Abstract
Nowadays, parabolic trough solar thermal plants are prevalent around the world. In different areas concerning the amount of solar radiation, their standard size is approximately between 20 and 100 MWe. Certainly, the right size of the solar field is the first selection with regard to nominal electrical power. A vast area will be economically unreasonable whereas a small area will mainly cause the power plant to operate at the part-load condition. This paper presents an economic modeling of a solar parabolic trough plant, operating at 25 MWe in Yazd, Iran. The varying types of collector dimensions have been investigated; then, by selecting autumnal equinox (22 September) at 12:00 PM as the design point, thermal performance of the solar power plant has been featured annually, in all conditions. The total operating time of the power plant is about 1726 hours (1248 hours in full-load condition). In the end, the effect of thermal storage tanks has been analyzed to save extra solar heat and use it at nights in hot months. By implementing a storage system, the total operating time will be increased to 3169 hours (2785 in full-load condition). Moreover, 7974 GJ useful thermal energy can be obtained from the solar field and storage system.
Highlights
Nowadays, the global warming and green gas effect are the most important hazards for the Earth’s future
Most of the construction projects of trade solar power plants are focused on this kind of collectors; some parabolic trough power plants are planned to be built in USA, Spain, and Middle East [3]
In a solar power plant, the usual heat transfer fluid (HTF) is oil that operates as an intermediate object between the power cycle and solar field [7]
Summary
The global warming and green gas effect are the most important hazards for the Earth’s future. Most of the construction projects of trade solar power plants are focused on this kind of collectors; some parabolic trough power plants are planned to be built in USA, Spain, and Middle East [3]. They contain a solar field, a steam generator, a Rankine cycle, and a fossil fuel (backup) system [4]. In a solar power plant, the usual heat transfer fluid (HTF) is oil that operates as an intermediate object between the power cycle and solar field [7] As it was noted, Middle East is a favorite place from the viewpoint of solar radiation. A heat storage system (two tanks of molten salt) has been taken into account to improve the operating hours of the power plant
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