Demonstration of Pilot Scale Large Aperture Parabolic Trough Organic Rankine Cycle Solar Thermal Power Plant in Louisiana (original) (raw)
Related papers
Optimization of parabolic trough solar collectors integrated with two stage Rankine cycle
2017
In this paper, detailed exergy and energy analysis of selected thermal power systems driven by parabolic trough solar collectors is presented. solar energy is used to feed a two stage steam Rankine cycle to supply domestic hot water. To determine the irreversibilities in each component and assess the system performance, a parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of varying design parameters and operating conditions such as the effects of the ambient temperature, solar radiation, and high pressure turbine pressure ratio and solar cycle mass flow rate, on the system energy and exergy efficiencies. An optimization with an evolutionary algorithm is applied to determine the best exergetic performance. This study reveals that the main source of exergy destruction is the solar collector where contributes more than 45% of total exergy destruction. In addition, heater, condenser and heat exchanger contribute to 16%, 15% and 14%, respectively. Finally, this study reveals that ...
Energy and economic analysis of a residential Solar Organic Rankine plant
To answer the actual energy, water, economic, social and environmental challenges, renewable, distributed power plants need to be developed. Among renewables, solar tri-generative power plants can be a solution where there is big low temperature heating/cooling demand and small electricity demand, like many residential and industrial utilities. In this case, solar thermal plants can produce thermal energy with low cost and high efficiency. The higher temperature heat not needed by the user can be exploited via Organic Rankine Cycle to produce electrical energy and desalinized water via reverse osmosis. The present paper analyses, via TRNSYS simulation, a system composed of 50 m 2 of CPC solar thermal collectors, 3 m 3 of thermal storage, a synthetic heat transfer fluid, 3 kW e ORC, 8 kW th absorber, 200 l/h direct reverse osmosis desalination device. The system is able to produce power, heating/cooling and fresh water needs for a residential house. Although system's components are well known technologies, the integration to a efficient and economic working system is still a challenge. Global energy and economic analyses have been performed. Low temperature heating/cooling terminals allow to increase not only the use of thermal energy but also the ORCand absorber efficiency. ORC-Absorber configuration and relative fluids and temperatures are central. Government support and/or cost reduction of 30% are necessary to have positive NPV and acceptable PBT and IRR.
Overall energy efficiency remains a large and unexploited resource in combined cooling, heating, and power systems driven by solar energy. This study aims to explore the configuration effects on such systems using parabolic trough collector and organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technologies. The configurations are concisely clarified into sequential and parallel connections, in which a single-effect absorption chiller and a heat exchanger are considered for cooling and heating, respectively. A comprehensive assessment framework is proposed by establishing the thermodynamic performance, system size, and economic models. Under reasonable thermodynamic boundary conditions, the optimal operational parameters are obtained via a Pareto frontier solution for such a system, with an ORC of 200 kW. Promising technical solutions and enhancement potential are justified and quantified by means of system simulations and comparison on the annual time scale.