A Review Study on the Modeling and Simulation of Solar Tower Power Plants

Abstract

Much attention has been paid to concentrating solar power technologies (CSP) in the last two decades. Among the CSP that have been developed so far are the parabolic trough, the parabolic dish, the Fresnel collectors and the solar tower. However, the most widely used of these technologies is the solar tower power plant (STPP). This review aims to summarize the state-of-the-art modeling approaches used to simulate the performances and the reliability of the STPP. The review includes the different analytical and numerical models used in literature to predict the thermal efficiency of these STPP. A general description and comparison of different CSP technologies are first provided. An overview of STPP technology, current status and a presentation of the major components including the heliostat field and the solar receiver are then highlighted. The different research works, developed on the modeling and simulation of the STPP performances and reliability, are also investigated in this review. In summary, this work presents a comprehensive review of the existing numerical and analytical models and could serve as a guideline to develop new models for future trends in solar tower power plants.

A review study on solar tower using different heat transfer fluid

“…Let's suppose one of the other receiver fluids is used. In that case, the fluid's thermal energy must first be con verted to water/steam via heat exchangers before being used to generate electricity in the turbine generator [5]. However, there is some issue related to using water as HTF as its corrosive nature and working temperature limits.…”

“…Molten salts are one of the HTF used in solar power tower plants, not only to transfer the ISSN 2664-9969 thermal energy to the power cycle but also to store the energy and use it at night or on cloudy days to increase the efficiency of the plant. Sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and/or lithium nitrate are the most common components of molten salt [5]. A tabular receiver is the type of receiver used when molten salt is the HTF [22].…”

“…As a result, it is critical to make use of renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy [1][2][3]. In 2014, according to the international energy agency (IEA), solar thermal plants will provide about 11 % of the world's electricity demand in 2050 [4] as cited in [5][6][7][8]. As shown in Fig.…”

Recent Advancements in High-Temperature Solar Particle Receivers for Industrial Decarbonization

“…Presently, the central receiver technology mostly uses molten nitrate salts as heat transfer fluids, but due to the chemical instability of these salts, their operation is limited to temperatures below 600 • C [54]. Table 1 provides a summary of the most commonly used molten salts and their stable temperature ranges [55][56][57]. These salts become chemically unstable above 600 • C, resulting in the production of corrosive oxide ions, and can cause excessive loss of heat transfer fluid [54,58].…”

“…Furthermore, chemical instability at higher temperatures limits the use of CST technology for different industrial processes, such as the calcination process, which requires an operating temperature of ~1000 • C. Table 1. A summary of the most commonly used molten salts and their stable working temperature ranges [55][56][57].…”