Flagsol – Simulation and Analysis of a Parabolic Collector Field as Part of a Solar Thermic Power Plant

 Collaborative project with Prof. Dr. Scheuring,
Institute for Automation & Industrial IT – Cologne University of Applied Sciences

How a solar thermic power plant works:

• A heat-conducting oil is pumped through the solar field. It is heated through concentrated solar radiation.
• This heat is used in a steam generator and a solar-driven super heater to produce hot steam.
• Turbines and generators convert this energy into electrical current.

> How a solar thermic power plant works (Quelle: www.flagsol.com/Technology.htm )

A parabolic chute collector consists of a parabolic collector chute which is equipped with an adjusting mechanism that brings the chute into the best possible alignment with the solar radiation coming in. Thus, the collectors follow the course of the sun from east to west. The collectors reflect and concentrate the direct solar radiation by a factor of approximately 80 onto so-called receivers that are located in the focal plane of the reflectors. A receiver consists of a stainless steel pipe with a special coating and a quartz sheath in order to reduce heat loss. In the ring-shaped space between the absorber and the quartz pipe there is a vacuum. A heat-conducting medium, frequently synthetic oil, that is heated up to just under 400 oC by the concentrated solar radiation, circulates through the absorber pipes.

Typical solar radiation scenarios in summer and winter have been shown in graphic form.

First of all the statical discharge in a single collector was estimated, to get an impression of the hydraulic conditions. Afterwards a dynamical simulation of the whole collector field was effected, while the energy storage was neglected.

Different scenarios of pump control has been tested while these simulation. The terminal forecast devoted approaches, which parameters have to been further analyzed to optimize the plant.