Thermo-Economic Optimisation of Solar Tower Thermal Power Plants

Amidst a backdrop of rapidly increasing world-wide electricity demand, solar thermal power generation shows great potential for supplying the electricity needs of numerous countries in the Sun-belt regions of the world. In these regions, the absence of significant biomass, hydrological or geothermal reserves makes solar thermal power the most promising solution for meeting that most fundamental of demands: energy. Amidst the different options available for harnessing the Sun’s power, solar thermal technologies have been shown capable of producing electricity at the most economically viable rates [32]. However, all currently existing solar thermal power plants have been based around the use of Rankine, or steam turbine, cycles which are limited in the efficiencies they can achieve. In order to make better use of the Sun’s energy, higher efficiency cycles should be used. With their high concentration ratios, solar thermal power tower systems are amongst the best options for making use of the Sun’s potential. As the energy delivery temperature of central receiver systems is higher, they harness the solar radiation at a higher exergy level [4]. This higher temperature also opens the road to the use of more advanced thermodynamic cycles. Hybrid fossil-fuel – solar systems are also imaginable [13], as the energy delivery temperature is compatible with standard gas turbine cycles. Hybrid systems can help mitigate the requirements of thermal energy storage, as well as reducing the perceived risk when investing in new solar technology, which stimulates research and development, as well as providing employment. Recent developments in the field of high temperature volumetric receivers [10] along with rock- based packed-bed storage systems have opened up an interesting possibility. High temperature receivers allow the use of higher-efficiency combined-cycle setups, whereas packed-bed units offer the possibility of cheap storage. Larger storage volumes allow pure-solar systems to extend their power production into the night, making hybrid options less attractive. This is compounded by the common practice of guaranteeing a preferred tariff for electricity sales from pure-solar sources With this in mind, a complete dynamic model of a power plant based on the pure-solar concept has been elaborated. The performance of the setup is evaluated over a range of days, using solar insolation profiles obtained from satellite data. In order to examine different design options and their impact on the performance of the power plant, a multi-objective, thermo-economic optimisation of both the power plant superstructure and operating conditions was performed using the new, dynamic models. By means of an evolutionary algorithm [17], a family of Pareto-optimal points were obtained, representing the trade-off between increased power plant efficiency, and lower levelised energy costs. Through use of optimisation, it was shown that exergetic efficiencies in the region of 21-27% can be achieved, for relatively low power outputs of between 3 and 11 MWe. These configurations correspond with levelised electricity costs in the region of 14-21 UScts/kWhe. In most regions, the use of solar power is encouraged by the guarantee of a preferential tariff for electricity sales from renewable sources. Sale of electricity at a price of around 24 UScts/kWhe [32] should therefore be imaginable, ensuring the economic viability of solar thermal power tower systems. It can be concluded that, when properly designed, solar thermal power plants based on combined cycles are both economically and thermodynamically promising. By raising the efficiency of the plant, the size of the solar collector field is diminished, increasing the otherwise low energy densities of solar power systems. By reducing the levelised electricity costs, solar thermal power plants become more economically viable, accelerating their construction and thus, hopefully, reducing our dependence on fossil-fuels.

Evaluation of a Combined Cycle Setup for Solar Tower Power Plants

James Spelling

As our awareness of the dangers of global climate change grows, the development of new renewable energy technologies is of primary importance in the effort to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Rapid increases in the price of oil and worries about the stability and security of the extraction of fossil fuels have lead to renewed interest in the development of local energy sources, thereby reducing dependence on foreign sources. Amid the plethora of option available, one of the more promising solutions is the increased use of concentrating solar thermal power. Solar thermal power generation shows great potential for supplying the base electricity needs of numerous countries in the sun-belt regions, stretching from the tropics to the Mediterranean. This has lead to a recent renewal in the development of such systems, most notably with the construction of the PS10 and PS20 central receiver power plants in Spain. However, all currently existing solar thermal power plants have been based around the use of Rankine or steam turbine cycles, which are limited in the efficiencies they can achieve. In order to make better use of the Sun’s energy, higher efficiency cycles should be used. Recent developments in the field of high temperature solar receivers [13] have made it possible to imagine the use of solar thermal energy to drive gas turbine units, potentially allowing the use of combined cycle setups in solar thermal power plants. In order to evaluate the potential improvement in efficiency that can be achieved by using combined cycles in solar thermal power plants, a detailed simulation of such a setup will be performed. By taking into account the requirements of thermal energy storage and the design of the necessary heat exchangers, an objective evaluation of the performance of the combined cycle can be obtained. As a key element in the energy conversion process, particular attention will be given to the modelling and simulation of the high temperature receiver. Due to the highly variable nature of the solar flux, the performance of the receiver will be evaluated over a range of operating points. In order to obtain a detailed breakdown of the sources of losses and irreversibilities within the system, a complete exergy balance will be performed on the power plant. Combined with the standard energy balance, this analysis will allow identification of the key areas for improvement in the design of solar thermal power plants. Finally, in order to determine whether such a setup is economically viable, the construction, operation and maintenance costs will be evaluated in order to predict the levelised energy cost associated with electricity production in a combined cycle plant.

