Optimization analysis of solar thermal water pump

This paper investigates the performance of solar thermal system for powering irrigation pump. It also summarizes the recent developments of solar thermal power systems. Furthermore, it updates the literature about the recent findings of thermal solar power system and presents different methodologies of enhancing the solar energy conversion system. The solar thermal irrigation pump uses steam Rankine cycles SRC integrated with parabolic trough collector PTC. The selected site is located in the northern part of Jordan. Simulation models are built to assess the performance of solar thermal irrigation system. The simulation models are built by means of mass and energy balances applied to every component of the system. The model simulates the hourly thermal behavior of all system components. The effect of key operating variables on the system performance is examined. Simulation results show that there is an optimum values for mass flow rate where maximum power out can be obtained. The average daily overall efficiency ranges between 10 to 13% during summer time. The optimal daily average overall efficiency reaches 18%. Results show that the concentration ratio has negligible effect on the overall system performance. It is found that using PTC of area of 526 m2 with SRC is reliable system producing above 30 kW during summer time. Economic analysis reveals that the solar energy cost is $0.075/kWh. Furthermore, this paper presents design optimization so that STWP can achieve higher reliable continuous operation with system components.