Heat engine development for solar thermal dish-electric power plants

Technical Report · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7228892· OSTI ID:7228892

Linker, K. L.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Thermal Program has as one of its program elements the development and evaluation of heat engine technologies that are applicable to Distributed Receiver Systems. The primary research and development activities, for the past several years, have involved the so-called dish-electric concept in which a heat engine, solar receiver, and generator are coupled and located at the focus of a parabolic dish concentrator. Power conversion assemblies (PCA) would be deployed at the size of about 25 to 50 kWe, which is consistent with concentrator development in the 11 to 15 m diameter range. This report describes various heat engine cycles, outlines the status of their development, presents test data and performance evaluation from experimental work to date, and discusses the strategy for future development efforts.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 7228892
• Report Number(s): SAND-86-0289; ON: DE87003583
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140700* -- Solar Thermal Power Systems
BRAYTON CYCLE
CSP
Concentrating Solar Power
DESIGN
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
HEAT ENGINES
PARABOLIC DISH REFLECTORS
PARABOLIC REFLECTORS
POWER PLANTS
RANKINE CYCLE
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR RECEIVERS
SOLAR REFLECTORS
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
STIRLING CYCLE
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES