Worker health and safety in solar thermal power systems. I. Overview of safety assessments

Some aspects of safety in solar thermal power systems (STPS) have been studied to ascertain ways in which worker health and safety may be protected. Unique STPS hazards are also examined. A data base and methodology for quantitative predictions of injury rate is proposed. The methodology utilizes ordered comparisons of worker activities in STPS and in current industrial practice. Generic and design-specific hazards of thermal energy storage are examined by an event and fault tree methodology. The effects of the diffuse nature of solar energy on routine hazards are assessed by establishing strawman designs for alternative STPS. Failure rates are estimated from extant data, and preferential rankings of the alternative STPS are made. Hazards of off-normal events in which thermal mismatches exist in receiver and generating subsystems are assessed. Characteristic hazards of solar ponds are addressed.