Experimental determination of the resistance of a single-axis solar tracker to torsional galloping

Abstract

One of the most efficient designs of solar trackers for photovoltaic panels is the single-axis tracker, which holds the panels along a torque tube that is driven by a motor at the central section. These trackers have evolved to become extremely slender structures due to mechanical optimization against static load and the need of cost reduction in a very competitive market. Owing to the corresponding decrease in mechanical resistance, some of these trackers have suffered aeroelastic instability even at moderate wind speeds, leading to catastrophic failures. In the present work, an analytical and experimental approach has been developed to study that phenomenon. The analytical study has led to identify the dimensionless parameters that govern the motion of the panel-tracker structure. Also, systematic wind tunnel experiments have been carried out on a 3D aeroelastic scale model. The tests have been successful in reproducing the aeroelastic phenomena arising in real-scale cases and have allowed the identification and a close characterization of the phenomenon. The main results have been the determination of the critical velocity for torsional galloping as a function of tilt angle and a calculation methodology for the optimal sizing of solar tracker shafts.