Comparison of advanced engines for parabolic dish solar thermal power plants

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · J. Energy; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2514/3.62607· OSTI ID:5892890

Fujita, T; Bowyer, T M; Gajanana, B C

A paraboloidal dish solar thermal power plant produces electrical energy by a two-step conversion process. The collector subsystem is composed of a two-axis tracking paraboloidal concentrator and a cavity receiver. The concentrator focuses intercepted sunlight (direct, normal insolation) into a cavity receiver whose aperture encircles the focal point of the concentrator. At the internal wall of the receiver the electromagnetic radiation is converted to thermal energy. A heat engine/generator assembly, which is mounted directly behind th receiver, then converts the thermal energy captured by the receiver to electricity. Developmental activity has been concentrated on relatively small power modules which employ 11- to 12-m-diam dishes to generate nominal power levels of approximately 20 kW. A comparison of advanced heat engines for use on the dish power module is presented in terms of the performance potential of each engine as weighed against its requirements for advanced technology development. Three advanced engine possibilities are considered. These are the Brayton (gas turbine), Brayton/Rankine combined cycle, and Stirling engines. All three engine candidates are attractive in terms of overall system performance potential.

• Research Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
• OSTI ID: 5892890
• Journal Information: J. Energy; (United States), Vol. 6:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
DISTRIBUTED COLLECTOR POWER PLANTS
PARABOLIC DISH COLLECTORS
SOLAR HEAT ENGINES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
BRAYTON CYCLE
CAVITY RECEIVERS
ELECTRICITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
PERFORMANCE
RANKINE CYCLE ENGINES
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
STIRLING ENGINES
CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
HEAT ENGINES
PARABOLIC COLLECTORS
POWER PLANTS
RADIATIONS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR RECEIVERS
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
140703* - Solar Thermal Power Systems- Distributed Collector