A compact linear Fresnel reflector (CLFR) – also referred to as a concentrating

linear Fresnel reflector – is a specific type of linear Fresnel reflector (LFR)

technology. They are named for their similarity to a Fresnel lens, in which many
small, thin lens fragments are combined to simulate a much thicker simple lens.
These mirrors are capable of concentrating the sun's energy to approximately 30
times its normal intensity.[1]

Linear Fresnel reflectors use long, thin segments of mirrors to focus sunlight onto
a fixed absorber located at a common focal point of the reflectors. This
concentrated energy is transferred through the absorber into some thermal fluid
(this is typically oil capable of maintaining liquid state at very high
temperatures). The fluid then goes through a heat exchanger to power a steam
generator. As opposed to traditional LFR's, the CLFR utilizes multiple absorbers
within the vicinity of the mirrors.
Contents

1 History
2 Design
2.1 Reflectors
2.2 Absorbers
3 Applications
4 See also
5 References

History

The first linear Fresnel reflector solar power system was developed in Italy in
1961 by Giovanni Francia of the University of Genoa.[2] Francia demonstrated that
such a system could create elevated temperatures capable of making a fluid do work.
The technology was further investigated by companies such as the FMC Corporation
during the 1973 oil crisis, but remained relatively untouched until the early
1990s.[1] In 1993, the first CLFR was developed at the University of Sydney in 1993
and patented in 1995. In 1999, the CLFR design was enhanced by the introduction of
the advanced absorber.[2] In 2003 the concept was extended to 3D geometry.[3]
Research published in 2010 showed that higher concentrations and / or higher
acceptance angles could be obtained by using nonimaging optics[4] to explore
different degrees of freedom in the system such as varying the size and curvature
of the heliostats, placing them at a varying height (on a wave-shape curve) and
combining the resulting primary with nonimaging secondaries.[5]
Design
Reflectors

The reflectors are located at the base of the system and converge the sun's rays
into the absorber. A key component that makes all LFR's more advantageous than
traditional parabolic trough mirror systems is the use of "Fresnel reflectors".
These reflectors make use of the Fresnel lens effect, which allows for a
concentrating mirror with a large aperture and short focal length while
simultaneously reducing the volume of material required for the reflector. This
greatly reduces the system's cost since sagged-glass parabolic reflectors are
typically very expensive.[2] However, in recent years thin-film nanotechnology has
significantly reduced the cost of parabolic mirrors.[6]

A major challenge that must be addressed in any solar concentrating technology is

the changing angle of the incident rays (the rays of sunlight striking the mirrors)
as the sun progresses throughout the day. The reflectors of a CLFR are typically
aligned in a north-south orientation and turn about a single axis using a computer
controlled solar tracker system.[7] This allows the system to maintain the proper
angle of incidence between the sun's rays and the mirrors, thereby optimizing
energy transfer.
Absorbers

The absorber is located at the focal line of the mirrors. It runs parallel to and
above the reflector segments to transport radiation into some working thermal
fluid. The basic design of the absorber for the CLFR system is an inverted air
cavity with a glass cover enclosing insulated steam tubes, shown in Fig.2. This
design has been demonstrated to be simple and cost effective with good optical and
thermal performance.[1]
Compact linear Fresnel reflector absorber transfers solar energy into working
thermal fluid
Fig.2: Incident solar rays are concentrated on insulated steam tubes to heat
working thermal fluid
CLFR solar systems use alternating inclination of mirrors to improve efficiency and
reduce system cost
Fig.3: CLFR solar systems alternate the inclination of their mirrors to focus solar
energy on multiple absorbers, improving system efficiency and reducing overall
cost.

For optimum performance of the CLFR, several design factors of the absorber must be
optimized.

