Operation and Performance of the Solar Steam System at the Johnson & Johnson Plant in Sherman, Texas

1982 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Brink ◽  
S. B. Youngblood
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Manufacturing Plant ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Average Efficiency ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Steam System ◽  
Steam Main

A solar system that produces 174° C (345° F) steam is in operation at the Johnson & Johnson manufacturing plant in Sherman, Texas. The system uses parabolic trough collectors to heat pressurized water which then flashes to steam in a flash boiler; this steam is fed into the plant steam main for use in several manufacturing processes. The facility’s performance has been monitored continuously since it began operation in January 1980. The collector field typically has delivered energy to the flash boiler at an average daily efficiency of 30 to 40 percent, with an hourly average efficiency ranging from 38 to 42 percent at peak insolation periods. The daily and hourly values for energy collected and steam generated on a clear day in September are presented, as well as a monthly summary for the first 13 months of operation.

Design Point for Predicting Year-Round Performance of Solar Parabolic Trough Concentrator Systems

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Men Wirz ◽  
Matthew Roesle ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Operating Condition ◽  
Average Efficiency ◽  
Design Point ◽  
Yearly Average ◽  
Solar Field

Thermal efficiencies of the solar field of two different parabolic trough concentrator (PTC) systems are evaluated for a variety of operating conditions and geographical locations, using a detailed 3D heat transfer model. Results calculated at specific design points are compared to yearly average efficiencies determined using measured direct normal solar irradiance (DNI) data as well as an empirical correlation for DNI. It is shown that the most common choices of operating conditions at which solar field performance is evaluated, such as the equinox or the summer solstice, are inadequate for predicting the yearly average efficiency of the solar field. For a specific system and location, the different design point efficiencies vary significantly and differ by as much as 11.5% from the actual yearly average values. An alternative simple method is presented of determining a representative operating condition for solar fields through weighted averages of the incident solar radiation. For all tested PTC systems and locations, the efficiency of the solar field at the representative operating condition lies within 0.3% of the yearly average efficiency. Thus, with this procedure, it is possible to accurately predict year-round performance of PTC systems using a single design point, while saving computational effort. The importance of the design point is illustrated by an optimization study of the absorber tube diameter, where different choices of operating conditions result in different predicted optimum absorber diameters.

Performance Enhancement of Solar Parabolic Trough Collector Using Intensified Ray Convergence System

2017 ◽  
Vol 867 ◽  
pp. 191-194
Author(s):  
Anbu Manimaran Sukanta ◽  
M. Niranjan Sakthivel ◽  
Gopalsamy Manoranjith ◽  
Loganathan Naveen Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Solar Flux ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector ◽  
Chrome Coating ◽  
Convergence System ◽  
And Performance

Solar Energy is one of the forms of Renewable Energy that is available abundantly. This work is executed on the enhancement of the performance of solar parabolic trough collector using Intensified Ray Convergence System (IRCS). This paper distinguishes between the performance of solar parabolic trough collector with continuous dual axis tracking and a fixed solar parabolic trough collector (PTC) facing south (single axis tracking). The simulation and performance of the solar radiations are visualized and analyzed using TRACEPRO 6.0.2 software. The improvement in absorption of solar flux was found to be enhanced by 39.06% in PTC using dual axis tracking, absorption of solar flux increases by 52% to 200% in PTC receiver using perfect mirror than PTC using black chrome coating.

3D Simulation of a Peripheral Adapter J-Groove Attachment Weld in a Vessel Head

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Mourgue ◽  
Vincent Robin ◽  
Philippe Gilles ◽  
Florence Gommez ◽  
Alexandre Brosse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Geometry ◽  
3D Simulation ◽  
Welding Parameters ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Control Rod ◽  
Sequence Modeling ◽  
Component Design ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Welding Processes

