scholarly journals Development of Steelmaking Slag Based Solid Media Heat Storage for Solar Power Tower Using Air as Heat Transfer Fluid: The Results of the Project REslag

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6092
Author(s):  
Michael Krüger ◽  
Jürgen Haunstetter ◽  
Joachim Hahn ◽  
Philipp Knödler ◽  
Stefan Zunft

Solar power towers with thermal energy storage based on direct-flow regenerators have the potential to generate cost-effective base-load electricity. An inventory option that opens up further cost-saving potential but has not yet been extensively investigated for this application is slag from electric arc furnace. This use has not only economic advantages, but also serves environmental protection, since a large proportion of this type of slag is currently not used any further, but is disposed of in landfills. In the completed EU project REslag, various subsequent uses of the slag were investigated, including the possibility presented here of using sintered slag pebbles as an inventory for regenerators in solar power towers with air as the heat transfer fluid. The main results from the different phases of the project are presented, with a focus on the investigations not yet published. In addition to results from thermal simulations on different designs and on the partial load and off-design behavior of the storage lead concept “Axial flow—standing”, these are mainly results from fluid mechanical calculations on the distributor design of the storage and from material investigations on the slag. In summary, it can be stated that the sintered slag pebbles are thermally, mechanically and chemically competitive with conventional inventory materials and the principle feasibility of a slag-based storage was confirmed by the results of these investigations. The defined storage lead concept was elaborated in detail and the performance of the design was confirmed by simulations and experiments.

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 04003
Author(s):  
Hashem Shatnawi ◽  
Chin Wai Lim ◽  
Firas Basim Ismail

This study delves into several engineering procedures related to solar power tower plants. These installations come with central receiver system technologies and high-temperature power cycles. Besides a summary emphasizing on the fundamental components of a solar power tower, this paper also forwards a description of three receiver designs. Namely, these are the tubular receiver, the volumetric receiver and the direct absorber receiver. A variety of heat transfer mediums were assessed, while a comprehensive explanation was provided on the elements of external solar cylindrical receivers. This explanation covers tube material, molten salt, tube diameter and heat flux.


Author(s):  
Yiding Cao

This paper introduces separate-type heat pipe (STHP) based solar receiver systems that enable more efficient operation of concentrated solar power plants without relying on a heat transfer fluid. The solar receiver system may consist of a number of STHP modules that receive concentrated solar flux from a solar collector system, spread the high concentrated solar flux to a low heat flux level, and effectively transfer the received heat to the working fluid of a heat engine to enable a higher working temperature and higher plant efficiency. In general, the introduced STHP solar receiver has characteristics of high heat transfer capacity, high heat transfer coefficient in the evaporator to handle a high concentrated solar flux, non-condensable gas release mechanism, and lower costs. The STHP receiver in a solar plant may also integrate the hot/cold tank based thermal energy storage system without using a heat transfer fluid.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document