This document discusses solar turbine power plants. It describes how solar energy is captured using collectors and transmitted to a working fluid. Solar turbine plants can use Rankine or Brayton cycles, with Brayton used at higher temperatures. The key elements of solar power plants include collectors, receivers, and turbines. Different types of collectors like low, medium, and high temperature collectors are used to absorb solar energy. Receivers then absorb the heat from collectors to heat a coolant or working fluid. Solar energy can be stored in solar ponds for later use. The advantages of solar turbine plants are that they produce power without pollution, but the disadvantages include intermittent sunshine and the need for large land areas and heat storage systems.

1. SOLAR TURBINE PLANTS
By
Sujitkumar patel (14me089)
CHAMOS Matrusanstha department of Mechanical Engineering
CHARUSAT
not for publication 1

2. INTRODUCTION
 A Solar thermal power plants works on solar energy received from solar
radiation through collectors.
 The radiant energy from the sun is captured by solar collectors and transmitted
for suitable working fluid
 A solar turbine employs Rankine cycle in lower temperature range and Brayton
cycle in high temperature range
 Earth receives 1.783*10^14 KJ solar energy per second.
 Sunshine available for long hours in tropical countries like India.
 Blythe solar power project (California) working on solar turbine plants.
not for publication 2

3. ELEMENTS OF SOLAR POWER PLANT
not for publication 3

4. RANKINE CYCLE POWER PLANT
not for publication 4

5. BRAYTON CYCLE POWER PLANTS
not for publication 5

6. SOLAR COLLECTORS
 Any surface which receives solar radiation and transmits it to a
receiver or absorber is a collector of solar energy
 Types of collectors:
1. Low temperature collectors
2. Medium temperature collectors
3. High temperature collectors
not for publication 6

7. LOW TEMPERATURE COLLECTORS
 Here solar radiation is received by
bank of tubes mounted on a black
metallic absorber plate.
 In these collectors large surface for
collecting both direct and diffuse
radiation can be obtained without
employing any suntracking
mechanism.
 Energy losses in these collectors
are mainly due to heat losses by
conduction,convection and
radiation.
not for publication 7

8. MEDIUM TEMPERATURE COLLECTORS
 For absorbing heat at higher
temp. solar radiation is
directed on the receiver by
concentrating devices.
 Concentration ratio
=area of concentrator/receiver
surface area
=Ac/Ar
not for publication 8

9. MEDIUM TEMPERATURE COLLECTORS
not for publication 9

10. MEDIUM TEMPERATURE COLLECTORS
 Optical efficiency=Qr/Qc
Where ,
Qc=Ic*Ac
 Collector efficiency=Qu/Qc
Qu=Qr-losses
not for publication 10

11. HIGH TEMPERATURE COLLECTORS
 These are concentrating
collectors which can produce
receiver temperature above
350 degree.
 They require accurate sun
tracking by employing large
number of heliostats
not for publication 11

12. Heliostats
 On account of the changing position of sun every
day during the year, the solar radiation can
neither be collected nor directed on the receiver
properly in a fixed collector receiver system.
 A collector which continuously tracks the sun is
called heliostat.
 The concentration ratio obtained by employing n
heliostats.
 The position of the individual heliostats in the
field, besides other factors,depends upon
geographical location of the place.
not for publication 12

13. SOLAR RECEIVERS
 The receiver absorbs the heat from the solar radiation flux transmitted by the
collector.
 The coolent or primary fluid can be heated to high temperatures.
 Majority of receivers for solar turbine power plants are located on high stands or
towres for receiving radiation flux from collectors.
 Types of collectors
1. External receivers
2. Cavity receivers
3. Tubular receivers
not for publication 13

14. External receivers
 In this type of receiver the tubes carrying the primary fluid or working fluid are
provided on the external surface of the vertical body.
 On account of the configuration of the external receivers large arrays of
heliostats around them can be employed to transmit the solar radiation flux on
the coolant tubes.
not for publication 14

15. Cavity receivers
 Here solar energy is supplied
to the coolant tubes , which
are mounted on the inside
surface of a large enclosure.
 Since a large number of
coolants tubes have to be
accommodated inside the
cavity.
not for publication 15

16. Tubular receivers
 It consists of a row of coaxial
tubes as shown in fig.
 The outer tube is made from
transparent material which
receives solar radiation.
 Heat losses are further
reduced by providing proper
insulation
not for publication 16

17. Central receiver system
not for publication 17

18. Distributed receiver system
not for publication 18

19. Solar energy storage
not for publication 19

20. Solar ponds
 A solar pond is a large water body which is employed to receive solar energy through
collected by its suface.it is a collector receiver system built into it.
 The temperature in a water body surface is exposed to solar radiation is higher at the
surface and lower at the bottom.
 The hot layer of water nearer the bottom acts as sensible heat storage. heat is
extracted from this layer by pumping hot brine to the evaporator of the plants.
not for publication 20

21. Solar ponds
not for publication 21

22. Solar turbines
 The section brings together the role and performance of thr various components
of the solar turbine power plants in terms of the turbine output and efficiency of
plant.
 The solar turbine output, along with the net efficiency of the plant,effects of
collector receiver size and the land area required.these factors determines the
capital cost of plant.
 The selection of working fluid and coolant are also important because they
decide the major design parameters of the components of the plant.
not for publication 22

23. Solar turbines
not for publication 23

24. Net efficiency
 Graph shows the variations of the
efficiencies of the collectors and
turbine plants.
 The thermal efficiency of plant
increases with the inlet temp. of the
working fluid .
 In some temperature range the gain
in thermal efficiency due to higher
fluid temp. is offset by the
significantly lower collector
efficiency.
not for publication 24

25. Advantages
 Fuel cost is zero.
 No extraction of fuel and transportation is required.
 No fuel processing is needed
 Power produced by without environmental pollution.
 With energy storage systems can be used in special situations
when other power plants are not available.
 Solar power plants can be easily operate in remote places like
islands.
not for publication 25

26. disadvantages
 Availability of sunshine is not continuous.
 For continuous power supply large heat storage system is needed
 Collection of solar energy produces large areas of shadows which
can create ecological problems.
 Expensive sun tracking system is required.
 Overall efficiencies of solar turbine power plant is low.
not for publication 26