The energy and exergy analysis of a combined parabolic solar dish – steam power plant

Abstract

In this paper, a new system was designed and built to generate electrical power using solar energy. A parabolic solar dish was designed with a diameter of 3 m and aperture area reach of 7.1 m2. It was equipped with a sun tracking system which allowed movement on two axes. Its primary function was to generate water vapor as an alternative to the steam boiler used in steam power stations. Many modifications were made in order to allow the new system to work according to the Rankine cycle system for power generation. Generated steam has to pass through a steam turbine to rotate it, this connected to an electric power generator. The steam then exits through the condenser and is recycled using the pump. The implementation of the new station included experimental work to ensure its suitability for different climatic conditions which impact the systems’ components, including changes in the amount of solar radiation, wind velocity, air temperature and other climatic conditions. The results showed how successful the new system was in generating electricity within a range of 800–1000 W. Steam temperatures reached to 400.1 °C with a total cycle efficiency ranging between 32 and 42%. A statistical analysis of the system was also carried out using a SPSS software, application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) showed for the effective role of useful energy in solar heater on power output. Thus, the outcomes acquired during this study, provided an accurate view of the system. Finally, the paper strategy can be applied to different processes of solar system. Also, the results showed a high accuracy as the maximum value of coefficient of determination (R2) of 91.3%.