Laser Scanner-Based 3D Digitization for the Reflective Shape Measurement of a Parabolic Trough Collector

In concentrated solar power technology, the precise shape of the reflective surfaces is crucial for efficiency. Considering the geometry and size of a parabolic trough collector, measuring the actual shape is not trivial and some techniques can only be adopted during the assembly operations, evaluating only the manufacturing and alignment processes. The method proposed and tested in this work exploits a laser scanner-based three-dimensional digitization technique that can be used without any marker or other tools, and is attached to the structure. This technique is particularly suitable for assessing the behavior and the optical efficiency of the collectors under load and for validating a finite element model of the structure. The method defines the shape of the parabolic surface by collecting a 3D point cloud of the parabolic surface using a laser scanner. The measured form can then be compared with the ideal shape obtained from a finite element analysis of the structure subject to the gravity field. The comparison can also be performed when the collector is loaded by known forces or torques, with the finite element model reproducing the actual loading scenario. The object of the case study of this work was a 12 m wide full-scale prototype trough collector manufactured at the Politecnico di Milano. The uncertainty of the 3D measurements, acquiring twelve images in different positions, was verified to be less than 3.6 mm.