Remote Triggered Solar Thermal Energy Parabolic Trough laboratory: Effective implementation and future possibilities for Virtual Labs

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Craig S. Turchi ◽

Nicholas Langle ◽

Robin Bedilion ◽

Cara Libby

Keyword(s):

Thermal Energy ◽

Power Plants ◽

Solar Power ◽

Combined Cycle ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Separate Analysis ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Natural Gas Combined Cycle ◽

The Difference

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems utilize solar thermal energy for the generation of electric power. This attribute makes it relatively easy to integrate CSP systems with fossil-fired power plants. The “solar-augment” of fossil power plants offers a lower cost and lower risk alternative to stand-alone solar plant construction. This study ranked the potential to add solar thermal energy to coal-fired and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants found throughout 16 states in the southeast and southwest United States. Each generating unit was ranked in six categories to create an overall score ranging from Excellent to Not Considered. Separate analysis was performed for parabolic trough and power tower technologies due to the difference in the steam temperatures that each can generate. The study found a potential for over 11 GWe of parabolic trough and over 21 GWe of power tower capacity. Power towers offer more capacity and higher quality integration due to the greater steam temperatures that can be achieved. The best sites were in the sunny southwest, but all states had at least one site that ranked Good for augmentation. Geographic depiction of the results can be accessed via NREL’s Solar Power Prospector at http://maps.nrel.gov/.

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Preheating Metal Scrap in Foundries Using Solar Thermal Energy

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.813-814.760 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 813-814 ◽

pp. 760-767 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Selvaraj ◽

Chandra C. Jawahar ◽

Khushal A. Bhatija ◽

Saalai Thenagan

Keyword(s):

Solar Energy ◽

Energy Conservation ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Metal Scrap ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Preheating Temperature

The present scenario of energy conservation has witnessed many innovative and eco-friendly techniques and one such area where there is a necessity to conserve energy is foundries. Foundries also pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases contributing to 296143037.6 metric tons annually. The proposed technique in this paper aims at reducing the energy utilized in melting the scrap material at foundries by solar thermal energy. In the methodology proposed, solar energy is concentrated onto the scrap placed on a receiving platform using a parabolic trough and heats it up so that the heated scrap takes lesser energy to melt. The experiments resulted in preheating temperature of 100 °C when placed on a receiving platform and 110°C when copper shots are used to conduct heat from receiver to the scrap. This translates to energy conservation of 6%. This eco-friendly technique when adopted can result in substantial savings in consumption and environmental protection.

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Prototype of Middle-Temperature Solar Receiver/Reactor With Parabolic Trough Concentrator

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.2769698 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 129 (4) ◽

pp. 378-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Hongguang Jin ◽

Jun Sui ◽

Hui Hong ◽

Zhifeng Wang ◽

Danxing Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Energy ◽

Experimental Tests ◽

Methanol Decomposition ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Solar Reactor ◽

Middle Temperature ◽

Solar Thermochemical ◽

Solar Receiver

This paper manufactured an original middle-temperature solar receiver/reactor prototype, positioned along the focal line of one-axis parabolic trough concentrator, representing the development of a new kind of solar thermochemical technology. A 5kW prototype solar reactor at around 200–300°C, which is combined with a linear receiver, was originally manufactured. A basic principle of the design of the middle-temperature solar reactor is identified and described. A representative experiment of solar-driven methanol decomposition was carried out. Experimental tests were conducted from 200°C to 300°C under mean solar flux of 300–800W∕m2 and at a given methanol feeding rate of 2.1L∕h. The conversion of methanol decomposition yielded up to 50–95%, and the efficiency of solar thermal energy conversion to chemical energy reached 30–60%. The experimental results obtained here prove that the novel solar receiver/reactor prototype introduced in this paper can provide a promising approach to effectively utilize middle-temperature solar thermal energy by means of solar thermochemical processes.

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Thermal energy management optimization of solar thermal energy system based on small parabolic trough collectors for bitumen maintaining on heat process

Solar Energy ◽

10.1016/j.solener.2020.10.074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 211 ◽

pp. 1403-1421

Author(s):

Mokhtar Ghazouani ◽

Mohsine Bouya ◽

Mohammed Benaissa ◽

Kamal Anoune ◽

Mohamed Ghazi

Keyword(s):

Energy Management ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Energy System ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Heat Process ◽

Management Optimization

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Mechanical design and flow simulation of a steam generator for parabolic trough solar thermal energy harnessing plant

2017 Seventeenth International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer) ◽

10.1109/icter.2017.8257818 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

P. D. C. Kumara ◽

M. P. S. Viraj ◽

S. K. K. Suraweera ◽

H. H. E. Jayaweera ◽

A. M. Muzathik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Steam Generator ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Mechanical Design ◽

Flow Simulation ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Energy Harnessing

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Solar Thermal Energy Utilization. German Studies on Technology and Application

10.1007/978-3-662-09931-5 ◽

1992 ◽

Keyword(s):

Thermal Energy ◽

Energy Utilization ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

German Studies

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Pyrazolium Phase Change Materials for Solar-Thermal and Wind Energy Storage

10.26434/chemrxiv.9784595 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Karolina Matuszek ◽

R. Vijayaraghavan ◽

Craig Forsyth ◽

Surianarayanan Mahadevan ◽

Mega Kar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Scale Up ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Energy Storage Materials ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Storage Materials

Renewable energy has the ultimate capacity to resolve the environmental and scarcity challenges of the world’s energy supplies. However, both the utility of these sources and the economics of their implementation are strongly limited by their intermittent nature; inexpensive means of energy storage therefore needs to be part of the design. Distributed thermal energy storage is surprisingly underdeveloped in this context, in part due to the lack of advanced storage materials. Here, we describe a novel family of thermal energy storage materials based on pyrazolium cation, that operate in the 100-220°C temperature range, offering safe, inexpensive capacity, opening new pathways for high efficiency collection and storage of both solar-thermal energy, as well as excess wind power. We probe the molecular origins of the high thermal energy storage capacity of these ionic materials and demonstrate extended cycling that provides a basis for further scale up and development.

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