scholarly journals Design Calculation of Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal System and Three-phaseTurbo Alternator

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Theingi Htun ◽  
Myo Thet Tun
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Design Calculation ◽  
Useful Heat Gain ◽  
And Performance

Solar energy can be converted into thermal energy with the help of solar<br />collectors. Electricity can be produced directly from solar energy using<br />photovoltaic devices or indirectly from steam generators using solar thermal collectors to heat a working fluid. This research is using the conversion of solar energy into electricity in a closed cycle driven by natural convection. It would mean that electricity is cheaper than from any other renewable technology and cheaper than from fossil fuels. This paper describes converting thermal energy collected by solar collector to electricity by using turbine. Anywhere in Myanmar will cheaply use electricity by using solar turbine generator. Remote areas will improve more and more when getting the efficient electricity. The design calculation and performance predication of 1 MVA turbo-alternator/generator are also mentioned. Design calculation of absorbed flux, useful heat gain and exit temperature is described. And then development of two-tank thermal storage system that uses molten salt as the heat transfer fluid is described.

System and component modelling of a low temperature solar thermal energy conversion cycle

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Shadreck M. Situmbeko ◽  
Freddie L. Inambao
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Field ◽  
Conversion Technology

Solar thermal energy (STE) technology refers to the conversion of solar energy to readily usable energy forms. The most important component of a STE technology is the collectors; these absorb the shorter wavelength solar energy (400-700nm) and convert it into usable, longer wavelength (about 10 times as long) heat energy. Depending on the quality (temperature and intensity) of the resulting thermal energy, further conversions to other energy forms such as electrical power may follow. Currently some high temperature STE technologies for electricity production have attained technical maturity; technologies such as parabolic dish (commercially available), parabolic trough and power tower are only hindered by unfavourable market factors including high maintenance and operating costs. Low temperature STEs have so far been restricted to water and space heating; however, owing to their lower running costs and almost maintenance free operation, although operating at lower efficiencies, may hold a key to future wider usage of solar energy. Low temperature STE conversion technology typically uses flat plate and low concentrating collectors such as parabolic troughs to harness solar energy for conversion to mechanical and/or electrical energy. These collector systems are relatively cheaper, simpler in construction and easier to operate due to the absence of complex solar tracking equipment. Low temperature STEs operate within temperatures ranges below 300oC. This research work is geared towards developing feasible low temperature STE conversion technology for electrical power generation. Preliminary small-scale concept plants have been designed at 500Wp and 10KWp. Mathematical models of the plant systems have been developed and simulated on the EES (Engineering Equation Solver) platform. Fourteen candidate working fluids and three cycle configurations have been analysed with the models. The analyses included a logic model selector through which an optimal conversion cycle configuration and working fluid mix was established. This was followed by detailed plant component modelling; the detailed component model for the solar field was completed and was based on 2-dimensional segmented thermal network, heat transfer and thermo fluid dynamics analyses. Input data such as solar insolation, ambient temperature and wind speed were obtained from the national meteorology databases. Detailed models of the other cycle components are to follow in next stage of the research. This paper presents findings of the system and solar field component.

Underground CSP Thermal Energy Storage

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roohany Mahmud ◽  
Mustafa Erguvan ◽  
David W. MacPhee
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Heat Engine ◽  
Energy Storage System ◽  
Electricity Demand ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Thermal Sources

Abstract Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is one of the most promising ways to generate electricity from solar thermal sources. In this situation, large tracking mirrors focus sunlight on a receiver and provide energy input to a heat engine. Inside the receiver the temperature can be well above 1000°C, and molten salts or oils are typically used as heat transfer fluid (HTF). However, since the sun does not shine at night, a remaining concern is how to store thermal energy to avoid the use of fossil fuels to provide baseline electricity demand, especially in the late evenings when electricity demand peaks. In this study, a new method will be investigated to store thermal energy underground using a borehole energy storage system. Numerical simulations are undertaken to assess the suitability and design constraints of such systems using both molten salt as HTF.

Design, Installation, and Performance Characterization of a Laboratory-Scale Solar Thermal System for Experiments in Solar Energy Utilization

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Drozek ◽  
Christopher Damm ◽  
Ryan Enot ◽  
Andrew Hjortland ◽  
Brandon Jackson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Laboratory Scale ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Thermal System ◽  
Performance Characterization ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Solar Thermal System

The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of a laboratory-scale solar thermal system for the Renewable Energy Systems Laboratory at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). The system development began as a student senior design project where students designed and fabricated a laboratory-scale solar thermal system to complement an existing commercial solar energy system on campus. The solar thermal system is designed specifically for educating engineers. This laboratory equipment, including a solar light simulator, allows for variation of operating parameters to investigate their impact on system performance. The equipment will be utilized in two courses: Applied Thermodynamics, and Renewable Energy Utilization. During the solar thermal laboratories performed in these courses, students conduct experiments based on the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 93-2010 standard for testing and performance characterization of solar thermal systems. Their measurements are then used to quantify energy output, efficiency and losses of the system and subsystem components.

