Bulk Solids Handling Fundamentals

Identifying the lines or equipment that handle solids in a chemical plant is easy: they\u27re the ones with all the hammer marks. Although chemical engineers possess the education and experience to design or recommend systems for handling liquids and gases, their training on the principles that describe the flow of bulk solids is sometimes lacking in comparison. This seminar will discuss how the fundamental properties of bulk solids, including cohesive strength, wall friction, permeability, and compressibility, can be used to predict if and how bulk materials will flow and how to design systems for reliable flow

An Assessment of the Net Value of CSP Systems Integrated with Thermal Energy Storage

AbstractWithin this study, we evaluate the operational and capacity value—or total system value—for multiple concentrating solar power (CSP)plant configurations under an assumed 33% renewable penetration scenario in California. We calculate the first-year bid price for two CSP plants, including a 2013 molten-salt tower integrated with a conventional Rankine cycle and a hypothetical 2020 molten-salt tower system integrated with an advanced supercritical carbon-dioxide power block. The overall benefit to the regional grid, defined in this study as the net value, is calculated by subtracting the first-year bid price from the total system value.Re--sults of this study indicate a positive net value for a variety of scenarios, depending on technology assumptions and assumed values for natural gas price and tax incentives. We provide results for the 2013 and 2020 CSP configurations as a function of thermal energy storage capacity and solar field size. We provide a sensitivity of these results to natural gas price, which influence the operation value and thus the total system value. We also investigate the sensitivity of the net value to current and anticipated tax incentives

Optimal coupling of waste and concentrated solar for the constant production of electricity over a year

[EN]In this paper a biogas-based Brayton cycle is integrated with a concentrated solar power facility. The gas turbine hot flue gas and the molten salts are used to generate steam for the regenerative Rankine cycle. The process model is solved as a non-linear optimization problem within a multiperiod scheme to decide on the contribution of the energy resources and the operating conditions of the facility to meet a certain demand of power over a year mitigating the absence of solar availability. The steam turbine is responsible for power production while the gas turbine works mainly as a combustion chamber. In the South of Spain an excess of biogas is available during summer yielding a production cost of electricity of 0.17€/kWh with an investment of 380 M€ for a production facility of 25MW. This plant is not yet economic

Modeling the Impact of State and Federal Incentives on Concentrating Solar Power Market Penetration

This paper presents methodology and results from the Regional Energy Deployment System Model (ReEDS) examining the ability of concentrating solar power (CSP), other renewables, and electricity storage to contribute to the U.S. electric sector

Line-Focus Solar Power Plant Cost Reduction Plan

Line-focus solar collectors, in particular parabolic trough collectors, are the most mature and proven technology available for producing central electricity from concentrated solar energy. Because this technology has over 25 years of successful operational experience, resulting in a low perceived risk, it is likely that it will continue to be a favorite of investors for some time. The concentrating solar power (CSP) industry is developing parabolic trough projects that will cost billions of dollars, and it is supporting these projects with hundreds of millions of dollars of research and development funding. While this technology offers many advantages over conventional electricity generation -- such as utilizing plentiful domestic renewable fuel and having very low emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants -- it provides electricity in the intermediate power market at about twice the cost of its conventional competitor, combined cycle natural gas. The purpose of this document is to define a set of activities from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2016 that will make this technology economically competitive with conventional means

Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario

This analysis evaluates CSP with TES in a scenario where California derives 33% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. It uses a commercial grid simulation tool to examine the avoided operational and capacity costs associated with CSP and compares this value to PV and a baseload generation with constant output. Overall, the analysis demonstrates several properties of dispatchable CSP, including the flexibility to generate during periods of high value and avoid generation during periods of lower value. Of note in this analysis is the fact that significant amount of operational value is derived from the provision of reserves in the case where CSP is allowed to provide these services. This analysis also indicates that the 'optimal' configuration of CSP could vary as a function of renewable penetration, and each configuration will need to be evaluated in terms of its ability to provide dispatchable energy, reserves, and firm capacity. The model can be used to investigate additional scenarios involving alternative technology options and generation mixes, applying these scenarios within California or in other regions of interest

Solar Energy Generation in Three Dimensions

We formulate, solve computationally and study experimentally the problem of collecting solar energy in three dimensions(1-5). We demonstrate that absorbers and reflectors can be combined in the absence of sun tracking to build three-dimensional photovoltaic (3DPV) structures that can generate measured energy densities (energy per base area, kWh/m2) higher by a factor of 2-20 than stationary flat PV panels, versus an increase by a factor of 1.3-1.8 achieved with a flat panel using dual-axis sun tracking(6). The increased energy density is countered by a higher solar cell area per generated energy for 3DPV compared to flat panel design (by a factor of 1.5-4 in our conditions), but accompanied by a vast range of improvements. 3DPV structures are steadier sources of solar energy generation at all latitudes: they can double the number of peak power generation hours and dramatically reduce the seasonal, latitude and weather variations of solar energy generation compared to a flat panel design. Self-supporting 3D shapes can create new schemes for PV installation and the increased energy density can facilitate the use of cheaper thin film materials in area-limited applications. Our findings suggest that harnessing solar energy in three dimensions can open new avenues towards Terawatt-scale generation.Comment: 40 pages, 16 pages paper (3 figures), 24 pages supplementary information (7 figures). Energy and Environmental Science (2012, Published on-line

Renewable Energy

This chapter presents an in-depth examination of major renewable energy technologies, including their installed capacity and energy supply in 2009 , the current state of market and technology development, their economic and financial feasibility in 2009 and in the near future, as well as major issues they may face relative to their sustainability or implementation. Renewable energy sources have been important for humankind since the beginning of civilization. For centuries, biomass has been used for heating, cooking, steam generation, and power production; solar energy has been used for heating and drying; geothermal energy has been used for hot water supplies; hydropower, for movement; and wind energy, for pumping and irrigation. For many decades renewable energy sources have also been used to produce electricity or other modern energy carriers