complete data exchange via primary/secondary PC
Easy to use SPTC software allows flexible customization

SPT-CHECK Software

The SPT-CHECK software is custom designed to provide a range of features:

System status display
Composite thermal image of measurement range of target with display of temperature values
Live feed of IR cameras
Status overview of redundant system components
Data analysis tools for aligning transmission and evaluating the state of the associated components