A FRESH APPROACH TO HELIOSTAT
STRUCTURALT OPTIMIZATION
ABOUT HM SOLAR
The app presents a novel way for optimizing heliostats with arbitrary design and geometry. It is based on linear optimization and implemented as a custom-built FEA library. Stress and lateral buckling validations are performed according to Eurocode. Wind load assumptions are taken from the wind tunnel studies of Peterka and Derickson and applied as non uniform load distributions on the heliostat surface. Additional national standards can be considered by setting appropriate safety factors for wind and dead load.
The results of the performed finite element analysis can be used to determine the weight of a heliostat or solar tracker for a given geometrical and environmental boundary condition.
The app can assist the work of researchers, design engineers and renewable energy investors or can be used as a convenient and quick-reference tool.
APP KEY FEATURES
Safety factors
Dead load
Wind load
Structure parameters
Width
Height
Module properties
Self weight of
PV panels or glass facets
Tracker geometry
Rectangular / Circular
Hexagonal
Load cases
Elevation positions
Wind directions
Site dependent factors
Wind velocity
Array factor
Material properties
Steel grade S235/S275/S355
APPLICATION WORKFLOW
I. Select tracker
- Choose support structure
- Set safety concept
- Specify geometry parameters
II. Run Computation
- Define wind speed
- Select elevation positions and wind directions
- Start finite element analysis
III. Visualisation
- Principal stresses
- Structure deflections
IV. Send Results
- Bill of material (Cross section and length)
- Specifikation for the drives
APPLICATION GALLERY
NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS
AIP Publishing 2016
AIP Publishing - "Advanced Structural Optimization of a Heliostat with Cantilever Arms"
Change is in the Air
Promotion in Apple's iPad Air 2 advertising campaign - "Change is in The Air"
SolarPACES 2013
Energy Procedia Publication - "CSP and PV Solar Tracker Optimization Tool"
Ingenieria Renovable
Antonio Robredo posted short description about Heliomasters.
SIELA 2014
IEEE Conference Publication – "Design optimization of PVPP with solar trackers"
Watt-Tracker
Watt-Tracker used HM Tracker Design to calculate the wind loading and verify the structural design.
DO NOT HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH
24 Kamen Andreev
1303 Sofia
Bilgaria
solar(at)heliomasters(dot)com
http://solar.heliomasters.com
+359.878.955494