Optical-Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Power Towers in the Northwest China Environment：A Review

LI Mengjie; HE Yaling; DU Shen

doi:10.7652/xjtuxb202604007

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Optical-Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Power Towers in the Northwest China Environment：A Review

Special Topic Outstanding Achievements in Natural Sciences of Xi'an Jiaotong University | 更新时间：2026-04-10

- Optical-Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Power Towers in the Northwest China Environment：A Review
- Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University Vol. 60, Issue 4, Pages: 84-98(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  西安交通大学国家储能技术产教融合创新平台（中心），710049，西安
  西安交通大学热流科学与工程教育部重点实验室，710049，西安
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.7652/xjtuxb202604007
  CLC： TK51
- Received：28 September 2025，
  
  Online First：29 December 2025，
  
  Published：10 April 2026
- 稿件说明：
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LI Mengjie, HE Yaling, DU Shen. Optical-Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Power Towers in the Northwest China Environment：A Review[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(4): 84-98.
DOI：

LI Mengjie, HE Yaling, DU Shen. Optical-Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Power Towers in the Northwest China Environment：A Review[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(4): 84-98. DOI： 10.7652/xjtuxb202604007.

摘要

塔式光热发电是推动我国能源结构清洁转型的重要技术之一，尤其在太阳能资源富集的西北地区具备大规模应用的潜力。然而，该地区特有的频繁云遮、强风及沙尘等复杂气象条件，制约了光热电站聚光集热过程的效率与运行稳定性。聚焦西北特殊环境下塔式光热电站的聚光集热特性，系统综述了云、风、沙3大因素的影响机理与性能的提升策略。首先，针对云遮，分析了瞬态能流引发的热冲击与效率损失问题，总结了基于人工智能的实时瞄准策略和熔盐流量协同控制方法；其次，面对大风，阐述了风致定日镜型面与跟踪误差的成因，并探讨了风场对吸热器对流损失及启动过程的影响与抑制技术；再次，对于沙尘，分析了镜面积灰对反射率的衰减机制，归纳了定日镜积灰防控与智能清洗策略等性能提升技术；最后，展望了融合气象预测与人工智能的自适应调控、全镜场风载实时监测、高效抑尘与智能运维等未来重点发展方向，以期为增强塔式光热电站在我国西北地区的环境适应性与运行经济性提供理论参考与工程指导。

Abstract

Solar power tower technology is one of the key technologies driving the clean transformation of China's energy structure，with great potential for large-scale deployment in the solar-rich northwestern regions.However，the region's unique complex meteorological conditions—such as frequent cloud shading，strong wind，and dust events—constrain the efficiency and operational stability of the concentrating and heat collection processes in solar power tower plants.Focusing on the opticalthermal characteristics of solar power tower systems in the special environment of northwestern China，this review systematically examines the impact mechanisms and performance improvement strategies related to three major factors：clouds，wind，and dust.First，with regard to cloud shading，the issues of thermal shock and efficiency loss caused by transient flux are analyzed，and real-time aiming strategies based on artificial intelligence as well as coordinated molten-salt flow control methods are summarized.Second，for strong winds，the mechanisms behind wind-induced slope and tracking errors of heliostats are clarified，and the influence of wind fields on receiver convective heat loss and start-up performance，along with suppression techniques，are discussed. Third，regarding dust events，the mechanism of reflectivity attenuation due to dust accumulation on mirror surfaces is analyzed，and performance-improvement technologies such as dust prevention and intelligent cleaning strategies for heliostats are reviewed.Finally，future key research directions are outlined，including adaptive control integrating meteorological forecasting and artificial intelligence，real-time monitoring of wind loads across entire heliostat fields，and efficient dust suppression combined with intelligent operation and maintenance.This work is intended to provide theoretical reference and engineering guidance for enhancing the environmental adaptability and operational economy of solar power tower plants in the northwestern region of China.

关键词

Keywords

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