Micro Solar Thermal Collector Glazing for Enhanced Thermal Energy Harvesting

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ogbonnaya ◽  
L. Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Capture Efficiency ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Collector Plate ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Solar Thermal Collector

Increasing focus on alternative energy sources has produced significant progress across a wide variety of research areas. One particular area of interest has been solar energy. This has been true on both large and small-scale applications. Research in this paper presents investigations into a small-scale solar thermal collector. This approach is divergent from traditional micro solar photovoltaic devices, relying on transforming incoming solar energy to heat for use by devices like thermoelectrics. The Solar Thermal Collector (STC) is constructed using a copper collector plate with electroplated tin-nickel selective coating atop the collector surface. Further, a unique top piece is added to trap thermal energy and reduce convective, conductive, and radiative losses to the surrounding environment. Results show a capture efficiency of 92% for a collector plate alone when exposed to a 1000 W/m2 simulated solar source. The addition of the top “glazing” piece improves capture efficiency to 97%. Future work will integrate these unique devices with thermoelectric generators for electric power production. This will yield a fully autonomous system, capable of powering small sensors or other devices in remote locations or supplementing existing devices with renewable energy.

Designing a novel solar-assisted heat pump system with modification of a thermal energy storage unit

2019 ◽  
Vol 233 (5) ◽  
pp. 588-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Aktaş ◽  
Meltem Koşan ◽  
Erhan Arslan ◽  
Azim Doğuş Tuncer
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Collector ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Storage Unit ◽  
Heating Systems ◽  
Energy Storage Unit

The integrated usage of solar energy systems, heat pump applications, and thermal energy storage units is an effective way for heating systems due to their sustainability and stability in operations. In this study, a novel direct solar-assisted heat pump with thermal energy system has been designed which uses the solar collector as the evaporator of the heat pump. Besides, two-dimensional transient numeric analyses have been conducted for the thermal energy storage unit using the ANSYS Fluent 16.2 commercial software package. With this direct system, the heat required for heating systems is supplied from the condenser with the heat received from the solar collector of the working fluid. For an effective and high performance system, the solar collector is designed as a double-pass which provided superheating of the working fluid. It is aimed to store the surplus energy from the solar energy in the thermal energy storage unit and to operate the system continuously and efficiently in both sunny and overcast weather conditions. Furthermore, the system has been analyzed theoretically and the results show that coefficient of performance may improve. As a result, this newly designed system can be successfully applied for thermal applications.

Computational Analysis of a Pipe Flow Distributor for a Thermocline Based Thermal Energy Storage System

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia Afrin ◽  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Desikan Bharathan ◽  
Greg C. Glatzmaier ◽  
Zhiwen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Energy Storage System ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Case Scenario

The overall efficiency of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant depends on the effectiveness of thermal energy storage (TES) system (Kearney and Herrmann, 2002, “Assessment of a Molten Salt Heat Transfer Fluid,” ASME). A single tank TES system consists of a thermocline region which produces the temperature gradient between hot and cold storage fluid by density difference (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, http://www.eere.energy.gov/basics/renewable_energy/thermal_storage.html). Preservation of this thermocline region in the tank during charging and discharging cycles depends on the uniformity of the velocity profile at any horizontal plane. Our objective is to maximize the uniformity of the velocity distribution using a pipe-network distributor by varying the number of holes, distance between the holes, position of the holes and number of distributor pipes. For simplicity, we consider that the diameter of the inlet, main pipe, the distributor pipes and the height and the width of the tank are constant. We use Hitec® molten salt as the storage medium and the commercial software Gambit 2.4.6 and Fluent 6.3 for the computational analysis. We analyze the standard deviation in the velocity field and compare the deviations at different positions of the tank height for different configurations. Since the distance of the holes from the inlet and their respective arrangements affects the flow distribution throughout the tank; we investigate the impacts of rearranging the holes position on flow distribution. Impact of the number of holes and distributor pipes are also analyzed. We analyze our findings to determine a configuration for the best case scenario.

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