In Pressurized Water Reactors, most of heavy components and pipes have a large thickness and their manufacturing processes often require multi-pass welding. Despite the stiffness of these components, the distortion issue may be important for operational requirements (e.g. misalignment) or controllability reasons (Non Destructive Examinations have to be achievable, therefore ovalization should be limited). These requirements may be difficult to achieve by simply adjusting welding processes. Indeed because of the complexity of mechanisms involved during a welding operation and the high number of influencing parameters, this process is still essentially based on the experience of the welder. Furthermore the experimental estimation of the stress and distortion level in the component remains a difficult task that is subject to errors even if techniques are currently improved to become more accurate. These are the reasons why AREVA has put a large effort to improve welding numerical simulations, in order to have a better understanding of the involved physical phenomena and also to predict the residual state through the structure. Computational welding mechanics is used to qualify the manufacturing processes in the very early phase of the welded component design. Within the framework of a R&D program whose main objective was to improve tools for the numerical simulation of welding regarding industrial needs, AREVA has decided to validate new methodologies based on 3D computation by comparison with measurements. For this validation task the chosen industrial demonstrator was a Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) Nozzle with a J-groove attachment weld to the vessel head. For such an application, operations of post-joining straightening have to be limited, if not prohibited, because of their cost or the impossibility to use them in front of a steel giant. The control of distortion during welding operations is a key issue for which simulation can be of great help. Regarding distortion issues, both accurate metal deposit sequence modeling and respect of the real welding parameters are mandatory, especially for multi-pass operation on such a complex geometry. The aim of this paper is to present the simulation of the distortion of a peripheral adapter J-groove attachment weld mock-up. This new full 3D simulation improves the result of the previous one based on lumped pass deposits. It is the result of a fruitful collaboration between AREVA and ESI-Group.

scholarly journals Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Testing of State-of-the-Art Parabolic Trough Concentrators

Solar Energy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Wendelin ◽  
Ken May ◽  
Randy Gee
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Test System ◽  
Optical Testing ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
World Energy ◽  
Optical Test ◽  
And Performance

Significant progress has been made recently in solar parabolic trough technology development and deployment. Part of this success is due to the changing world energy scenario and the recognition that viable renewable energy technologies can play a role in supplying world energy needs. Part is also due to ongoing collaborative efforts by industry and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Concentrating Solar Power Program (CSP) to enhance the state of the technology in terms of both cost and performance. Currently, there are two trough concentrator projects which the DOE CSP program is supporting. One company, Solargenix, is developing a design to be used in a 64MW plant outside of Boulder City, Nevada. This design is based on the original LUZ LS-2 trough concentrators employed at the Solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) plants in Southern California. Another company, Industrial Solar Technology (IST), is working on a scale-up of their design used historically for process heat applications. Very different from the LS-2 approach, this design is still in the research and development stages. One way in which the DOE CSP parabolic trough program assists industry is by providing optical testing and qualification of their concentrator designs. This paper describes the Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Test System (VSHOT) used to optically test both of these designs. The paper also presents the results of tests performed in the past year and what impact the testing has had on the developmental direction of each design.

Optimization design for mechanical seals in reactor coolant pumps based on a fluid–solid strong-interaction model

2011 ◽  
Vol 225 (8) ◽  
pp. 1851-1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
C-J Liao ◽  
W-F Huang ◽  
Y-M Wang ◽  
S-F Suo ◽  
X-F Liu
Keyword(s):  
Strong Interaction ◽  
Optimization Design ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Interaction Model ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Mechanical Seals ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Reactor Coolant ◽  
The Operating Mechanism ◽  
And Performance

The study on the mechanism and performance of the mechanical seals in reactor coolant pumps (RCPs) is very important for the safe operations of pressurized water reactor power plants. By exploring the operating mechanism of the first seal of the hydrostatic mechanical seal in RCPs, an analytical fluid–solid strong-interaction model of the seal is proposed in this article. The model holds that the mechanical deformations of the seal assembly are dominated by the deflections of the seal rings, and this idea is demonstrated by the numerical simulation result of a fluid–solid interaction (FSI) model. Using the analytical FSI model, the regularity that the leakage rate of the first seal varies with the differential pressure in a RCP is obtained, and compared with the operational data, which is used to verify the model. Based on the understanding of the reliability of the seal, a dimensionless parameter Λ that acts as an attribute to the reliability is proposed in this article. Using the analytical FSI model and Λ as the optimization algorithm and optimization object, respectively, the optimum designs about the seal faceplateconfigurations are performed. Also, the specific optimization conclusions are given simultaneously.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document