Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6684969 | Applied Energy | 2016 | 19 Pages |
Abstract
A novel application of powders relies on their use as heat transfer medium for heat capture, conveying and storage. The use of powders as heat transfer fluid in concentrated solar systems is discussed with respect to current technologies. The specific application reported upon is the use of powder loops in Solar Power Tower plants. In the proposed receiver technology, SiC powder is conveyed as a dense particle suspension through a multi-tube solar receiver in a bubbling fluidization mode, the upwards flow being established by pressurizing the powder feed. Tests were conducted with a single-tube receiver unit at the 1Â MW solar furnace of CNRS (Odeillo Font-Romeu, F). The measured wall-to-suspension heat transfer coefficient is a function of operating temperature, applied air velocity and imposed solid circulation flux: values increased with increasing solids flux from â¼430 to 1120Â W/m2Â K. Empirical approaches and a heat transfer model were applied to compare experimental and predicted values of the heat transfer coefficient, with a fair agreement obtained. The research moreover provides initial data concerning the overall economy of the system. The high temperature of the circulating powder leads to an increased power cycle efficiency, an increased storage density, reduced thermal power requirements, reduced heliostat field size, reduced parasitic power consumption and increased plant capacity factor.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Energy
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Authors
Huili Zhang, Hadrien Benoit, Daniel Gauthier, Jan Degrève, Jan Baeyens, Inmaculada Pérez López, Mehrdji Hemati, Gilles Flamant,