Implementation of an Integrated Solar Combined Cycle on an Existing Coal Fired Power Plant

Author(s):  
Eric Reitze ◽  
Hank Price

This paper presents the implementation of an integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) on the existing 44 MW Cameo Power Generating Station, located in Palisade, Colorado. The plant was originally built in 1957 as a coal fired power plant, to serve the Grand Junction community. This plant has been chosen to demonstrate the viability of the ISCC because of its time line to decommissioning and the availability of additional power from nearby stations to fulfill the community’s needs. The solar system at Cameo utilizes 8 aluminum parabolic trough collectors arranged in 4 loops. Each of these collectors is approximately 150 meters long and 5.77 meters wide. The hot heat transfer fluid used in the solar field is sent to a solar feed water heater, located in between two of the existing feed water heaters, to supplement the thermal energy required by the steam cycle. At design conditions, the solar field will provide 4 MW of thermal energy to the power plant. The development of this ISCC has faced several design and construction challenges not common in traditional power plant and solar power plant design. When first constructed, the Cameo station had no provisions made regarding solar field location, heat transfer fluid piping runs, heat transfer fluid pumping station, thermal expansion vessels, the addition of solar thermal energy to the feed water system, and the integration of a solar field control system into the existing plant distributed control system. Also unaccounted for are the affects the integration of a solar feed water heater has on the thermodynamic efficiency of the steam cycle. This paper discusses these challenges, as well as their resolution, as seen during the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning phases of this project. The Cameo Power Generating Station is located in the DeBeque Canyon, 4 miles east of Palisade, Colorado along the Colorado River and Interstate 70. The solar feed water heating demonstration will be in operation for 1 to 2 years, at the discretion of Xcel Energy, to test and develop operating and maintenance methods for large scale application. After such time, both the plant and the solar field will be decommissioned. After decommissioning all applicable solar field equipment shall be refurbished and utilized at additional testing facilities.

Energies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Rogada ◽  
Lourdes Barcia ◽  
Juan Martinez ◽  
Mario Menendez ◽  
Francisco de Cos Juez

Power plants producing energy through solar fields use a heat transfer fluid that lends itself to be influenced and changed by different variables. In solar power plants, a heat transfer fluid (HTF) is used to transfer the thermal energy of solar radiation through parabolic collectors to a water vapor Rankine cycle. In this way, a turbine is driven that produces electricity when coupled to an electric generator. These plants have a heat transfer system that converts the solar radiation into heat through a HTF, and transfers that thermal energy to the water vapor heat exchangers. The best possible performance in the Rankine cycle, and therefore in the thermal plant, is obtained when the HTF reaches its maximum temperature when leaving the solar field (SF). In addition, it is necessary that the HTF does not exceed its own maximum operating temperature, above which it degrades. The optimum temperature of the HTF is difficult to obtain, since the working conditions of the plant can change abruptly from moment to moment. Guaranteeing that this HTF operates at its optimal temperature to produce electricity through a Rankine cycle is a priority. The oil flowing through the solar field has the disadvantage of having a thermal limit. Therefore, this research focuses on trying to make sure that this fluid comes out of the solar field with the highest possible temperature. Modeling using data mining is revealed as an important tool for forecasting the performance of this kind of power plant. The purpose of this document is to provide a model that can be used to optimize the temperature control of the fluid without interfering with the normal operation of the plant. The results obtained with this model should be necessarily contrasted with those obtained in a real plant. Initially, we compare the PID (proportional–integral–derivative) models used in previous studies for the optimization of this type of plant with modeling using the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) model.


Author(s):  
H. A. Bazzini

Much of the steam-turbine based, power generating units all over the word are more than 30 years old now. Within a few years they will face the possibility of retirement from service and replacement. Nonetheless some of them are firm candidates for repowering, a technology able to improve plant efficiency, output and reliability at low costs. This paper summarizes a study performed to establish the feasibility to repower a 2 × 33 MW steam turbine power plant and the procedure followed until selection of the steam cycle more suitable to the project. The preferred solution is compared with direct replacement of the units by a new combined cycle. Various repowering options were reviewed to find “beat recovery” type repowering as the best solution. That well-known technology consists of replacing the steam generator by a gas turbine coupled to an HRSG, supplying steam to the existing steam turbine. Three “GT+HRSG+ST” arrangements were considered. Available gas turbine-generators — both industrial and aero-derivative type —, were surveyed for three power output ranges. Five “typical” gas turbine-generator classes were then selected. Steam flow raised at the HRSG, gross and net power generation, and heat exchanging surface area of the HRSG, were calculated for a broad range of usually applied, steam turbine throttle conditions. Both single pressure and double pressure steam cycles were considered, as well as supplemental fire and convenience of utilizing the existing feed water heaters. Balance of plant constraints were also reviewed. Estimates were developed for total investment, O&M costs, fuel expenses, and revenues. Results are shown through various graphics and tables. The route leading to the preferred solution is explained and a sensitivity analysis added to validate the selection. The preferred solution, consisting in a Class 130 gas turbine in arrangement 1–1–2, a dual-pressure HRSG and a steam cycle without feed-water heaters, win allow delivering 200 MW to the grid, with a heat rate of 7423 kJ/kW-hr. Investment was valued at $MM77.0, with an IRR of 15.3%. Those figures compare well with the option of installing a new GTCC unit: with a better heat rate but an investment valued at $MM97.5, its IRR will only be 12.4%.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 168781402110119
Author(s):  
Kamran Mahboob ◽  
Awais A Khan ◽  
Muhammad Adeel Khan ◽  
Jawad Sarwar ◽  
Tauseef A Khan

This work presents the characteristics of a solar thermal tower power plant in two different places (Seville and Dubai) using three different HTFs (NaNO3-KNO3, KCl-MgCl2 and Li2CO3-Na2CO3-K2CO3) and three different power cycles (Rankine, sCO2 Recompression and sCO2 Partial cooling cycles). An indirect configuration is considered for the Gemasolar power plant. Detailed modelling is carried out for the conversion of incident power on the heliostat to the output electricity. Optimization of the cycle is carried out to determine the most promising cycle configuration for efficiency. The results showed that for the Gemasolar power plant configuration, the performance of the KCl-MgCl2 based plant was poorest amongst all. NaNO3-KNO3 based plant has shown good performance with the Rankine cycle but plant having Li2CO3-Na2CO3-K2CO3 as HTF was best for all three cycles. Partial cooling was the best performing cycle at both locations with all three HTFs. Placing the Seville Plant in Dubai has improved the efficiency from 23.56% to 24.33%, a capacity factor improvement of 21 and 52 GW additional power is generated. The optimization of the plant in Dubai has shown further improvements. The efficiency is improved, the Capacity factor is increased by 31.2 and 77.8 GW of additional electricity is produced.


Author(s):  
Wancai Liu ◽  
Hui Zhang

Gas turbine is widely applied in power-generation field, especially combined gas-steam cycle. In this paper, the new scheme of steam turbine driving compressor is investigated aiming at the gas-steam combined cycle power plant. Under calculating the thermodynamic process, the new scheme is compared with the scheme of conventional gas-steam combined cycle, pointing its main merits and shortcomings. At the same time, two improved schemes of steam turbine driving compressor are discussed.


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