Optimal Layout of Tower Solar Thermal Power Station Based on Ray Tracing Method

The heliostat field is a crucial subsystem in tower solar thermal power stations, with its optimal layout significantly impacting the system's performance. Given the limitations of traditional patterned layouts in previous studies, this paper proposes a novel non-patterned layout. Utilizing the ray tracing method, an output thermal power model for the tower solar thermal power station is constructed, considering various influencing factors such as shadowing efficiency and cosine efficiency. A simulated annealing algorithm is employed for simulation to optimize parameters such as heliostat size, height, quantity, and layout, aiming to maximize output thermal power. The practical applicability of this method is validated, providing a solution for the optimal layout of tower solar thermal power stations.