PROMETEO

An experimental closed loop is installed at the North-East area of the Plataforma Solar de Almería. It was designed and erected by the company Iberdrola Ingeniería y Sistemas in 2010 starting the test campaign along the following year. The pilot plant was transferred to CIEMAT-PSA to be used as testing loop.

The East-West oriented test loop allows the qualification of all collector components and complete collectors of a length of up to 150 m, i.e. structures, reflectors, receivers from 70 to 90 mm and movable joints. It enables sun tracking covering all solar radiation incidence angles in one day thanks to its orientation. It is equipped with high precision instrumentation and controls for precise, quick and automated measurements. Currently there are two parabolic troughs 100 m-long and with an aperture of 7.5 m each one installed in the pilot plant.

The collector modules are connected to the balance of plant (BOP) in parallel or in series configuration using the ad hoc set valve. A pump circulates the silicone heat transfer fluid (SHTF) with a mass flow similar to that of commercial power plants. Mass flow is measured directly using Vortex and differential pressure flowmeter types. A controlled air cooler unit dissipates the collected energy and ensures a constant HTF temperature (±1K) at the inlet of the collector. Sensors for measurement of inlet and outlet temperatures are highly precise and may be calibrated on site. A meteorological station delivers accurate radiation and wind data.