Digital close range photogrammetry has proven to be a precise and efficient measurement technique for the assessment of shape accuracies of solar concentrators and their components. The combination of high quality mega-pixel digital still cameras, appropriate software, and calibrated reference scales in general is sufficient to provide coordinate measurements with precisions of 1:50,000 or better. The extreme flexibility of photogrammetry to provide high accuracy 3D coordinate measurements over almost any scale makes it particularly appropriate for the measurement of solar concentrator systems. It can also provide information for the analysis of curved shapes and surfaces, which can be very difficult to achieve with conventional measurement instruments. The paper gives an overview of quality indicators for photogrammetric networks, which have to be considered during the data evaluation to augment the measurement precision. A selection of measurements done on whole solar concentrators and their components are presented. The potential of photogrammetry is demonstrated by presenting measured effects arising from thermal expansion and gravitational forces on selected components. The measured surface data can be used to calculate slope errors and undertake ray-trace studies to compute intercept factors and assess concentrator qualities.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: klaus.pottler@dlr.de
e-mail: eckhard.luepfert@dir.de
e-mail: mark.shortis@rmit.edu.au
Article navigation
February 2005
Technical Papers
Photogrammetry: A Powerful Tool for Geometric Analysis of Solar Concentrators and Their Components
Klaus Pottler,
e-mail: klaus.pottler@dlr.de
Klaus Pottler
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Plataforma Solar de Almerı´a, P.O. Box 39, Tabernas, 04200, Spain
Search for other works by this author on:
Eckhard Lu¨pfert,
e-mail: eckhard.luepfert@dir.de
Eckhard Lu¨pfert
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Plataforma Solar de Almerı´a, P.O. Box 39, Tabernas, 04200, Spain
Search for other works by this author on:
Mark R. Shortis
e-mail: mark.shortis@rmit.edu.au
Mark R. Shortis
Faculty of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Klaus Pottler
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Plataforma Solar de Almerı´a, P.O. Box 39, Tabernas, 04200, Spain
e-mail: klaus.pottler@dlr.de
Eckhard Lu¨pfert
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Plataforma Solar de Almerı´a, P.O. Box 39, Tabernas, 04200, Spain
e-mail: eckhard.luepfert@dir.de
Glen H. G. Johnston
Mark R. Shortis
Faculty of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001, Australia
e-mail: mark.shortis@rmit.edu.au
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division and presented at the ISEC2004 Portland, Oregon, July 1–14, 2004 of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Division; May 5, 2004; final revision May 17, 2004. Associate Editor: J. Davidson.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Feb 2005, 127(1): 94-101 (8 pages)
Published Online: February 7, 2005
Article history
Received:
May 5, 2004
Revised:
May 17, 2004
Online:
February 7, 2005
Citation
Pottler, K., Lu¨pfert, E., Johnston, G. H. G., and Shortis, M. R. (February 7, 2005). "Photogrammetry: A Powerful Tool for Geometric Analysis of Solar Concentrators and Their Components ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. February 2005; 127(1): 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1824109
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Mass Flow Control Strategy for Maximum Energy Extraction in Thermal Energy Storage Tanks
J. Sol. Energy Eng (December 2025)
Related Articles
Parabolic Trough Optical Performance Analysis Techniques
J. Sol. Energy Eng (May,2007)
Three-Dimensional Analysis of a Concentrated Solar Flux
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2008)
Experimental Verification of Optical Modeling of Parabolic Trough Collectors by Flux Measurement
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2009)
Annular Compound Parabolic Concentrator
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2006)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Piping Design
Power Boilers: A Guide to the Section I of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Second Edition
The Application of Digital Photogrammetry in Digital Information of Mine
International Conference on Instrumentation, Measurement, Circuits and Systems (ICIMCS 2011)
Theory and Key Technology of Digital Mine Measurement System
International Conference on Mechanical and Electrical Technology, 3rd, (ICMET-China 2011), Volumes 1–3