Object-oriented modeling for the transient performance simulation of parabolic trough collectors using molten salt as heat transfer fluid

Zaversky, Fritz; Medina, R.; García-Barberena, Javier; Sánchez, Marcelino; Astrain, D.

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2013.05.015

Cited by 59 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The use of molten salt as a heat-transfer fluid can increase the steam temperature at the inlet of the turbine up to 540°C, which allows turbines to operate at a higher efficiency (Yang and Garimella 2013;Zaversky et al 2013). It may be noted that the solar collector design and cost, which uses molten salt as HTF, is necessarily different from the thermal oil-based solar collectors.…”

Section: Parabolic Trough Collectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Line-focusing concentrating solar collector-based power plants: a review

Desai

Bandyopadhyay

2016

Clean Techn Environ Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plant is an emerging technology among different renewable energy sources. Parabolic trough collector (PTC)-based CSP plant, using synthetic or organic oil as a heat-transfer fluid, is the most advanced technology. About 87 % of the operational capacities of CSP plants worldwide are based on PTC technology. Direct steam-generating linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) systems have been developed as a cost-effective alternative to PTC systems. Line-focusing concentrating solar collectors (PTC and LFR), with single-axis tracking, are simple in design and easy to operate. Prior to the detailed design of a CSP plant, it is necessary to finalize type of the solar field, type of the power-generating cycle, overall plant configuration, sizing of the solar field and the power block, etc. The optimal design of a CSP plant minimizes the levelized cost of energy for a given site. In this paper, a detailed review of important design parameters which affect the design of line-focusing concentrating solar collector-based power plants is presented. This includes parameters for solar collector field design, receiver, heat-transfer fluid, thermal energy storage, powergenerating cycle, sizing and configuration of the plant, etc. This review may provide a reference for designing CSP plants. Future research directions are also identified.

show abstract

Section: Parabolic Trough Collectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Line-focusing concentrating solar collector-based power plants: a review

Desai

Bandyopadhyay

2016

Clean Techn Environ Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Giostri et al [15] reported that the system efficiency can be improved within the range of 6% if salts are used as a HTF instead of the synthetic oil. Zaversky et al [16] developed a transient performance simulation model of the PTC using the molten salt as a HTF, which successfully validated against measurement data obtained at the SOLTERM facility of Italy. Additionally, Raade et al [17] experimentally invesigated the thermal properties of the mixture of molten salts, and obainted a unique mixture exploits eutectic behavior resulting in a low melting point of 65ºC and a thermal stability limit over 500ºC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Dual Loop line-focusing solar power plants with supercritical Brayton power cycles

Coco-Enríquez

Muñoz-Antón

Martínez-Val

2017

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most of the deployed commercial line-focusing solar power plants with Parabolic Troughs (PTC) or Linear Fresnel (LF) solar collectors and Rankine power cycles use a Single Loop Solar Field (SF), Configuration 1 illustrated in Fig. 2, with synthetic oil as Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) [1,2]. However, thermal oils maximum operating temperature should be below ~400ºC for assuring no oil degradation, hence limiting the power cycle gross efficiency up to ~38%. For overcoming this limitation Molten Salts (MS) as HTF in linear solar collectors (PTC and LF) were recently experimented in pilot facilities [3,4]. Direct MS main drawbacks are the equipments and components material corrosion and the salts freezing temperature, requiring heat tracing to avoid any sald solidification, hence increasing the Solar Field (SF) capital investment cost and parasitic energy looses. Concentrated Solar Power plants (CSP) with Dual Loop SF are being studied since 2012 [5] for gaining the synergies between thermal oils and MS properties. In the Dual Loop SF the HTF in the primary loop is thermal oil (Dowtherm A) [6] for heating the Balance Of Plant (BOP) working fluid from ~300ºC up to ~400ºC, and a secondary loop with Solar Salt (60% NaNO 3 , 40% KNO 3 ) as HTF, for boosting the working fluid temperature from ~400ºC up to 550ºC [7,8,9]. The CSP Dual Loop state of the art technology includes Rankine power cycles, the main innovation of this paper is the integration between Dual Loop SF and the supercritical Carbon Dioxide (s-CO 2 ) Brayton power cycles [10], see Configurations 2 and 3 illustrated in Fig. 3a, Fig 3b. A secondary innovation studied in this paper is the integration between thermal oil HTF (Dowtherm A) in linear solar collectors, a widely validated and mature technology, with the s-CO 2 Brayton power cycles. This technical solution is very cost competitive with carbon steel receiver pipes, low SF operating pressure, and no requiring any heat tracing.Two main conclusions are deducted from this researching study. Firstly we demonstrated the higher gross plant efficiency ~44.4%, with 550ºC Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT), provided by the Dual Loop with the Simple recuperated s-CO2 Brayton cycle with reheating, in comparison with 41.8% obtained from the Dual Loop SF and subcritical water Rankine power cycle. And finally the second conclusion obtained is the selection of the most cost competitive plant configuration with a Single loop SF with Dowtherma A and a s-CO2 Brayton power cycle due to the receiver material low cost and no heat tracing for the thermal oil.

show abstract

“…[3], Hirsch, Eck and Steinmann [10] or Wagner, Blair and Dobos [16]. The still in progress work on modeling and efficient transient simulation tools for line focusing systems is exemplarily shown by publications of Dobos, Neises and Wagner [4], Hirsch and Schenk [9], Zaversky et al [19], Yebra et al [18] or Feldhoff et al [6]. Please also note the recent paper by Noureldin et al [13] which will appear at the same time as this paper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…al [19] on molten salt, Feldhoff et al [6] Giostri [8] and in [1]. This work wants to extend the mentioned studies to distributed irradiance data input which is not artificial but was measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%