Full scale experimental study of a small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Li, Xiaoxiao; Duniam, Sam; Guan, Zhiqiang; Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.02.032

Cited by 49 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These measurements are further indications for the airflow direction in the windward area being from inside to outside, with air being sucked out of the cooling tower by the crosswind. As reported in our previous research, the start-up time of this cooling tower is about 30 minutes [40]. However, Figure 5-8 shows that the air vortex being formed at the very beginning of the test before the natural draft develops.…”

Section: Hot Air Recirculationmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…In our previous research, we analysed the ambient temperature effect on the performance of the sCO2 power cycle. The detailed system modelling method and assumptions are presented in literature [40].…”

Section: Crosswind Effect On the Performance Of The Power Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to their low maintenance cost and simple structures, natural draft dry cooling towers (NDDCT) offer a feasible and cost effective option for such applications [5,6,25,40]. In a NDDCT, air acts as the cooling medium.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in air temperature, air humidity, crosswind, rain, snow, hail and the solar radiation all affect the performance of a natural draft cooling tower [4]. Moreover, the crosswind speeds and directions are rarely constant [40]. Therefore, it is expensive and time consuming to obtain sufficient data that will help the researcher isolate the effect of the crosswind from amongst a range of continuously varying conditions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fahmy and Nabih [166] investigated the impact of ambient air temperature and the heat load variation on the performance of air-cooled heat exchangers in a LNG plant. Li et al [40,73] tested the performance of a 20-m tall NDDCT under different ambient conditions and then validated with the numerical model. Kroger et al [4,76] summarized the performance of several industrial cooling towers under windy conditions and discussed the effect of heat exchanger arrangement and wind-break walls on the performance of NDDCT subjected crosswind.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

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The typically arid climates in the likely locations for renewable thermal power plants such as Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) power plants provide the motivation for dry cooling technology applications. Natural draft dry cooling tower (NDDCT) with low maintenance cost and no parasitic power consumption offers a feasible and cost effective option for such applications. Compared with the conventional coal fired and nuclear power plants, the size of the CST power plant proposed for Australian regional communities is much smaller. However, the existing cooling tower design is optimised for large steam power plants, and is not optimal for these renewable power plants. (2) The performance of the experimental tower was tested at two constant heat loads of 600 kW and 840 kW, respectively, with various ambient temperatures. The 1D numerical model was refined and validated with the experimental data. The thermodynamic model of a 1 MW CST power plant running with sCO2 cycle was developed and integrated with the updated cooling tower model. Significant differences were observed between the steam Rankine and sCO2 cycles in terms of the effect of the ambient temperature on power generation. The differences between steam Rankine and sCO2 Brayton cycle in this context were analysed and discussed.(3) Two potential cooling issues with small NDDCT, the crosswind and the cold inflow, were identified and the detail experimental data were presented. The crosswind effect on small cooling tower is different from the conventional big cooling towers. With the increase of the crosswind speed, the overall cooling performance of the small NDDCT first decreases and then increases. The mixed convection theory and the Richardson Number were proposed to explain this phenomenon. On the other hand, repeated cold inflow events were observed during the tests, which cause a significant decrease of the air temperature inside the cooling tower. The water outlet temperature can be increased up to 3°C as a result of the cold inflow effect. Further analysis of the mechanism shows that the cold air incursion at the top of the cooling tower could decrease the driving force and also form an extra flow resistance for the airflow through the heat exchanger.(4) Based on the working mechanism of the air-cooled heat exchanger and the crosswind effect on NDDCT, this study proposed a new method to increase the cooling performance of NDDCT under crosswind conditions by optimizing the water mass flow rate in the air-cooled heat exchangers. By optimising the water distribution, the water outlet temperature of each heat exchanger is more uniform and the adversely influence of the crosswind can be effectively relieved.The findings in this paper can lay an important foundation for future small cooling tower design and operation.

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Section: Hot Air Recirculationmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Crosswind Effect On the Performance Of The Power Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

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Review of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) based heating and cooling technologies: Past, present, and future outlook

2019

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Summary Refrigerants bearing high global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depletion potential (ODP) were outlawed or facing time‐beared permission under the Montreal (1987), Kyoto (1997) protocols, F‐Gas law (2015), Paris Accord (2016), and recent Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol (2019). In order to modify followed by the paradigm shift of existing heating and cooling systems, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air‐Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) envisaged natural and synthetic refrigerants (Synrefs) are under investigation globally. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a popular natural refrigerant (Natref) replacing Synrefs used in commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems globally. A rampant rise is observed in markets of Asia (Japan and China), North America (the United States and Canada), the Australian continent, and Africa (South Africa) by reaching 20 000 CO2‐stores around the globe. The European markets are leading the utilization of CO2 in the heat pump, and refrigeration, CO2 based markets estimate 14% of the total food retail stores (400 m2). Japan is the second leading market of CO2 heat pump and refrigeration with more than 10 200 CO2 condensing units. CO2 transcritical systems have a share of more than 10% in only European market (large stores); however, their share is less than 10% of total stores in other major markets of the world. New pump and compressor‐driven transcritical CO2 systems integrate ejectors, condensers, and booster systems to reduce energy consumptions, enhance efficiency, efficacy, and coefficient of performance. This article reports a critical review of the CO2 based heating, cooling, and refrigeration system and presents updated literature along with barriers and challenges on commercial use of Natref‐based heating and cooling applications worldwide.

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Lazy Plume Stack Effect Above Chimneys

Chu

2021

Cold Inflow-Free Solar Chimney

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Full scale experimental study of a small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Cited by 49 publications

References 27 publications

Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Review of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) based heating and cooling technologies: Past, present, and future outlook

Lazy Plume Stack Effect Above Chimneys

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Full scale experimental study of a small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Cited by 49 publications

References 27 publications

Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Numerical and experimental study of small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Review of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) based heating and cooling technologies: Past, present, and future outlook

Lazy Plume Stack Effect Above Chimneys

Contact Info

Product

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Review of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) based heating and cooling technologies: Past, present, and future outlook