2008

THERMOECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND OPTIMISATION OF AIR-BASED BOTTOMING CYCLES FOR WATER-FREE HYBRID SOLAR GAS-TURBINE POWER PLANTS

Raphaël Michel Adrien Marie Sandoz

Among the plethora of alternatives available, concentrated solar power (CSP) appears as one of the most favourable options. The stability and dispatchability of production achievable by the integration of storage and fuel-solar hybridisation are amidst the major advantages of this technology. Nevertheless, conventional CSP plants are based on stream-turbine cycles which consume large amounts of water. In addition to the low thermodynamic efficiency of this type of cycle, the installation of such plants in water-scarce areas is complicated by their reliance on water resources. Thus, the study of new concepts that overcome these drawbacks is necessary for the future of this technology. The availability of high temperature solar receivers for solar tower systems opens the way for the use of gas-turbines in hybrid solar- natural gas configurations. In order to increase the efficiency of the cycle while keeping the water consumption as low as possible, a promising alternative to the recovery of the waste heat in steam-turbines is to use a low-temperature intercooled-recuperated gas-turbine cycle. This work focuses on the analysis and optimisation of the performance of an innovative hybrid solar gas-turbine power plant with an air-based bottoming cycle (ABHSGT). The evaluation considers thermodynamic performance, economic viability and environmental impact as interrelated concerns. With this in mind, detailed steady-state and dynamic models of the power plant have been developed and validated by comparison with existing components. A second model without bottoming cycle has been built for comparison. A multi-objective optimisation using an evolutionary algorithm has then been performed, optimising both capital cost and specific CO2 emissions and resulting in a Pareto-optimal set of possible designs. The analysis of the trade-off curves resulting from the optimisation reveals promising outcomes. The global minimum for the levelised cost of electricity, found at relatively high solar shares, proves the economic potential of the technology. The integration of the bottoming cycle decreases significantly the levelised cost of electricity and the CO2 emissions of the system compared to the reference plant, and higher efficiencies are achieved. The optimal design selected for an in-depth thermoeconomic and environmental analysis exhibits a levelised cost of electricity of 109 [USD/MWhe] for a solar share of 20% and an overall exergetic efficiency 38.5%. The specific CO2 emissions are reduced by 33% compared to those of a simple gas-fired power plant. The water consumption is kept at very low levels compared to other CSP plants, making the system suitable for the deployment in water-scarce areas. In addition, the environmental impact induced by the land use requirements is considerably lower than that of other renewable energy technologies. The sensitivity analysis performed to assess the consequence of changes in varying financial conditions on the levelised cost of electricity and the net present value reveals that the system studied represents a profitable investment in the presence of feed-in tariffs. In the light of the performance obtained in the three aspects considered (thermodynamic, economic and environmental), it can be concluded that the ABHSGT represents a promising alternative to other renewable energy technologies, especially in water-scarce areas.

2012

Preliminary Study of a Solar Trough/Tower Power Plant

Jorge López Moreno

The possibility of combining both the advantages of a solar tower thermal power plant and of a solar parabolic trough power plant could be interesting from an energetic point of view as well from an economic point of view. The preliminary study of this combination feasibility is the goal of this project. The study of the project viability consist first of all on the modeling of the trough system, the energy balance of the parabolic troughs will be established at first. Secondly, and choosing a perfect solar day simulating a day when the solar radiation is rather stable, with no cloudy periods along the day, the power available from the trough plant can be calculated. Once we have estimated the power that we can introduce into the cycle of the tower plant, the main issue consists on how and where it is better to use this energy in the cycle. Several possibilities seem to be interesting a priori, however a more detailed study of each one is to be done in order to get to the most economic and efficient layout. The work related to the tower thermal power plant will be done taking as starting point the master thesis of James Spelling, who did an incredible work in this field and whose work will be a valuable help to continue the research on the proposed concept in this project of combining two plants, tower and trough. The main advantage of the tower design compared to the parabolic trough design is the higher temperature. As it will be explained further, thermal energy at higher temperature can be converted more efficiently, the exergy efficiency is better. In terms of storage, the high temperature results in a cheaper and a more efficient storage system. Nevertheless, the set up of the field of heliostats is more complex than the set up of the parabolic trough lines even though the area for a trough plant must be previously flattened. The lower temperature level that entails an inconvenient itself for a parabolic trough power plant may become an advantage when combining both types of concentrating solar power plants. If the results are positive enough that it seems interesting to combine both types of power plants, another step forward will be done towards the use of the sun energy as a renewable source thus making it a more interesting choice for power generation. Sun potential has already shown as an important technology not only at the present time but also in the future. Commercial solar plants have already achieved levelized energy costs around 12-15 UScts/kWh, and the potential for cost reduction is expected to follow this trend even further, to costs as low as 5 UScts/kWh. In addition the taxes imposed for the non-green power should make even more interesting the use of concentrating solar power plants. The requirements of high beam normal radiation lead to a limited amount of suitable places where the implantation of this technology is possible. However many places exist on Earth where the conditions are perfectly adapted, we talk about regions such as United States (the country with more carbon dioxide emissions in the world), some regions in Mexico, North Africa, India, Australia, northeastern Brazil and some locations around the Mediterranean, especially in the south of Spain. The challenge is therefore set for a change in our energy production scheme.

2010