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Modeling and Simulating Diffused Aeration for Hydrogen Removal from Expansion Tanks of Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal Power Plants

Conference ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5067017· OSTI ID:1485548
 [1];  [1]
  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

High-temperature decomposition of organic heat transfer fluids (HTFs) can cause hydrogen build-up in the receiver annulus of parabolic trough power plants. This build-up increases the receiver thermal losses and results in a decline in power output. Prior work has shown that removal of hydrogen from the expansion tank can be an effective mitigation strategy. This paper presents a modeling methodology and simulation results for passive and diffused aeration removal of hydrogen from the expansion tank. Focus is on estimating the mass transfer of hydrogen from the HTF into the headspace gas across the surface and bubble liquid/gas interfaces. Simulations for the operation conditions and expansion tank geometry of the Nevada Solar One power plant (located near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) show that passive removal (surface mass transfer only) may be sufficient to obtain hydrogen removal rates of 1.7 x 10-4 mol/s (minimal removal rate necessary). A diffused aeration system (surface plus bubble mass transfer) with gas injection volume rates up to 100 L/s may be necessary to obtain a hydrogen removal rate of 2.0 x 10-4 mol/s (optimal removal rate).

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1485548
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-5500-68873
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at SolarPACES 2017: International Conference on Concentrating Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems, 26-29 September 2017, Santiago, Chile
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (6)

Correlation of diffusion coefficients in dilute solutions June 1955
Volatile Organic Carbon Emission Rate from Diffused Aeration Systems. 1. Mass Transfer Modeling August 1995
Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems January 2009
Hydrogen generation in CSP plants and maintenance of DPO/BP heat transfer fluids – A simulation approach
  • No authors listed
  • SOLARPACES 2015: International Conference on Concentrating Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4949187
January 2016
Heat Conduction of Inert Gas-Hydrogen Mixtures in Parabolic Trough Receivers
  • No authors listed
  • ASME 2008 2nd International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the Heat Transfer, Fluids Engineering, and 3rd Energy Nanotechnology Conferences, ASME 2008 2nd International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Volume 2 https://doi.org/10.1115/ES2008-54176
June 2009
MWH's Water Treatment: Principles and Design March 2012

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