scholarly journals Analysis of Solar Receiver Performance for Chemical-Looping Integration With a Concentrating Solar Thermal System

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwen Ma ◽  
Janna Martinek

This paper introduces a chemical-looping configuration integrated with a concentrating solar thermal (CST) system. The CST system uses an array of mirrors to focus sunlight, and the concentrated solar flux is applied to a solar receiver to collect and convert solar energy into thermal energy. The thermal energy then drives a thermal power cycle for electricity generation or provides an energy source to chemical processes for material or fuel production. Considerable interest in CST energy systems has been driven by power generation, with its capability to store thermal energy for continuous electricity supply or peak shaving. However, CST systems have other potential to convert solar energy into fuel or to support thermochemical processes. Thus, we introduce the concept of a chemical-looping configuration integrated with the CST system that has potential applications for thermochemical energy storage or solar thermochemical hydrogen production. The chemical-looping configuration integrated with a CST system consists of the following: a solar-receiver reactor for solar-energy collection and conversion, thermochemical energy storage, a reverse reactor for energy release, and system circulation. We describe a high-temperature reactor receiver that is a key component in the chemical-looping system. We also show the solar-receiver design and its performance analyzed by solar-tracing and thermal-modeling methods for integration within a CST system.

Author(s):  
Zhiwen Ma ◽  
Janna Martinek

This paper introduces a chemical-looping configuration integrated with a concentrating solar thermal (CST) system. The CST system uses an array of mirrors to focus sunlight, and the concentrated solar flux is applied onto a solar receiver to collect and convert solar energy into thermal energy. The thermal energy then drives a thermal power cycle for electricity generation or provides an energy source to chemical processes for material or fuel production. Considerable interest in CST has been driven by power generation with its capability to store thermal energy for continuous electricity supply or peak shaving. However, CST systems have other potential to convert solar energy into fuel or support thermochemical processes. The chemical-looping configuration integrated with the CST system can be a platform for implementing various solar-thermochemical processes. The chemical-looping configuration integrated with a CST system has potential applications for thermochemical energy storage and solar thermochemical hydrogen production. To use the solar energy efficiently and effectively, a high-temperature reactor receiver is a key component in the chemical-looping system. This paper shows a novel planar-cavity receiver design and its performance analyzed by solar-tracing and thermal-modeling methods for solar integration in a CST system.


2010 ◽  
Vol 171-172 ◽  
pp. 223-228
Author(s):  
Guan Sheng Chen ◽  
Ren Yuan Zhang ◽  
Feng Li ◽  
Shi Dong Li ◽  
Li Zhang

Phase change thermal storage used metal as phase change material (PCM) is an important mode of solar thermal energy storage. In this paper, the heat charging processes of solar heating units were simulated under three kinds of heating flux 100,150 and 200kW/m2 at the bottom face respectively, while the thickness of heat receiving layer at the bottom was in 5, 10 and 15mm. Al-Si alloy was selected as PCM used in the cylindrical body of the units which were in the size of φ1000×1000mm. The change of temperature and solid-liquid phase change interface of Al-Si alloy were analyzed to find out the suitable absorber thickness of thermal energy storage units which can run safety under the condition of temperature 700~900K and heat flux 100~200kW/m2, such as the application of solar thermal energy storage unit in high temperature solar thermal power stations. In the last a test system was built up and the experimental result was close to the simulation value of a unit in the size of φ300×1000×10mm.


2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Guédez ◽  
James Spelling ◽  
Björn Laumert

The operation of steam turbine units in solar thermal power plants is very different than in conventional base-load plants. Due to the variability of the solar resource, much higher frequencies of plant start-ups are encountered. This study provides an insight to the influence of thermal energy storage (TES) integration on the typical cycling operation of solar thermal power plants. It is demonstrated that the integration of storage leads to significant reductions in the annual number of turbine starts and is thus beneficial to the turbine lifetime. At the same time, the effects of storage integration on the electricity costs are analyzed to ensure that the designs remain economically competitive. Large storage capacities, can allow the plant to be shifted from a daily starting regime to one where less than 20 plant starts occur annually. Additionally, the concept of equivalent operating hours (EOHs) is used to further analyze the direct impact of storage integration on the maintenance planning of the turbine units.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (21) ◽  
pp. 8740-8744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Lennartson ◽  
Angelica Lundin ◽  
Karl Börjesson ◽  
Victor Gray ◽  
Kasper Moth-Poulsen

In a Molecular Solar–Thermal Energy Storage (MOST) system, solar energy is converted to chemical energy using a compound that undergoes reversible endothermic photoisomerization.


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