Non-conventional Energy

Sources

Dr. Nishith B. Desai

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University
E-mail: [email protected]

Books

 Solar Energy: Principles of Thermal Collection and

Storage by S P Sukhatme and J K Nayak, McGraw
Hill Education (India) Private Limited

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Applications of
Solar Energy

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 2/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Uses of Solar Energy

• Heating of Water
• Heating of Houses (active systems: with pump
or blower) and Passive Heating and Cooling
• Distillation of Water
• Cooking of Food
• Greenhouse Heating
• Drying of Food
• Power Generation
• Refrigeration and Air-conditioning
• Production of Very High Temperatures
• Industrial Process Heat Systems
• Pumping of Water
• Direct Conversion of Electricity (PV)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 3/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS

 The flat plate collector can be employed to heat
fluid (liquid or air) from ambient to near 100C.
 The term ‘flat plate’ is slightly misleading since the
absorbing surface may not necessarily be flat but
may be grooved and other shapes.
 Pioneering work on solar flat-plate collectors have
been done by Hottel, Whillier and Bliss in USA who
mathematically modeled the collector and gave
Hottel-Whillier-Bliss equations to understand the
collectors.
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 4/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS

 Later Prof. H.Tabor in Israel has done significant
work on understanding the behavior of collectors
and gave several original ideas like selective black
coatings and evacuated collectors.

 Flat plate collectors are of two type: liquid heating

type and air heating type

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 5/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Schematic cross-section of a typical flat plate solar

collector illustrating the major functional parts
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 6/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Flat Plate Collectors

 Flat plate collector has the following components:
 A blackened or selectively coated flat –
absorbing plate, normally metallic, which
absorbs the incident solar radiation, convert it
into heat and conducts the heat to the fluid
passages.
 Tubes, channels or passages attached to the
collector absorber plate to circulate the fluid
required to remove the thermal energy from the
plate.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 7/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

 Insulation material provided at the back and

sides of the absorber plate whose principal
function is to reduce heat loss from the back
and sides of the absorber plate.
 A transparent cover or covers whose principal
functions are to reduce the upward heat losses
and to provide weather proofing.

 An enclosing box whose principal functions are to

hold the other components of the collector and to
protect the collector plate and insulation material
from the weather.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 8/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Improving Efficiency of a Flat-Plat Collector

 Improving transmittance - absortance product
 Reducing thermal losses (conduction,
convection and radiation)
 Improving heat transfer coefficient from
absorbing plate to the working fluid
 Optimizing collector configuration for better
heat exchanger efficiency
 Optimizing tilt, orientation and exposure of
collector
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 9/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Transparent Cover Plate

 Transmit maximum solar radiation
 Minimize upward heat loss from absorber plate to the
environment
 Protecting the absorber plate from weather
Important factors for the cover plate materials are:
 Strength
 Durability
 Non-degradability
 Cost
 Solar-energy and thermal energy transmittance
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 10/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

 Tempered glass is the most common cover

material for collectors because of its proven
durability and stability against UV radiation.
Tempered glass cover, if properly mounted, is
highly resistant to breakage both from thermal
cycling and natural events.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 11/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

TYPES OF SOLAR WATER HEATER

 Built-in-storage type Solar Water Heater
(Integrated – collector storage type)

 Domestic Solar Water Heaters

(Natural Circulation type / thermosyphon
type)

 Large Size Solar Water Heater

(Industrial type)

 Swimming Pool Water Heater

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 12/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Domestic Solar Water Heaters

In general it can be said that a solar water heating

system consists of the following components :
 Flat plate collectors
 Storage tank
 Heat exchanger
 Automatic control
 Pumps, pipe work, valves and fittings

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 13/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Schematic of forced circulation solar hot water system

with 3 different schemes for supplying auxiliary energy

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 14/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Ex 1: Estimate the temperature rise of the water in a 100-

litre capacity thermosyphon solar water-heating system
during a typical day of operation. Assume absorber plate
area of 2 m2, average daily solar radiation to be 5
kWh/m2-day, solar collector efficiency to be 50%.
Estimate also the electricity saved per day because of the
use of a solar water heater and the corresponding
reduction in the monthly electricity bill. Assume electric
efficiency of the geyser to be 95% and the unit cost of
electricity to be 5 Rs./kwh.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 15/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

