Solar tower system temperature range optimization for reduced LCOE

Abstract

New heat transfer and storage media offer for solar tower systems a much broader temperature range. Higher temperatures allow the integration of steam power cycles with increased efficiency. The present study evaluates modular solar tower plants using solid particles as heat transfer medium (HTM), allowing temperatures up to 1000°C. In a parameter study the influence of upper and lower HTM temperature on levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is evaluated. The results show a significant impact of the HTM temperature selection, mainly governed by the HTM temperature difference. A high temperature difference results in reduced LCOE. The most important factors for this reduction are the cost decrease of particle inventory, storage containment, and particle steam generator. This decrease is partially offset by an increase in heliostat field and tower cost. The results indicate that the use of solid particles for high efficiency steam power cycles offers unique advantages due to the wide temperature range of the particles.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Candidate Oxide Materials for Thermochemical Storage in Concentrating Solar Power Systems

“…An advanced subcritical steam power cycle with reheat and multiple preheating stages is assumed, as described in (Buck and Giuliano, 2019). In the steam generator, high pressure steam is heated from 261 to 620°C; in the reheat section, the intermediate pressure steam is reheated from 426 to 620°C.…”

“…As a steam power cycle a high efficiency power block with 620°C/125 bar live steam conditions is assumed (Buck and Giuliano, 2019). The power block is rated at 125 MW e with a net efficiency of 43%.…”

“…The authors acknowledge the support of Gregory Jackson (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO/United States) for providing thermophysical data for the perovskite material. The content of this manuscript has been presented in part at the SolarPACES Conference 2019 (Buck and Giuliano, 2019).…”

Study of asymmetrically heated flows passing through gas-pressurized solar receivers using Direct Numerical Simulations

“…A large number of studies are investigating new working uids to permit the increase of the temperature orcid(s): 0000-0001-5213-8712 (M. David); 0000-0002-7156-1732 (A. Toutant) levels which enhance the system performances of solar tower power (Buck and Giuliano, 2019;Zheng et al, 2020;Merchán et al, 2022). Using air, there is no more limiting temperature due to the operating uid, the maximum is then xed with the resistance of the materials (Kribus et al, 1999).…”

Improved Performance of Ceramic Solar Absorber Particles Coated with Black Oxide Pigment Deposited by Resonant Acoustic Mixing and Reaction Sintering

“…Solid particles employed in direct solar receivers as direct solar heat storage and transfer medium offer higher storage densities at reduced costs [4]. Higher operational temperatures and larger temperature ranges with respect to the state-of-art molten salt plants and relatively fewer thermal losses when compared with indirect receivers makes the direct particle receiver concept an indispensable candidate [5,6].…”