Abstract
Many industrial processes use hot air as a medium. This is especially relevant for drying. Nowadays, most of them consume fossil energy. This study analyses an innovative facility for direct solar heating of air up to 400 °C. For this aim, a medium-scale solar field of linear Fresnel collectors is proposed to heat ambient air inside it. No other dedicated heat transfer fluid is necessary. A simpler layout avoids costs, hurdles, and risks of heat transfer liquids and the related machinery. A Brayton cycle configuration avoids auxiliary energy consumption for pumping air through the collectors by coupling the solar field with a turbocharger. A mathematical model simulates a system of industrial size along a typical meteorological year. It confirms the feasibility of the proposal and the high potential of helping the energy transition to sustainability.
Highlights
The use of hot air is common to several industrial sectors, spanning from pulp and paper, manufacturing, minerals processing, to biomass and water residue treatments
The present work extends the concept to a medium-scale solar field of Linear Fresnel Collectors, LFC, to investigate its technical feasibility under the solar variability
The turbine can provide the power required by the compressor to pump the flow so that the system is autonomous and the turbocharger runs in freewheeling mode. This concept corresponds to a Brayton cycle operation with null mechanical efficiency, delivering hot air in the range 300 to 400 °C at the turbine outlet
Summary
The use of hot air is common to several industrial sectors, spanning from pulp and paper, manufacturing, minerals processing, to biomass and water residue treatments. In the medium temperature range, up to 400 °C, linear concentrating collectors are good candidates as a solar heat source Their application to air-based processes is not common [3], probably for the enormous convenience of directly heating by burning fuel or using electricity. Famiglietti et al [4] investigated the direct air heating inside a concentrating solar collector, eliminating the need for a dedicated heat transfer fluid (water, thermal oil, etc.) as well as an intermediate heat exchanger needed to deliver heat to process air. They theoretically analyzed an innovative direct solar air heater, which involves a Brayton cycle. The present work extends the concept to a medium-scale solar field of Linear Fresnel Collectors, LFC, to investigate its technical feasibility under the solar variability
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