World-wide installed capacity of FPC and

ETC at the end of 2012
Japan Israel Austria Greece
1% 1% 1% 1%
Brazil Other
2% 9%
India
2% Germany
4%
Turkey
4%

China
75%

Source: ETSAP and IRENA, 2015

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 16/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Drying
1. Grain

2. Timber

3. Fruits, Vegetables & Fish

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 17/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR DRYERS

 DIRECT TYPE DRYERS:

In direct or natural convection type dryers, the

agricultural product is placed in shallow layers in
a blackened enclosure with a transparent cover.
The solar radiations are directly absorbed by the
product itself. The food product is heated up and
the moisture from the product evaporates and
goes out by the natural convection.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 18/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

 INDIRECT TYPE DRYERS:

In these dryers the food product is placed in a

drying chamber. The air is heated in solar air
heaters and then blown through the drying
chamber. In some of the designs, dryers receive
direct solar radiations and also heated air from
solar air heaters. In these dryers manipulation of
temperature, humidity and drying rate is
possible to some extent.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 19/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

 FORCED CIRCULATION TYPE DRYERS:

In these dryers, hot air is continuously blown over

the food product. The food product itself is
loaded or unload continuously or periodically.
These kind of dryers are comparatively
thermodynamically efficient, faster and can be
used for drying large agricultural product. These
dryers can be of cross-flow type, concurrent
flow type or counter-flow type.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 20/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Air Heating Collectors: Promising Option

A 297 m2 air heater system integrated with an industrial

roof at Chennai, India by Planters Energy Network
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 21/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Leather Dryer with Roof mounted Solar Air Heaters

(4 x 167m2 area) at M.A. Khizar Hussain & Sons, Ranipet, Chennai
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 22/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

LEATHER DRIER WITH SOLAR HOT AIR DUCTS

AT M/S M.A. KHIZAR HUSSAIN & SONS, RANIPET
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 23/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

METHODS OF CONVERTING BRACKISH

WATER INTO POTABLE WATER
 DESALINATION: The saline water is evaporated
using thermal energy and the resulting steam is
collected and condensed as final product
 VAPOR COMPRESSION: Here water vapor from
boiling water is compressed adiabatically and
vapor gets superheated. The superheated vapor is
first cooled to saturation temperature and then
condensed at constant pressure. This process is
derived by mechanical energy.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 24/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

 REVERSE OSMOSIS: Here saline water is pushed at

high pressure through special membranes allowing
water molecules pass selectively and not the dissolved
salts.
 ELECTRODIALYSIS: Here a pair of special membranes,
perpendicular to which there is an electric field are used
and water is passed through them. Water does not pass
through the membranes while dissolved salts pass
selectively.
 In distillation; thermal energy is used while in vapor
compression, reverse osmosis, electro dialysis, etc.
some mechanical and electrical energy is used.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 25/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

COMPONENTS OF SINGLE EFFECT

SOLAR STILL
 Basin

 Black Liner

 Transparent Cover

 Condensate Channel

 Sealant

 Insulation

 Supply and Delivery System

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 26/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Double sloped experimental solar still

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 27/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Photograph of the Solar Distillation unit at IIT Delhi

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 28/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Why Solar Cookers ?

 High cost or Unavailability of commercial fuels –

Kerosene, Coal, Gas, Electricity

 Deforestation caused by Increasing Firewood

Consumption

 Use of Dung and Agricultural Waste as Fuels

Instead of for Soil Enrichment

 Diversion of Human Resource for Fuel Gathering

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 29/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Types of Solar Cookers

Direct or focusing type solar cooker
 In these cookers some kind of single or multifacet
solar energy concentrator (parabolic, spherical,
cylindrical, Fresnel) is used which when directed
towards the sun focus the solar radiation on a focal
point or area where a cooking pot or frying pan is
placed. In these cookers the convection heat loss
from cooking vessel is large and the cooker utilizes
only the direct solar radiation.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 30/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Indirect or Box type Solar Cooker

 In these cookers an insulated hot box (square,
rectangular, cylindrical) painted black from inside
and insulated from all sides except window side
which is double glazed is used. Single plane or
multiple plane reflectors are used. Some times
these are also known as oven type solar cookers.
These can be electrical cum solar cookers and
some cookers utilize a kind of latent heat storage
material.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 31/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Advanced type Solar Cooker

