Analytical Study on the Optimization of Heliostat Field Layout Based on the Ray Tracing Method

In this study, we propose plausible models for the heliostat field configuration, apply ray tracing to map the sun's light paths, and explore how the heliostat's distance and the quantity of effective intersections impact the interplay of incident and reflected sunlight. Furthermore, we leverage this approach to correlate a single heliostat's optical performance to its cosine efficiency, shadow-blockage efficiency, atmospheric transmissivity, receiver aperture efficiency, and mirror reflectivity. This study presents a mathematical model which employs mechanism analysis and vector transformation to build upon the Campo and radial staggered configurations of fixed-sun mirror fields. And utilizing geometric relationships, the model formulates a single-objective nonlinear optimization framework aimed at maximizing the annual average thermal power output per unit area of the mirror. Finally, under the constraints of the mirror field boundary, a heuristic algorithm is used to iterate the parameters of the heliostat in each region in order to determine the optimal size and number of mirrors, and an optimisation strategy is given.