scholarly journals Innovative Application of Maintenance-Free Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage for Dish-Engine Solar Power Generation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songgang Qui ◽  
◽  
Ross Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Solar Power Generation

Exergetic and Exergoeconomic Analyses of a Parabolic Trough Solar Power Generation System

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anming Wang ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Xiaoqu Han ◽  
Jiping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Generation System ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Solar Power Generation ◽  
Power Generation System ◽  
Solar Field

As concentrating solar power technologies moves to maturity progressively, large-scale solar thermal power plants have gained increasing attention. The exergetic and exergoeconomic analyses allow indicating energy degradation of the component quantitatively and establishing the monetary value to all material and energy flows. Therefore, they have strong theoretical implications to the system optimization. A thermodynamic simulation model of a 50 MW parabolic trough solar power generation system and the related exergetic and exergoeconomic analyses were presented in this paper. The results of exergetic analysis showed that the component of the lowest exergy efficiency was solar field, and the efficiency only had approximate 22%. Moreover, the exergy efficiencies of thermal energy storage and power block were about 81% and 58% respectively. According to the exergoeconomic analysis, the exergoeconomic cost of electricity and output thermal energy of solar field and thermal energy storage varied respectively in the ranges of 0.1277–0.1322 $/kWh, 0.0427–0.0503 $/kWh, and 0.0977–0.1074 $/kWh when thermal energy storage capacity ranged from 4 hours to 12 hours.

Numerical Study of High Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage Using Co3O4/CoO

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasser Vahedi ◽  
Qasim A. Ranjha ◽  
Alparslan Oztekin
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Reactor Performance ◽  
Solar Power Generation ◽  
Bed Porosity

Large-scale solar power generation becomes feasible using concentrated solar power plants, as the received heat is collected at high temperatures compatible with power cycle operations. The main drawback of solar power generation is the intermittent nature of available solar irradiation, which results in a mismatch between collected heat and electrical demand. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are the options to resolve this problem by storing excess heat during high solar irradiance and releasing at off-sun conditions. Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems have the potential to store the solar energy at high temperatures suitable for CSP plants’ operations because of the higher energy density of the TCES materials than those used for sensible and latent heat storage options. In TCES, the heat is stored in the form of thermo-chemical energy using an endothermic reaction and is released by carrying out the reverse exothermic reaction. TCES using cobalt oxide redox (reduction/oxidation) reaction is selected for this study because of its unique features suitable for high temperature thermal energy storage. A reactor with the cylindrical fixed bed is considered, in which air flows through the bed during charging and discharging modes. Air is used as heat transfer fluid (HTF) and as the reactant gas supplying oxygen. Transient mass and energy transport equations are solved along with reaction kinetics equations using finite element method. Charging and discharging processes are investigated. The effect of geometrical and operational parameters including the material properties on overall storage and retrieval process has been studied. It was shown that the bed porosity plays a dominant role in the reactor performance. The increase in the bed porosity improves the reactor performance for both charging and discharging mode.

Material Compatibility Study for Thermal Energy Storage Containment Structure With Phase Change Material

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songgang Qiu ◽  
Ross Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Inconel 625 ◽  
Compatibility Study ◽  
Material Compatibility ◽  
Change Material

A desirable feature of concentrated solar power system is to provide electricity in a dispatchable manner during cloud transients and non-daylight hours. A Dish-Stirling concentrating solar power prototype demonstration system was built to incorporate a thermal energy storage (TES) module containing a phase-change material between the solar thermal receiver and the Stirling engine. This paper presents the results of a material compatibility study conducted to determine the suitability of two different metal alloys for use in the construction of the TES module. Key requirements of the materials include strength and corrosion resistance at elevated temperatures, commercial availability, and manufacturability using common fabrication methods. The TES module contains a NaCl/NaF eutectic salt, at temperatures ranging from local ambient to 700°C, where the salt is slightly superheated above its melt temperature. Sample containers made from SS316L and Inconel 625 were fabricated and thoroughly cleaned for compatibility studies based on an extensive literature review. Both the containers and the salt constituents were subjected to a bake-out cycle to drive off moisture, and permit outgassing of contaminants. The containers were filled with salt in a controlled-atmosphere glove box. Filled containers were crimped and sealed by electron-beam welding. The finished samples were placed in a furnace, heated, and held at 750°C. One of each sample container material was removed from the furnace at both 100 and 2500 hours. The containers were cut open to analyze and evaluate the material surface and cross-section. After 100 hours, both SS316L and Inconel 625 exhibited a very small amount of corrosion. The stainless steel suffered a shallow inter-granular grain boundary attack, on the order of 1–2 mm in depth. The Inconel 625 surface formed an oxide complex, which is resistant to dissolution into the molten salt. After 2500 hours, the surface morphology for both materials was largely unchanged, with the corrosion process having switched from an initial localized pattern, to a more uniform pattern. The corrosion depth measured at 2500 hours remained near 1–2 mm, suggesting that the corrosion rate decelerated. Both materials showed promise for compatibility with the chosen salt.

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