 In these cookers, the problem of cooking outdoors
is avoided to some extent. The cookers use either a
flat plate collector, cylindrical (PTC) concentrator,
or a multifacet or large parabolic (mosaic type)
concentrator which collect or focuses the solar heat
and transfers or reflect from a secondary reflector
to the cooking vessel. The cooking in some cases
can either be done with stored heat or the solar heat
is directly transferred to the cooking vessel in the
kitchen.
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 32/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

BOX SOLAR COOKER

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 33/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Parabolic Domestic Solar Cooker

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 34/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Reasons for the non-acceptance of the

solar cookers
 Too expensive for individual family ownership
 Incompatible with traditional cooking practices
 Too complicated to handle
 Cooking can be done only in the direct sun
 Can not cook at night
 Can not cook in cloudy weather
 Can not cook indoors
 Danger of getting burned or eye damage

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 35/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

 Less durable; needs repair or replacement of parts

which are not easily available
 The cooker needs frequent adjustment towards the
sun and exposure of the cooking pot to the blowing
dust and sand effected the food taste
 Easy availability of alternative cooking fuels like wood
and fuel wood
 There is no provision of storing the heat therefore
cooking of food was not possible where there are
clouds or sun is not strong
 No proper education, training and involvement of
women folk

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 36/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Heat for Industrial Processes

• Technical Potential
• 10% of the industrial energy demand
(about 15 EJ) up to about 300°C
• Operational Systems
• Total capacity of about 88 MW th and
about 1,25,000 m2 of solar collector
aperture area (IEA-SHC, 2015).
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 37/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

• Solar Collectors
• Low temperature solar thermal systems
(< 120°C)
• Flat plate collectors (FPC), Evacuated tube
collectors (ETC), etc.
• Medium-high temperature solar thermal
systems
• Parabolic trough collector (PTC), Linear
Fresnel reflector (LFR), Paraboloid dish, etc.
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 38/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Temperature Ranges of Processes

Industrial Sector Process Description Temperature Ranges (°C)
Drying 30-90
Washing 40-80
Pasteurizing 80-110
Food and Beverages
Boiling 95-105
Sterilizing 140-150
Heat Treatment 40-60
Metal treatment Cleaning 60-90
Washing 40-80
Bleaching 60-110
Textile Industry
Dyeing 100-160
Pressing 80-100
Boiling 95-105
Distilling 110-300
Chemical Industry
Processing heat 120-180
Pre-heating water 60-90
Rubber Industry Vulcanization 170
Automobile Cleaning, Process heating, Cooling 60-180
Cooking, drying 60-90
Paper Boiler feed water 60-90
Bleaching 130-150
Thermodifussion beams 80-100
Timber by-products Pre-heating water 60-90
Drying 60-100
Pulp Preparation of pulp 120-170
Bricks and blocks Curing 60-140

Dr. Nishith B. Desai Source: Kalogirou, 2003 39/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Types of Solar
Concentrators

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 40/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Parabolic trough collector

Absorber Tube filled with Sun
Sun Rays
HTF installed at the Focal
incident on the
Point of Parabola
Absorber Tubes

Glass Reflector
Mirror in
Parabolic Shape

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 41 41/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Distribution of CST Installation in India

• CST Installations as on March 2013
(Singhal, 2015)
• No. of Installations: 144
• Aperture Area: 28,000 m2
• Application Wise Break up:
• Cooking: 16,000 m2
• Process heating/cooling: 12,000 m2
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 42/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Dairy Industry
Water-Milk
Pressurized
Water Heat
Circuit Exchanger Milk Circuit
Solar Collector

Pressurized
Water
Storage Pasteurization
Tank Unit

Typical schematic diagram of an integration of solar collector with

pressurized water in milk processing industry (Source: Kedare et al. 2015)

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 43/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Dairy Industry

Boilers
Solar Collector

Common Header
Steam
Separator

Existing Steam
Condensate return Application Area
from tank

Typical schematic diagram of an integration of DSG solar collector with

existing system in milk processing industry (Source: Kedare et al. 2015)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 44/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Dairy Industry

Arun 160 paraboloid Fresnel dish by M/s Clique Developments Ltd., Mumbai,
installed at Mahananda Dairy, Latur, Maharashtra, India (Cliquesolar, 2015)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 45/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Comfort Cooling Applications

Parabolic (Scheffler) dishes for 100 TR solar air-condition system at Muni

Seva Ashram, Gujarat (Source: CEEW, 2014)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 46/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Muni Seva Ashram, Gujarat

