SOLERAS - Solar-Powered Water Desalination Project at Yanbu: PKI collectors performance

Technical Report · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6723561

Hamad, G

The seawater desalination pilot plant at Yanbu in Saudi Arabia is a unique experiment in which an indirect bulk freeze desalination process is integrated with a stand-alone solar cogeneration power plant. Thermal energy is stored in molten salt and is converted into shaft power required for primary refrigeration by a conventional steam engine. An absorption refrigeration unit is thermally driven by the exhaust steam of the engine to produce additional refrigeration. Crystallization of water molecules from the brine into essentially pure water ice is accomplished by the freeze desalination process, which employs indirect heat transfer technique. Solar energy concentrated by the dish collector is transferred to a silicone polymer low-viscosity liquid circulated through the receiver, which is a monotube cavity mounted at the concentrator focal area in a stainless steel encased housing. A flux trap mounted at the mouth of the cavity receiver deflects stray radiation into the cavity. This document concerns itself with the solar collector and the solar collector field subsystem and presents the results of scientific investigations during the past 18 months since the plant installation. 13 refs., 206 figs.

• Research Organization: Midwest Research Inst., Kansas City, MO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6723561
• Report Number(s): MRI/SOL-2001; ON: DE89003221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
140900* -- Solar Thermal Utilization
141000 -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
142000 -- Solar Energy-- Heat Storage-- (1980-)
AGRICULTURE
ASIA
CONVERSION
COST
DEMINERALIZATION
DESALINATION
DESIGN
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
ELECTRIC POWER
ENERGY
ENERGY CONVERSION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
FREEZING OUT
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT TRANSFER
HEATING
INDUSTRY
IRRIGATION
MAINTENANCE
NORTH AMERICA
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOVOLTAIC CONVERSION
POWER
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SAUDI ARABIA
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR THERMAL CONVERSION
STEAM GENERATION
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
USA