The possibilities of upgrading an existing concentrating solar thermal system — Case study

Abstract

According to the Sustainable Development Scenario, the power generated by concentrating solar systems will be multiplied by 12 times by 2030 and will achieve nearly 184 TWh. To make it possible it is necessary to combine the concentrating solar systems with other technologies such as photovoltaics, sorption chillers, Stirling engines, etc. The total efficiency of hybrid systems is significantly higher than standalone ones. This paper analyzes​ the possibility of upgrading the existing concentrating solar thermal system with two-focal points located in Cracow, Poland. So far, this installation was used only for water heating applications. To estimate the possibilities of upgrading this system, numerical simulations with the use of Ray Tracing methods and Computational Fluid Dynamics were provided. Data obtained from the ray-tracing analysis allowed to determine the distribution of irradiance for various locations of the receiver. The CFD methods enabled to find the dependencies between the initial parameters of the working fluid, irradiance distribution, and heat transfer efficiency. Obtained results allowed to conclude that it is possible to use generated heat (354 K) for absorption chiller purpose. Moreover, this system may be used for simultaneous heat and electricity production, but firstly some changes in receiver geometry should be introduced.

Keywords

• Solar energy
• Concentrated solar radiation
• CFD
• Ray-tracing