SolTrace: A Ray-Tracing Code for Complex Solar Optical Systems

Wendelin, Tim¹  Dobos, Aron¹  Lewandowski, Allan² 

[1] National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States);Allan Lewandowski Solar Consulting LLC, Evergreen, CO (United States)

关键词: solar optics;    ray tracing;    optical modeling;    concentrating solar power (CSP);    CSP;    SOLTRACE;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1260924
RP-ID  :  NREL/TP--5500-59163
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1260924

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

SolTrace is an optical simulation tool designed to model optical systems used in concentrating solar power (CSP) applications. The code was first written in early 2003, but has seen significant modifications and changes since its inception, including conversion from a Pascal-based software development platform to C++. SolTrace is unique in that it can model virtually any optical system utilizingthe sun as the source. It has been made available for free and as such is in use worldwide by industry, universities, and research laboratories. The fundamental design of the code is discussed, including enhancements and improvements over the earlier version. Comparisons are made with other optical modeling tools, both non-commercial and commercial in nature. Finally, modeled results are shownfor some typical CSP systems and, in one case, compared to measured optical data.