• 100 parabolic (Scheffler) dishes
• Temperature of 180°C and converts water to steam
at 8 to 10 kg/cm2 pressure
• A wood fired boiler as backup
• Solar assisted 100 TR of air conditioning
• World’s largest commercially executed solar air
conditioning system using Scheffler concentrators

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 47/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Comfort Cooling Applications

• Pressurized water at 180°C
for the Vapor Absorption
Machine
• Capacity of 40 TR
• 5 m³/hr of the pressurized
hot water
• 2 ARUN dishes

Fresnel paraboloid dish for cooling at Turbo Energy

• The average heat output
Limited (TEL), Paiyanoor, India (Source: Cliquesolar,
2015) about 1,00,000 kcal/hr

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 48/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Comfort Cooling Applications

LFR system from Industrial Solar at Mobile Telecom Networks (MTN) at

Johannesburg (Source: Industrial Solar, 2014)
• 484 m2 of LFR system
• Peak thermal power of 272 kW
• Double effect absorption chiller with a capacity of 330 kW
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 49/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Comfort Cooling Applications

Parabolic Trough by Thermax Ltd., Pune at National Institue of Solar

Energy, MNRE near Delhi (Source: UNDP, 2012)
• 100 kW (about 26 TR) cooling for office space
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 50/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Comfort Cooling Applications

• 354m2 PTC system

• 230 kW double
stage absorption
chiller

PTC system at Cinema Complex in Newcastle, Australia (Source: Nep-Solar, 2015)

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 51/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Chemical Industry

Solar paraboloid dish system by M/s Megawatt Solutions (50 sq.m x 5 dishes)
installed at Synthokem Labs Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad, India
(Source: Tagore and Shah, 2014)
• 2 Lakh kcal/hr from total area 250 m2
• Thermic fluid (oil) heated to the temperature of 280°C
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 52/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Chemical Industry

PTC system at pharmaceutical plant at Cairo (Source: ESTIF, 2014)

• 1.3 t/h of saturated steam at 7.5 bar
• Steam is produced by the reduction of the pressure of
water in the collector loop via a flashing valve
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 53/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Desalination • Solar collector area 1,404

m2
• Desalinating the sea water
by MED system
• Produces 6,000 liters/hour
of desalinated water
• Provides potable water to
7,500 people

LFR system by KGDS Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore for Multiple-
effect distillation at Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India (Source: KGISL, 2013)

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 54/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Large Scale Cooking and Food Industry

Solar steam cooking system at Shri Saibaba Sansthan, Shirdi (Source: MNRE, 2013)
• 73 Scheffler dishes (Aperture area of one dish 16 m2)
• Expected to save around 1,00,000 kg of LPG per year, which is
equivalent to INR 2 million (approx. US$ 35,000)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 55/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND ISSUES IN

SOLAR PROCESS HEAT SYSTEM INTEGRATION
• Load characteristics
• Process controls
• Solar radiation data
• Location of installation
• Heat transfer medium
• Solar concentrator
• Storage
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 56/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Thermal Power Plants

• Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) based Concentrating
Solar Power (CSP) Plants:
• Most commercially applied technology with more than
4000 MWe installed capacity (Operational)
• Working fluid: Thermic Fluid (Therminol VP1, Dowtherm A, etc.)
• Maximum Temperature about 393°C
• Steam Rankine Cycle
• New technologies
• Working fluid: Molten Salt; Direct Steam Generation
(Superheated Steam)
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 57/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Photograph of a PTC Field at 1 MW(e) Solar Thermal Power Plant and

Test Facility by IIT Bombay
at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwal Pahari, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana

Project funded by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 58/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Simplified schematic of conventional HTF-based

HTF SRC 5
PTC power plant
Circuit Circuit
Turbine
2P
6
PTC Field

Evaporator

Condenser
3P

7
1P

HTF Pump Feed Pump

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 59/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Thermal Power Plants

• Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) based CSP Plants:
• Potential for cost reduction
• Working fluid: Water/Steam
• Saturated steam generation
• Steam Rankine Cycle
• New technologies
• Working fluid:
• Molten Salt
• Direct Steam Generation (Superheated Steam)

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 60/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Photograph of a LFR Field at 1 MW(e) Solar Thermal

Power Plant and Test Facility by IIT Bombay
at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwal Pahari, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana

