Control System for Positioning of Solar Trough

Abstract

Using solar energy to heat special chemical fluids which can then be used in various steam generating heat transfer cycles is the core idea of this project. The project entails tracking of sun across the sky from east to west and focusing the sun rays on to a tubular structure that contains the fluid to be heated. This is follow-up project to an attempt by last year students who attempted to make such a system but were unable to complete the project and the control modules could not be implemented. The current project is aimed at redesigning the system incorporating feedback mechanism, real time clock integration, implementation for user input for essential data and error correction and detection features. The system is fully functional and tracks the sun from sunrise to sunset according to the time based algorithm. The future development of this project can include a backup power module so that system can resume functionality despite power outage. Adding another dimension to motion of the tracking system might also ensure more precise tracking of the sun.