Heliostat Operation at the Central Receiver Test Facility, 1978–1980

Abstract

The operations and maintenance data and conclusions presented in this report are for the 222 heliostats that have been in use at the Central Receiver Test Facility (CRTF) from 1978 through 1980. The CRTF beam produces a total power of 5.5 MWth and a peak intensity of 2250 kW/m2 near solar noon. Improvements in the targeting accuracy have been made. The mirror reflectance is maintained near 80 percent by cleaning with rain or snow. The CRTF heliostats logged almost 300,000 operating hrs by the end of 1980.