Advancements in Failure Analysis Techniques for Concentrated Solar Power Systems

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2448

Keywords:

Failure Analysis, Concentrated Solar Power, Durability, Maintenance

Abstract

The reliability of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems is important for continuous energy production due to the extreme environmental and operational conditions they work under. This paper offers a mini review of the latest advancements in failure analysis methods for CSP systems. This paper investigates the main causes of failure that threaten the efficiency and durability of CSP components, such as optical degradation, thermal stress, and fluid degradation. The review highlights important progress in diagnostic and monitoring methods such as thermographic imaging, reflectivity measurement, and fluid characterization, which are essential to identify and prevent these failures. Moreover, this review explores and discuss the use of predictive modelling for proactive maintenance and real-time monitoring of CSP systems. These advancements do not enhance only the predictive maintenance capabilities but also allow to improve the efficiency and durability of CSP plants.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] A.H. Alami, A.G. Olabi, A. Mdallal, A. Rezk, A. Radwan, S. M. A. Rahman, S. K. Shah, and M. A. Abdelkareem, “Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies: Status and anal-ysis,” International Journal of Thermofluids 18 (2023) 100340.

[2] C. Prieto, A. L. Roman, G. G. Rivero, E. Bartoli, and L. F. Cabeza, “Evaluation of cross-contamination in indirect thermal storage system in concentrated solar plant,” Renewable Energy 212 (2023) 492–499.

[3] L. A. Weinstein, J. Loomis, B. Bhatia, D. M. Bierman, E. N. Wang, and G. Chen, “Concen-trating solar power,” Chemical Reviews, 2015.

[4] B. Xu, J. Han, A. Kumar, P. Li, and Y. Yang, “Thermal storage using sand saturated by thermal-conductive fluid and comparison with the use of concrete,” Journal of Energy Storage. Volume 13, October 2017, Pages 85-95.

[5] O. Achkari, A. el Fadar, “Latest developments on TES and CSP technologies – energy and environmental issues, applications and research trends,” Appl. Therm. Eng. 167 (2020), 114806.

[6] S. Kuravi, Y. Goswami, E. K. Stefanakos, M. Ram, C. Jotshi, S. Pendyala, J. Trahan, P. Sridharan, M. Rahman, and B. Krakow, “Thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power plants,” Technol Innov 14 (2) (2012) 81–91.

[7] L. Qoaider and A. Liqreina, “Optimization of dry cooled parabolic trough (CSP) plants for the desert regions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA),” Solar Energy 122 (2015) 976–985.

[8] R.P. Praveen, M.A. Baseer, A.B. Awan, and M. Zubair, “Performance analysis and opti-mization of a parabolic trough solar power plant in the Middle East Region,” Energies 11 (4) (2018) 741.

[9] M. Guerguer, S. Naamane, M. Karim, and H. Bouaouine, “Outdoor exposure testing of silvered-glass reflectors under marine environment,” AIP Conference Proceedings, 2019, 2126,160003.

[10] Z. Edfouf, M. Guerguer, and O. Raccurt, “Glass and Polymeric Mirrors Ageing under different Moroccan Weathers, an Application for CSP Power Plants,” Energy Procedia, 2015, 69, pp. 1508–1518.

[11] F. Wang, Y. Shuai, Y. Yuan, G. Yang, and H. Tan, “Thermal stress analysis of eccentric tube receiver using concentrated solar radiation,” Solar Energy 84 (2010) 1809-1815.

[12] Y. Chen, Y. Zhang, D. Wang, S. Hu, and X. Huang, “Effects of design parameters on fatigue creep damage of tubular supercritical carbon dioxide power tower receivers,” Re-newable Energy 176 (2021) 520-532.

[13] J. Wu, S. Ma, Z. Zhang, and X. Xu, “Absorption rate and thermal shock resistance of Co2O3-Fe2O3-mullite-based ceramics for solar heat absorbers,” Ceramics International 50 (2024) 8500–8509.

[14] M. Karim, S. Naamane, C. Delord and A. Bennouna, “Surface wear damage of glass solar mirrors in Moroccan desert environment,” International Renewable & Sustainable Energy Conference, October 2014.

[15] K. Kant, and R. Pitchumani, “Erosion wear analysis of heat exchange surfaces in a falling particle-based concentrating solar power system,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 266, 112629 (2024).

