Predicting the Effects of Sand Erosion on Collector Surfaces in CSP Plants

Sansom, Christopher L.; Comley, Paul; King, Peter; Almond, Heather; Atkinson, Carol; Endaya, E.

doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.023

Cited by 32 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Yet for all three sands, Figure 6 shows that we have the capability to remove the particles from the polymer film surface using a soft brush without significantly reducing specular reflectance. The elemental compositions of the sand particles were also examined at Cranfield using energy dispersive x-ray analysis on both SFEG and ESEM scanning electron microscopes [14]. Representative compositional data in the form of atomic percentages are shown in Table 1 below, which also includes data from United States Military Standard (MIL-STD) silica for comparison.…”

Section: Cranfield University Experimental Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soiling and Cleaning of Polymer Film Solar Reflectors

Sansom

Fernández-García²,

Sutter³

et al. 2016

Energies

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This paper describes the accelerated ageing of commercially available silvered polymer film by contact cleaning using brushes and water in the presence of soiling created by dust and sand particles. These conditions represent cleaning regimes in real concentrating solar power (CSP) solar fields in arid environments, where contact cleaning using brushes and water is often required to clean the reflecting surfaces. Whilst suitable for glass reflectors, this paper discusses the effects of these established cleaning processes on the optical and visual characteristics of polymer film surfaces, and then describes the development of a more benign but effective contact cleaning process for cleaning polymer reflectors. The effects of a range of cleaning brushes are discussed, with and without the presence of water, in the presence of sand and dust particles from selected representative locations. The experiments were repeated using different experimental equipment at Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) in Spain and Cranfield University in the UK. The results highlight differences that are attributable to the experimental methods used. Reflectance measurements and visual inspection show that a soft cleaning brush with a small amount of water, used in a cleaning head with both linear and rotational motion, can clean polymer film reflecting surfaces without inflicting surface damage or reducing specular reflectance.

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Section: Cranfield University Experimental Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soiling and Cleaning of Polymer Film Solar Reflectors

Sansom

Fernández-García²,

Sutter³

et al. 2016

Energies

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“…Comley et al [86] studied the effects of sand and dust particles in CSP plants in Libya. They modelled the particles of sandstorms with respect to their size.…”

Section: Mirror Erosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the application performances of concentrated solar power systems

2019

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The global energy production model is changing from fossil fuels to renewable and nuclear energies. Concentrated solar power is one of the growing technologies that is leading this process. This growth implies the sophistication and size of the systems and, therefore, it requires an increase in maintenance tasks to ensure reliability, availability, maintainability and safety. The aim of this paper is to describe the current context of concentrated solar power, to summarise and analyse the main degradation mechanisms and the main techniques to detect, prevent and mitigate these faults. An exhaustive literature study is presented, considering the most advanced techniques and approaches. A novel qualitative and quantitative analysis of the literature is provided. Finally, the current trends and the future challenges in this field are gathered from this study.

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“…(Sansom et al, 2014) Data from the Udairi Airfield indicates numerous recordings of wind speeds well in excess of these values and reaching a maximum of 23m/s in north Kuwait. As such, erosion of exposed systems presents long-term operational risk, particularly to systems where the mirrors are exposed and close to the ground.…”

Section: Erosion Due To Blowing Sandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Enhanced Oil Recovery Application to Kuwait's Heavy Oil Fields

Palmer¹,

O’Donnell²,

Walter³

2015

All Days

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Solar Enhanced Oil Recovery: Application to Kuwait's Heavy Oil FieldsThermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is poised to make a large contribution to Kuwait's oil production and reserves. Over 12 billion barrels of heavy oil in shallow sandstone are known in the Lower Fars in North Kuwait (Oskui et al 2009), and the first phase of thermal EOR targeting 60,000 bopd is now in engineering and construction, with targets established of 270 M bopd and above (Sanyal 2009). Large resources in carbonate formations at the Wafra field in the PZ have responded favorably to pilot thermal EOR (Barge et al 2009, Meddaugh et al 2012), and large scale production has been planned with first phase of thermal EOR targeting 80,000 bopd (Chevron 2015).Thermal EOR creates huge demands for fuel to make steam, and the cost and availability of that fuel has a very strong impact on the economic viability of the production operation. Kuwait currently experiences gas shortages that are driving LNG imports, and power generation requirements are forecast to rise faster than new domestic gas production. The energy required for these new thermal EOR operations adds greatly to requirements for new fuel supplies in Kuwait Solar steam generation has emerged as a promising large-scale source of energy for thermal EOR operations, with several successful pilot projects now operating in California and the Middle East, and full-field commercial facilities in construction in Oman. Solar EOR replaces gas-fired steam with solar-generated steam, eliminating up to 80% of fuel use. Solar EOR offers large opportunities for reduced production costs and expanded reserves in Kuwait's fields. Kuwait enjoys year-round high levels of solar radiation, allowing solar energy to deliver large reductions in gas used for EOR. Long term solar steam supply without fuel costs will defer Љshut-in,Љ extend the economic life and increase ultimate recovery. This creates a triple prize for the Kuwait oil industry: lowered current production costs, expanded current production levels, and increased proven reserves.The Kuwait desert environment poses unique challenges for solar energy systems, however, with levels of wind, sand, dust and heat beyond the experience and capabilities of many existing solar technologies. Special care must be taken in specifying and planning systems for Kuwait oilfield operation. This paper reviews available data on these subjects and the field experience of solar systems operating in harsh environments.

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Predicting the Effects of Sand Erosion on Collector Surfaces in CSP Plants

Cited by 32 publications

References 19 publications

Soiling and Cleaning of Polymer Film Solar Reflectors

Soiling and Cleaning of Polymer Film Solar Reflectors

A review of the application performances of concentrated solar power systems

Solar Enhanced Oil Recovery Application to Kuwait's Heavy Oil Fields

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