A system level modeling and performance evaluation of concentrated solar power plant

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2013-12
Hasany, Syed Zaid
This thesis presents a system level study for a solar thermal power plant comprising of parabolic trough collectors (PTC), an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and a wet cooling tower. A transient numerical model is developed for the PTC accounting the thermal losses and coping up with the intermittent and inherent variable solar input. The transient PTC model is validated with the experimental and numerical results and extended to the double pass counter flow PTC configuration. It is found that there is no significant difference in efficiency for different cases for double pass and single pass but double pass manages to heat the water at high temperature due to premixing under constant conditions of inlet temperature. The numerical model of single pass PTC is integrated with the modified numerical model of ORC in which evaporator/condenser are modeled with transients effects while pump/expander are modeled with acceptable steady state assumptions, and cooling tower. Several different conditions are simulated on the verified ORC model with a range of constant hot water temperatures to the ORC and refrigerant mass flow rates. The power output has a direct relation with the hot water temperature and refrigerant mass flow rate. A full day simulation taking into account the temporal solar and ambient variations for the course of the day during the sun light hours is carried out. Three representative days of the year are selected for the simulations and found out that average power output is 14.5 kW, 14.88 kW and 15.16 kW for summer solstice, fall equinox and winter solstice respectively.

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Citation Formats
S. Z. Hasany, “A system level modeling and performance evaluation of concentrated solar power plant,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2013.