Thermodynamic and techno-economic analysis of a direct thermal oil vaporization solar power system

Li, Pengcheng; Ye, Jing; Li, Jing; Wang, Yandong; Jiang, Xiaobin; Qian, Tongle; Pei, Gang; Liu, Xunfen

Abstract

A unique direct thermal oil vaporization solar power system employing cascade organic-steam Rankine cycle is proposed. The oil is a mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide, and it is used for heat transfer, storage and power cycle fluid in the novel system. Stable electricity output and prolonged storage capacity can be facilitated. In the rated mode, the oil is vaporized at 390 °C in the collectors and drives a top turbine. The exhaust heat is used for preheating and evaporating water of the bottom cycle. Meanwhile, the hot oil in a high-temperature tank (HTT) superheats and reheats the generated steam. When the irradiation is insufficient, the heat released by the oil from the HTT to a low-temperature tank drives the bottom cycle. Fundamentals, thermodynamic performance and techno-economic feasibility are elaborated. The results indicate that, compared with the mainstream dual-tank solar power systems, the proposed system has a higher thermal efficiency with a lower water evaporation temperature (42.90% at 260 °C vs. 38.06% at 310 °C) and a larger temperature drop between the two tanks (121 °C vs. 100 °C). The equivalent payback time with respect to the top oil cycle is less than 3 years.

Citation

Li, P., Ye, J., Li, J., Wang, Y., Jiang, X., Qian, T., Pei, G., & Liu, X. (2023). Thermodynamic and techno-economic analysis of a direct thermal oil vaporization solar power system. Energy, 282, Article 128963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.128963

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 29, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Aug 31, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 27, 2023
• Journal: Energy
• Print ISSN: 0360-5442
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 282
• Article Number: 128963
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.128963
• Keywords: Solar thermal power generation; Subcritical steam rankine cycle; Thermal oil; Organic rankine cycle; Equivalent heat-to-power efficiency
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4388663