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Sensible heat storage for a solar thermal power plant

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5779153
; ;
This report examines one possible configuration for a solar power plant with a sensible-heat storage unit. The proposed flowsheet allows thermal energy storage between the heat collection unit and the power generation unit without a reduction in the thermodynamic availability of the energy suppled to the power turbines. Energy is stored by heating a checkerwork of magnesia bricks. A gas that is circulated from the solar collector through the storage unit and the power plant boiler serves as the heat-transfer medium. Nitrogen was found to be preferable to helium for this purpose. A computer model was used to predict the behavior of the sensible-heat storage unit and to aid in sizing the storage unit. Procedures were developed to estimate the cost of electricity generated by the solar power plant. These procedures illustrate the effects of changes in the energy storage unit on the cost of electricity. The effects on the storage unit and on the total plant design of changing several process and design parameters were then evaluated. This study has led to the design of two alternative process configurations for solar power plants with sensible-heat storage. The sensible-heat storage process was also compared to the sulfur oxide chemical-heat storage process. The proposed configuration for a solar power plant with sensible-heat storage for nighttime electricity generation produces electricity at the cost of $87 per MW/sub e/-hr.Both of these power plants convert 32% of the energy absorbed by their solar collectors into usable electric energy. It is concluded that sensible-heat storage can provide energy storage for a solar power plant at a reasonable price using technology that is presently available.
Research Organization:
California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
5779153
Report Number(s):
LBL-9321
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140702* -- Solar Thermal Power Systems-- Central Receiver
142000 -- Solar Energy-- Heat Storage-- (1980-)
25 ENERGY STORAGE
250600 -- Energy Storage-- Thermal
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BRAYTON CYCLE
BRICKS
BUILDING MATERIALS
CAVITY RECEIVERS
CENTRAL RECEIVERS
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
CONTAINERS
COST
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DATA
DESIGN
DIAGRAMS
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
FLOWSHEETS
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT STORAGE
HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS
HELIUM
INFORMATION
MACHINERY
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
RANKINE CYCLE POWER SYSTEMS
RARE GASES
SENSIBLE HEAT STORAGE
SIZE
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR RECEIVERS
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
STEAM TURBINES
STORAGE
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
TANKS
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
THERMOCHEMICAL HEAT STORAGE
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
TOPPING CYCLES
TOWER FOCUS POWER PLANTS
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY