TSE1 is the first solar thermal power plant operating in Southeast Asia. It was planned by Solarlite GmbH with support of Tiede-& Niemann GmbH, both German based. It is the first power plant with direct steam generation (DSG) concept and superheating in parabolic troughs. The solar field has a nominal power of 19 MW th driving a 5 MW el turbine by superheated steam at 30 bar and 330 °C. During 2010/2011 Solarlite built the solar field, while the later owner and operator Thai Solar Energy (TSE) from Bangkok built the power block, in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. TSE1 is being operated by TSE since January 2012 (Krüger et al., 2012). This publication is based on a study within the KanDis project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, in which an extensive database of records of almost 500 sensors installed in the power plant (solar field and power block) has been investigated. The data have been provided by Solarlite with a time resolution of about 1 minute. Within the KanDis project, a stable operation could be demonstrated (Khenissi et al., 2015, Krüger et al., 2016). Even under the fluctuating irradiance conditions in the rainy season of Thailand, the turbine could be operated well and generate electricity. Evaluation of the operation data has helped to learn more about DSG behaviour. The TSE1 layout and the implemented control strategies were evaluated and strategies for improvement of TSE1 are suggested within this paper. From the experiences with the TSE1 power plant, conclusions could be drawn to improve the layout and control of future DSG plants.

No abstract

No abstract

The present work is elaborated in the framework of the REELCOOP research project. A mini hybrid (solar/biomass) power plant was installed and is under testing at ENIT (Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis), Tunisia. The power plant relies on Parabolic Trough Collectors (PTC) operating with Direct Steam Generation (DSG), an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for power generation, and a boiler as a backup system. A general numerical model is developed to predict the thermal behavior of the two-phase flow in the PTC collector. The model is validated against experimental results carried out in DISS test facility and good agreement is found between the numerical and experimental results. The model is then used to investigate the performances of a PTC using hot water under Tunisian climatic conditions. Preliminary tests of the REELCOOP installation were performed for solar only mode on August 2017 and the DSG was successfully demonstrated. The test results showed that the plant is able to produce steam up to 176°C.