Project funded by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 61/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Reliance solar thermal power plant

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 62/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Simplified schematic of direct steam generating

SRC
LFR-based power plant
5
Circuit
Turbine
Separator
6

2L Solar
Field
Circuit
LFR Field

3L
Condenser

Pump
7

1L

Feed Pump

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 63/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Simplified PFD of 1 MW(e) solar thermal power plant

Pump-II 40 bar, 350°C

High Temp.
Vessel Turbine Generator
13 bar, 390°C 1 MWe

Super heater

44 bar, 256.1°C
PTC Field (Sat. Steam)
(8175m2 ) Steam
3 MWth Generator LFR Field
(7020m2 )
2 MWth
Condenser
Pre-heater
17.5 bar,
232°C Pump-V
Cooling
Water
Pump-IV

Pump-I Low Temp. Deareator Pump-VI

Pump-III
Vessel

Ref. N.B. Desai, S. Bandyopadhyay, J.K. Nayak, R. Banerjee, S.B. Kedare, Energy Procedia, 2014

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 64/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Arial view of 1 MW(e) Solar Thermal Power

Plant and Test Facility by IIT Bombay
at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwal Pahari, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana

Project funded by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 65/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Thermal Power Plants

• Heliostat based CSP Plants:

• Potential for cost reduction
• Working fluid: Water/Steam, Molten Salt, Air
• Steam Rankine Cycle, Brayton cycle

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 66/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Tower – Molten Salt

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 67/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

PS 10 and PS 20 Power Plants

PS 20 power plant
Commissioned in 2009.

Turbine capacity – 20 MW
Tower height – 165 m
Steam condition – 45 bar,
saturated
Heliostat area – 120 m2
Developer – Abengoa
Solar

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 68/83

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS10_solar_p
ower_plant

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Solar Tower Power Plants

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 69/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Ivanpah solar electric generation station

Ivanpah solar power plant

Commissioned – Jan 2014

Unit 1 – 126 MW
Unit 2 and 3 – 133 MW each
Gross total capacity – 392 MW

Steam temperature – 565 Deg C

Turbine steam pressure – 160
bar
Owner – Brightsource energy

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 70/83

http://www.brightsourceenergy
.com/

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Ex 2: 50 MWe Godawari solar thermal power plant in

Rajasthan is designed with solar radiation (direct normal
irradiance – DNI) equals to 600 W/m2. Calculate aperture
area of the solar collector field. Assume the solar collector
field efficiency to be 0.6, the Rankine cycle efficiency to be
0.36, and electrical generator efficiency to be 0.95.
If the aperture area of the solar collector field is
3,00,000 m2, calculate the design point solar radiation
(direct normal irradiance – DNI).

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 71/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

SOLAR POND
 A solar pond is a body of water that collects and
stores solar energy.
 Water warmed by the sun expands and rises as it
becomes less dense. Once it reaches the surface,
the water loses its heat to the air through
convection, or evaporates, taking heat with it.
 The colder water, which is heavier, moves down to
replace the warm water, creating a natural
convective circulation that mixes the water and
dissipates the heat. The design of solar ponds
reduces either convection or evaporation in order to
store the heat collected by the pond.
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 72/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

SOLAR POND
 A solar pond can store solar heat much more
efficiently than a body of water of the same size
because the salinity gradient prevents convection
currents.
 Solar radiation entering the pond penetrates
through to the lower layer, which contains
concentrated salt solution. The temperature in this
layer rises since the heat it absorbs from the
sunlight is unable to move upwards to the surface
by convection. Solar heat is thus stored in the lower
layer of the pond.
Dr. Nishith B. Desai 73/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

SOLAR POND
 The solar pond works on a very simple principle. It
is well-known that once water or air is heated, they
become lighter and rise upward.
 Similarly, in an ordinary pond, the sun’s rays heat
the water and the heated water from within the
pond rises and reaches the top but loses the heat
into the atmosphere. The net result is that the pond
water remains at the atmospheric temperature. The
solar pond restricts this tendency by dissolving salt
in the bottom layer of the pond making it too heavy
to rise.

