A methodology to assess suitability of a site for small scale wet and dry CSP systems

Abstract

SUMMARYThis study presents a methodology to assess suitability of a site for small scale concentrated solar power (CSP) systems for its energy conversion efficiency and make-up water requirement. Energy conversion efficiency of CSPs relies not only on the level of direct solar radiation but also on the performance of the cooling system. Regions with high solar potential have to deal with heat rejection at elevated temperatures which causes reduced energy conversion efficiencies due to high condenser temperatures. It is desirable to utilize wet cooling systems as they can achieve temperatures lower than the dry bulb temperature by evaporative cooling. On the other hand, such regions usually lack water resources which deteriorate the sustainable nature of CSP applications. This study combines various available models for both solar resource estimation and cooling systems' performance considering (i) the influence of ambient temperatures, and (ii) the influence of humidity levels. These models are integrated together to analyze the use of dry or wet cooling systems in terms of overall energy output and water consumption at a selected site in northern Cyprus. The model inputs consist of only annual hourly surface weather data and the location of the site of interest. The results show that dry cooling unit at northern Cyprus is capable of saving water about 18.7 ton/MWh while it produces 27% less energy compared to the wet cooling alternative for the representative annual weather data.

Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Water Restrictions on Solar Tower Plants

“…Contrarily, because CSP facilities are frequently located in areas with water constraint, dry cooling is being employed as a substitute for wet cooling to reduce water use [22]. Uzgoren and Timur [23] studied the use of dry or wet cooling systems in terms of overall energy output and water consumption for a small-scale parabolic through plant located in Cyprus, and they concluded that a dry cooling unit can save 18.7 tons of water per MWh while producing 27% less energy than a wet cooling unit. The lower electricity production and higher cost of dry cooling system in comparison with wet cooling have led to the adoption of a hybrid cooling system, combining dry and wet units, in certain CSP plants.…”

Performance evaluation and comparison of multistage indirect evaporative cooling systems in two operation modes

“…When the IEC employed 100% outdoor air, a better cooling performance can be obtained by using a conventional cross flow IEC comparing with the regenerative IEC. Uzgoren and Timur investigated the suitability for improving the energy conversion efficiency of a small scale concentrated solar power system by integrating a wet cooling system due to the evaporating cooling process. Mohapatra and Sanjay also indicated that the efficiency was improved as a consequence of employing evaporative cooling for the gas turbine cycle.…”

Comparison of dynamic PTC thermal models using semi‐analytical and finite volume methods

“…Thermal parabolic trough collector (PTC) models play a key role in the design, control assessment of a site's feasibility for concentrating solar power (CSP) systems as they determine the available thermal energy to be transferred to the power cycle . CSPs are dynamic in nature mainly because it is expected that the direct normal irradiation (DNI) and thermal loads to the power cycle vary with time.…”