First, heat transfer between the absorber and the thermal fluid must be
maximized.[1] This relies on the surface of the steam tubes being selective. A
selective surface optimizes the ratio of energy absorbed to energy emitted.
Acceptable surfaces generally absorb 96% of incident radiation while emitting only
7% through infra-red radiation.[8] Electro-chemically deposited black chrome is
generally used for its ample performance and ability to withstand high
temperatures.[1]
Second, the absorber must be designed so that the temperature distribution
across the selective surface is uniform. Non-uniform temperature distribution leads
to accelerated degradation of the surface. Typically, a uniform temperature of 300
°C (573 K; 572 °F) is desired.[1] Uniform distributions are obtained by changing
absorber parameters such as the thickness of insulation above the plate, the size
of the aperture of the absorber and the shape and depth of the air cavity.

As opposed to the traditional LFR, the CLFR makes use of multiple absorbers within
the vicinity of its mirrors. These additional absorbers allow the mirrors to
alternate their inclination, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This arrangement is
advantageous for several reasons.

First, alternating inclinations minimize the effect of reflectors blocking

adjacent reflectors' access to sunlight, thereby improving the system's efficiency.
Second, multiple absorbers minimize the amount of ground space required for
installation. This in turn reduces cost to procure and prepare the land.[1]
Finally, having the panels in close proximity reduces the length of absorber
lines, which reduces both thermal losses through the absorber lines and overall
cost for the system.

Applications

Areva Solar (Ausra) built a linear Fresnel reflector plant in New South Wales,
Australia. Initially a 1 MW test in 2005, it was expanded to 5MW in 2006. This
reflector plant supplemented the 2,000 MW coal-fired Liddell Power Station.[9] The
power generated by the solar thermal steam system is used to provide electricity
for the plant's operation, offsetting the plant's internal power usage. AREVA Solar
built the 5 MW Kimberlina Solar Thermal Energy Plant in Bakersfield, California in
2009.[10] This is the first commercial linear Fresnel reflector plant in the United
States. The solar collectors were produced at the Ausra factory in Las Vegas. In
April 2008, AREVA opened a large factory in Las Vegas, Nevada to produce linear
Fresnel reflectors.[11] The factory was planned to be capable of producing enough
solar collectors to provide 200 MW of power per month.[10]

In March 2009, the German company Novatec Biosol constructed a Fresnel solar power
plant known as PE 1. The solar thermal power plant uses a standard linear Fresnel
optical design (not CLFR) and has an electrical capacity of 1.4 MW. PE 1 comprises
a solar boiler with mirror surface of approximately 18,000 m2 (1.8 ha; 4.4 acres).
[12] The steam is generated by concentrating sunlight directly onto a linear
receiver, which is 7.40 metres (24.28 ft) above the ground.[12] An absorber tube is
positioned in the focal line of the mirror field where water is heated into 270 °C
(543 K; 518 °F) saturated steam. This steam in turn powers a generator.[12] The
commercial success of the PE 1 led Novatec Solar to design a 30 MW solar power
plant known as PE 2. PE 2 has been in commercial operation since 2012.[13]

From 2013 on Novatec Solar developed a molten salt system in cooperation with BASF.
[14] It uses molten salts as heat transfer fluid in the collector which is directly
transferred to a thermal energy storage. A salt temperature of up to 550 °C (823 K;
1,022 °F) facilitate to run a conventional steam turbine for Electricity
generation, Enhanced oil recovery or Desalination. A molten salt demonstration
plant was realized on PE 1 to proof the technology. Since 2015 FRENELL GmbH, a
management buy-out of Novatec Solar took over the commercial development of the
direct molten salt technology.

Solar Fire, an appropriate technology NGO in India, has developed an open source
design for a small, manually operated, 12 kW peak Fresnel concentrator that
generates temperatures up to 750 °C (1,020 K; 1,380 °F) and can be used for various
thermal applications including steam powered electricity generation.[15][16]

The largest CSP systems using Compact linear Fresnel reflector technology is the
125 MW Reliance Areva CSP plant in India.[17]