Design of a solar power plant for freeze desalination

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5743369

Krepchin, I; Torbin, R

A solar-powered seawater desalination plant recently began operating in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Design and construction were funded by SOLERAS, a joint effort by the United States and Saudi Arabia to further the development and commercialization of the solar energy. The plant consists of 18 parabolic dish solar collectors with a total reflective surface of 1,445 m/sup 2/ and a thermal output of over 1 MW. Its rated output is 200 m/sup 3/ per day of fresh water. The collectors heat a synthetic heat transfer fluid, Syltherm 800. The heated fluid, in turn, charges a molten salt buffer system. On demand, the molten salt is pumped from a two tank storage system through a steam generator, producing superheated steam. The steam is expanded through a steam engine which provides the shaft power that drives the compressors of the desalination system. This paper describes the solar plant and some of the trade off studies that led to the final configuration. Important trade off studies included: the choice of heat transfer fluid and the thermal storage medium. In addition, the selection of solar collectors was an interesting exercise.

• OSTI ID: 5743369
• Report Number(s): CONF-861211-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
141000 -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200101 -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Cooling & Heat Transfer Equipment & Systems
200105 -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Heat Utilization
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320603* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Public Utilities-- (1980-)
ASIA
BUFFERS
COMMERCIALIZATION
CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS
COOPERATION
DESALINATION PLANTS
DESIGN
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ENGINEERING
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
MATERIALS
MOLTEN SALTS
NORTH AMERICA
OPERATION
PARABOLIC COLLECTORS
PARABOLIC DISH COLLECTORS
PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS
POWER PLANTS
POWER RANGE 1-10 MW
SALTS
SAUDI ARABIA
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECTRALLY SELECTIVE SURFACES
SURFACE AREA
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACES
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
USA