This document summarizes parabolic dish solar thermal power technologies. It discusses different types of power conversion units used with parabolic dishes like gas turbines, direct steam generation, and Stirling engines. Specific technologies are described, including Cummins' parabolic dish with a gas turbine from 1996. The document outlines the main components of parabolic dish systems and provides examples of projects using technologies from companies like SES, Infinia, and Cleanergy.

1. SOLAR THERMAL POWER!
GEEN 4830 – ECEN 5007!
9. Parabolic Dish Technology!
Manuel A. Silva Pérez
!
silva@esi.us.es !

2. Parabolic dish systems
} Combine a paraboloidal concentrator (parabolic dish) with a Power
Conversion Unit (PCU) directly attached to the concentrator
MDAC ('83-'88) Boeing/SES
} Types of PCU (ʻ98-ʼ99)
"
} Gas Turbines Advanco ('82-'85)
"
} Direct Steam Generation
} Stirling Engine SBP/Almeria"
('88-'99)"
SBP/Solo"
Cummins "
('89-'96)
"
SAIC/STM"
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3. Parabolic Dish + Gas Turbine
} Cummings 1996
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4. Parabolic dish - Direct Steam Generation
Dish collector field at Shenandoah, GA
• Industrial process heat project.
• 7 meters diameter,
• aluminized film reflector
Heat from the field was used in a textile plant for air
conditioning and process heat.
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5. Solar Village (Arabia Saudí)
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6. Parabolic dish – Stirling engine experiences
(source: Mancini et al. JSEE 2003)
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7. Parabolic dish – Stirling engine
} High performance
} High concentration ratio
} High temperature
} Modularity
} No water consumption
• High capital costs – Stirling engine and
concentrator
• High O+M costs – H2 refilling, engine
maintenance
10-kW EuroDish
• Durability of the engine
SBP/Solo-PSA"
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8. Dish – Stirling systems. Main elements
} Structure
} Concentrator
} Tracking system
} PCU
} Control
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9. Structure
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10. Structural optical surface
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11. Space frame structures
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12. Stretched membrane
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13. Concentrator
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14. Glass mirror-faceted
} Spherically curved mirrors
} Individually alignable
} Parabolic shaped structure
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15. Full surface paraboloid
} The entire surface forms a paraboloid
} Usually made of a number of ‘petals’
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16. Stretched membrane. Single facet
} Membrane
} Preshaped (vacuum not enough)
} Thin reflective plastic
} Thin metal sheet + reflective surface
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17. Stretched membrane - multifaceted
} Avoid the need for preshaping
} Difficult alignment
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18. Mounting
Pedestal Carrousel
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19. Tracking
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20. Polar tracking
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21. Elevation - azimuth tracking
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22. Receiver
} Absorbs concentrated solar energy and converts it to thermal
energy that heats the working fluid (gas) inside the engine.
} External (low temp.)
} Cavity (high temp.)
} Directly illuminated tubes
} Reflux
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23. Directly illuminated tubes receiver
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24. Reflux receiver
} Intermediate heat transfer fluid
} Decouple receiver and engine
} Pool boiler. The absorber surface is always immersed in a liquid
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25. Reflux receiver
} Heat pipe. A wick draws the liquid metal from a small sump
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26. Stirling Engine
} The Stirling cycle
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27. Stirling engines
} Kinematic
} Free piston
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28. Cleanergy, 10 kW
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29. Performance of Eurodish System
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30. Performance of the Eurodish System
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31. State of the art
} Most efficient solar to electric technology (>30%).
} Pre-commercial experiences
} Increase reliability
} Reduce costs
} Three (four) main manufacturers / systems today
} Tessera Suncatcher (SES) 25 kW
} Cleanergy / SBP Eurodish 10 kW
} Infinia Corp 3 kW
} (Ripaso Energy) 25 kW
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32. SES / Tessera Suncatcher
http://www.tesserasolar.com/
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33. SES / Tessera Solar, Maricopa 1.5 MW

34. Infinia
http://www.infiniacorp.com/
} 3 kW Free piston engine
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35. Infinia
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36. Eurodish
sbp.de
} 10 kW kinematic Stirling engine (SOLO V161)
} 8.5 m diameter concentrator
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37. Projects (Tessera Solar / SES)
} Imperial Valley (Solar 2) | Imperial County, California | San Diego
Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
750MW | Total of 30,000 SunCatcher™ Power Systems.
} Calico (Solar 1) | San Bernardino County, California | Southern
California Edison (SCE)
850MW | Total of 34,000 SunCatcher™ Power Systems.
.
} Western Ranch Solar | West Texas | CPS Energy
27MW |Total of 1,080 SunCatcher™ Power Systems.
} Maricopa Solar | Maricopa County - Peoria, Arizona | Salt River
Project (SRP)
1.5MW |Total of 60 SunCatcher™ Power Systems.
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38. Projects (Infinia)
} Infinia
} 100 kW demo plant,Vllarrobledo, Spain
} 70 MW (2 projects) in Spain
} SD G&E (demonstration projects)
} Cleanergy
} SOLARDIS (5 units x 10 kW)
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39. } Free piston engine.
} http://www.infiniacorp.com/howitworks.html
} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl8iNXsjsbI&feature=fvw
} Tessera /SES
} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-MJrJpW2M0
} Infinia
} http://www.infiniacorp.com/powerdish.html
} Cleanergy
} Eurodish
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