[16] A. Malan, and K. R. Kumar, “Investigation on wind-structure interaction of large aperture parabolic trough solar collector,” Renewable Energy, 193, 309-333 (2022).

[17] Q. Liu, R. Barker, C. Wang, J. Qian, A. Neville, and F. Pessu, “The corrosion behaviour of stainless steels and Ni-based alloys in nitrate salts under thermal cycling conditions in concentrated solar power plants,” Solar Energy 232 (2022) 169–185.

[18] H. Grirate, N. Zari, A. Elmchaouri, S. Molina, and R. Couturier, “Life time analysis of thermal oil used as heat transfer fluid in CSP power plant,” AIP Conf. Proc. 1734, 040005 (2016).

[19] D. L. Gonzalez, J.L. Valverde, P. Sanchez, and L. S. Silva, “Characterization of different heat transfer fluids and degradation study by using a pilot plant device operating at real conditions,” Energy 54 (2013) 240-250.

[20] B. Xu, J. Han, A. Kumar, P. Li, and Y. Yang, “Thermal storage using sand saturated by thermal-conductive fluid and comparison with the use of concrete,” Applied Thermal En-gineering 225 (2023) 120247.

[21] M. I. Khan, F. Asfand, and S. G. Al-Ghamdi, “Progress in research and technological advancements of thermal energy storage systems for concentrated solar power,” Journal of Energy Storage 55 (2022) 105860.

[22] Energy and Power Engineering, 2021, 13, 343-364 (Online), Available from: https://www.scirp.org/journal/epe

[23] M. Tian, N. Desai, J. Bai, R. Brost, D. Small, D. Novick, J. Yellowhair, M. Z. E. Rafique, V. Pisharam, and Y. Yao, “Toward Autonomous Field Inspection of CSP Collectors With a Polarimetric Imaging Drone,” SolarPACES Conf Proc 1 (2022).

[24] J. Coventry, C.A. Asselineau, E. Salahat, M.A. Raman, and R. Mahony, “A Robotic Vision System for Inspection of Soiling at CSP Plants,” AIP Conf. Proc. 2303, 100001-1–100001-11.

[25] A.W. Kandeal, M.R. Elkadeem, A. K. Thakur, G. B. Abdelaziz, R. Sathyamurthy, A.E. Kabeel, N. Yang, and S. W. Sharshir, “Infrared thermography-based condition monitoring of solar photovoltaic systems: A mini review of recent advances,” Solar Energy 223 (2021) 33–43.

[26] G. Picotti, R. Simonetti, T. Schmidt, M.E. Cholette, A. Heimsath, S.J. Ernst, and G. Manzolini, “Evaluation of reflectance measurement techniques for artificially soiled solar reflectors: Experimental campaign and model assessment,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 231, (2021), 111321.

[27] S. Salamanca, P. Merchan, A. Adan, and E. Perez, “An appraisal of the geometry and energy efficiency of parabolic trough collectors with laser scanners and image pro-cessing,” Renewable Energy, 223, (2021), 33-43.

[28] W.Q. Wang, Y. Qiu, M.J. Li, F. Cao, and Z.B. Liu, “Optical efficiency improvement of solar power tower by employing and optimizing novel fin-like receivers”, Energy Conver-sion and Management 184 (2019) 219–234.

[29] M. Medrano, A. Gil, I. Martorell, X. Potau, and L.F. Cabeza, “State of the art on high temperature thermal energy storage for power generation. Part 2-Case studies,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 14 (1) (2010) 56–72.

[30] Y. Zhang, Q. Li, and Y. Qiu, “Real-time and annual performance evaluation of an ultra-high-temperature concentrating solar collector by developing an MCRT-CFD-ANN cou-pled model,” Energy, 307, (2024), 132668.

[31] M. Guerguer, S. Naamane, O. Raccurt and H. Bouaouine, “Neural network modeling of Moroccan weather conditions effect on solar reflectors degradation,” AIP Conf. Proc. 2303, 150008 (2020).

Downloads

Published

2025-11-28

How to Cite

Guerguer, M., & Naamane, S. (2025). Advancements in Failure Analysis Techniques for Concentrated Solar Power Systems. SolarPACES Conference Proceedings, 3. https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2448

Conference Proceedings Volume

Section

Operations, Maintenance, and Component Reliability
Received 2024-09-09
Accepted 2025-06-13
Published 2025-11-28