CSP Overall Pic

CSP (Power Tower System)
P.1 (COMPLETE FLOWCHART AND OPERATION)

MAJOR UNITS
1. Solar Energy Collection- The solar field is the area where sunlight is collected and
concentrated. It comprises many mirrors, called heliostats that track the sun and reflect
its light onto a central receiver.
2. Thermal Energy Storage- Thermal energy storage (TES) is a critical component of CSP
systems. It allows them to store heat generated during the daytime and use it to
generate electricity around the clock, even when the sun is not shining.
3. Thermal Power Generation Unit- The power generation system is the component of CSP that
converts thermal energy into electricity. This can be done using various technologies,
including steam turbines, gas turbines, and Stirling engines.
Components of Solar Energy Collection and Thermal Energy Storage Units
1. irradiation concentrator
2. receiver
3. thermal storage
4. evaporator
Components of Thermal Power Generation Unit

1. turbine
2. power generator
3. control of the power cycle
4. electricity system
5. water treatment
6. supply system

Figure 1. Overall Process Flowchart of CSP

More than 10,000 tracking mirrors called Heliostats reflect and concentrate sunlight to a
Receiver which is a heat exchanger found at the top of a 550 ft tower. Within a receiver, fluid flows
through the piping that forms the external walls. This fluid absorbs the heat from the concentrated
sunlight. In this kind of technology, the fluid used is the molten salt (heated from 500 to 1000 deg
fahrenheit). After passing through the receiver, the molten salt then flows down the piping going to the
thermal storage tank (energy is stored as high temp molten salt until electricity is needed, up to 10 to 16
hours of storage). This technology utilized liquid molten salt as both the energy collection and storage
mechanism. The high temp molten salt flows then into the steam generator as water piped in from the
water storage tank to generate the steam. Once the hot molten salt is used to create steam, the cool
molten salt is then piped back into the cold salt storage tank where it will then flow back up the receiver
to be reheated as the process continues. After the steam is used to drive a steam turbine, it is
condensed back to water and returned to the water holding tank where it will flow back into the steam
generator when needed. The result is a high quality superheated steam to drive the standard steam
turbine at maximum efficiency to generate electricity during peak demand hours.
P.2 (IMPORTANT ASPECTS RELATED TO ITS OPERATION)

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Systems
A major drawback of solar power is its inconsistency during a given time period. For instance, clouds
shielding the sunlight inhibits generation of power from solar energy. Therefore, integrating the
concentrated solar power plant with thermal energy storage system is a neat trick to counter this problem.
Similar to other most energy systems, the (excess ) heat energy is stored during bright sunshine and
released when solar intensity is negligible or not available.
There are three types of thermal energy storage systems:
 Sensible Heat Storage

 Latent Heat Storage
 Thermo-Chemical Heat Storage
Sensible Heat Storage
During energy storage, heat energy is stored by increasing the temperature of the storage material. On
the other hand, heat is extracted from the material by lowering the material’s temperature to generate
electricity.
However, the material does not undergo any phase change. In other words, the material does not transit
between either of the three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas. Since the process does not involve
phase change, engineers desire materials with high specific capacity, energy density and thermal
conductivity which is also a drawback of this type. More importantly, the entire process without any
change in the chemistry of the storage material.
Solid materials used in sensible heat storage provide high thermal conductivity at low cost (0.05 – 5
$/kg). They also provide a wide range of temperature for the heating process (200 – 1200 °C). Concrete
and ceramics are popular choices.
While solid have their advantages, liquid storage materials dominate the industry. Molten salts like solar
salt and HitecXL are the two most common examples. As the name suggests, the salts though solid at
room temperature (25 °C), are melted into liquids when subjected to elevated temperatures. Moreover,
molten salts are not toxic and thermally stable.
Not leaving out the third state of matter to fend for itself, some concentrated solar plants use gaseous
materials like compressed air or steam. Although the materials are economical and offer a large range of
operating temperature, they have a low thermal conductivity and energy density when compared to the
liquid or solid materials.
Latent Heat Storage
In latent heat storage, the heat energy is stored/extracted when the storage material undergoes a phase
changes at constant temperature. Simply put, when the material melts/solidifies/evaporates/condenses, it
either releases or stores the supplied heat energy.
Like sensible heat storage, it is also a pure physical process with no change in the chemistry of the
material. These materials are known as phase change materials (PCM). Because the materials
store/release during phase change, they enable energy exchange in a narrow range of temperature and
exhibit higher energy densities.
However, the major disadvantage is their low thermal conductivity leading to extremely slow rates of
transition between phases. To tackle the problem, designers mix additives like graphite to increase the
thermal conductivity and vary depending on the amount added.
While better options like materials made of metal alloys are available, they are expensive. As the saying
goes, “there is no free lunch!”
Thermo-Chemical Heat Storage
Unlike the previous two thermal energy storage systems, a reversible endothermic chemical reaction
consumes the solar energy. Since a chemical reaction occurs, the newly formed products store the solar
energy. When these new products convert back into the original reactants, they release he stored solar
energy.
Photosynthesis-respiration pair is a great example of thermo-chemical heat storage. On one side,