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 74/83

Non-conventional Energy Sources

Salt gradient solar pond with heat exchanger

Dr. Nishith B. Desai 75/83

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

MAJOR SALT – GRADIENT SOLAR PONDS (in India)

Location Area (m2) Depth Main Objectives Achievements
(m)
Bhavnagar 1210 1.2 Operating Max. Temp. 800C in
(India) experience and 1972. Worked for
behaviour of two years.
materials
Bhavnagar 1600 2.3 Operating Getting heated,
(India) experience and designed to supply 20
applications for kW. Rankine cycle
power production. turbines.
Pondicherry 100 2.0 Experience, Built in 1980.
(India) material behaviour, Problems like
monitoring & leaking, algae growth
modeling. & mineral impurities
were observed.
Bhuj 6000 3.0 Operating Supplying process
(India) experience, material heat to a dairy
behaviour and
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Non-conventional Energy Sources

Asia’s largest solar pond of 6000 m2 area at Bhuj, Gujarat in 1990/91

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Principle of operation of solar chimney

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Non-conventional Energy Sources

Principle of operation of solar chimney

 The energy conversion efficiency of a solar
chimney is inherently low.
 The maximum possible efficiency is given by the
expression (Schlaich et al., 2005):
gH
 max 
C p  Ta
H is the height of the chimney tower
Cp and Ta are the specific heat and ambient
temperature

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 Non-conventional Energy Sources

Ex 3: It is proposed to set up a solar chimney power plant

in Rajasthan with a chimney 300 m high. Calculate the
maximum possible conversation efficiency obtainable with
the chimney. Assume specific heat of air to be 1.005 kJ/kg-
K and ambient temperature to be 32°C.
Also estimate the efficiency of the plant as a whole
and the daily electrical output (in kWh) on a typical
summer month with 6.5 kWh/m2-day radiation, if the solar
collection area of the greenhouse is 50,000 m2. Assume that
the turbine-generator set converts only 50% out of the
maximum available energy into electrical energy and the
collection efficiency of the greenhouse to be 25%.

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References
CEEW (2014) <http://ceew.in/pdf/CEEW-WWF-Renewables-beyond-
Electricity-Report%203Aug14.pdf> accessed 02.04.2015.
Cliquesolar <http://www.cliquesolar.com> accessed 13.03.2015.
ESTIF (2014)
<http://www.estif.org/fileadmin/estif/content/policies/downloads/D23-
solar-industrial-process-heat.pdf>, accessed on 31-03-2015.
ETSAP and IRENA (2015) Solar Heating and Cooling for Residential
Applications, Technology Brief Report,
<http://www.irena.org/menu/index.aspx?mnu=Subcat&PriMenuID=36&C
atID=141&SubcatID=548> accessed 11.03.2015.
IEA-SHC (2015) <http://www.iea-shc.org/> accessed on 04.03.2016.
Industrial Solar (2014) <http://www.industrial-
solar.de/CMS/en/referenzen/dena-solardach-programm/>, accessed on
31-03-2015.

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References
Kalogirou, S. (2003) The potential of solar industrial process heat applications.
Appl. Energy 76, pp. 337–361.
Kedare S.B., Desai N.B., Upadhyay A. (2016) Chapter 2 - Heating Applications
at Low and Medium Temperatures by Solar Energy (eds Saxena P., Garg
H.P., Sastry O.S., Singh S.K.), in Advances in Solar Energy Science and
Engineering, Today & Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi -
110 002, India, Vol. 1, 33–88.
KGISL (2013) <http://solar.kgisl.com> accessed 11.03.2015.
Nep-Solar <http://www.nep-solar.com/projects/process-heat/> accessed 31-03-
2015.
MNRE (2013) <http://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/Sun-Focus_July-Sept-
2013.pdf> accessed 02.04.2015.

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Non-conventional Energy Sources

References
Schlaich, J., Bergermann, R., Schiel, W., Weinrebe, G. (2015). Design of
commercial solar updraft tower systems – Utilisation of solar induced
convective flows for power generation, Journal of Heat Transfer, Trans.
ASME, 127: 117.
Singhal, A.K. (2015) Overview of activities undertaken and achievements made
under CSH project. Sun Focus | January-March, Volume 2, Issue 3, 4–7.
Tagore, M.J, and Shah, S. (2014) Thermic Fluid based System for Processing
Chemicals in Drug Manufacturing Company. Sun Focus | October-
December Issue. pp. 9-11.
UNDP (2012)
<http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/market_development_and
_promotion_of_solar_concentrators_based_project_document.pdf>
accessed on 11.03.2015.

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