photosynthesis uses solar (although not the infrared range) energy to produce starch (food) and oxygen.
On the other side, respiration breaks down the same food in the presence of oxygen to release energy
and carbon dioxide. Like I said, sun is the source of all energy forms on earth!
Similar to the photosynthesis-respiration pair, metallic hydrides, carbonate systems, hydroxide systems,
etc. convert the sun’s heat energy (infrared range) into chemical energy for further use. Depending on the
reaction, the products may cause unwanted problems like unusually slow reaction rate. Moreover, some
of the reactions may require a catalyst (an external stimulus) to execute the reaction.
Integrating Thermal Energy Storage with Concentrated Solar Power

Now that we have discussed both the concepts individually, in this section we shall see how they bring
out the best of each other. Depending on whether the storage materials can flow (move), the integration
process broadly is divided into two categories – active and passive systems.
Active Systems
Well, they are active because the storage material flows to absorb and release the heat by convection. As
you may have already guessed by now, the storage material is typically a liquid. Gases are not a popular
choice. The two sub-divisions within active systems are – direct and indirect systems.
 Direct Systems – In direct systems, the storage medium also plays the role of the heat transfer
fluid (HTF) or working fluid. During heat absorption, the fluid is directly stored in the hot tank.
During heat release and power generation, the fluid passes through a power system which
extracts the heat and then flows into a cooling tank for reuse. Fig 3 (a) is a flowchart depicting an
active direct system. Although this system does not require a heat exchanger, choice of the right
storage material is crucial. For example, molten salts meet the requirements of a good heat
transfer fluid as well as that of a good storage material.
 Indirect Systems – Unlike direct systems, the heat transfer fluid and the storage material are not
the same in indirect systems. As shown in Fig 3 (b), during heat absorption stage, the storage
material from the cold tank flows into the heat exchanger for indirect heating and stored in the
hot tank. To release heat and generate power, the flow direction of storage material is reversed.
Passive Systems
In contrast to the active systems, the storage material, often a solid, is stationary. A heat transfer
fluid releases/absorbs the heat to/from the storage material. The choice of the fluid varies with the type of
thermal energy system used in concentration solar power plants. However, a fluid with high thermal
conductivity is always a requirement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, concentrated solar power plants/systems work on two basic principles – how much of the
sun’s heat can the external mirrors capture and how much of the captured heat can the thermal energy
storage system deliver for power generation.
Hence, the effective output energy is a product of the two parts. Although the technology has not matured
yet, it as the potential to transform arid regions where sun is the dominant source of energy.
Additionally, there are hybrid systems that use both, concentrated solar power and its thermal energy
storage as well as the photovoltaic solar panels and its battery technology to tap into the visible and
infrared range simultaneously. Exciting times ahead!

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CSP (Power Tower System)

P.1 (COMPLETE FLOWCHART AND OPERATION)

Components of Thermal Power Generation Unit

Figure 1. Overall Process Flowchart of CSP

P.2 (IMPORTANT ASPECTS RELATED TO ITS OPERATION)

There are three types of thermal energy storage systems:

 Sensible Heat Storage

Sensible Heat Storage

Latent Heat Storage

Thermo-Chemical Heat Storage

Photosynthesis-respiration pair is a great example of thermo-chemical heat storage. On one side,

Integrating Thermal Energy Storage with Concentrated Solar Power

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