1. LAB-SCALE SOLAR THERMAL
POWER PLANT
Concept, Design, Simulation & Fabrication
Project Advisor:
Cdr. Shafiq
Dr. Sohail Zaki
Project Members:
Syed Mohammed Umair
Sulaiman Dawood Barry
Saad Ahmed Khan
Arsalan Qasim

2. Scope of Project
• To harness solar energy
• Selected DSG after comparison of various
options

3. Objectives
• To design and fabricate a lab scale solar
thermal power plant and generate about 40W
power
• To demonstrate the principle of DSG using
solar power

4. Energy Crisis In Pakistan
• Problems due to use of fossil fuels:
 Crude oil is very expensive. Prices had once crossed over
$140 per barrel
 Rising oil prices lead to inflation
 Oil embargo can cripple Pakistan economy

5. Energy Crisis In Pakistan
• Problems due to use of fossil fuels:
 In year 2006, Pakistan imported crude worth 6.7 Billion
Dollars (Dawn News)
 To finance such a purchase, loans from IMF are needed.
This increases debt burden.

6. Cost Of Energy In Pakistan

7. Possible Solution
• These problems can be reduced greatly by utilizing
RENEWABLE ENERGY and SOLAR POWER IN PARTICULAR.
• Pakistan has vast tracts of desert regions which receive large
quantities of solar flux throughout the year.

8. Power Generation Methods Using
Parabolic Troughs
 Steam heated with a heat transfer fluid.
 Steam heated directly by solar radiation.
 Combined cycle power generation using both solar and
fossil fuel.

9. Electric Generation Using
Heat Transfer Fluid
 Uses parabolic troughs in order to
produce electricity from sunlight
They are long parallel rows of
curved glass mirrors focusing the
sun’s energy on an absorber pipe
located along its focal line.
These collectors track the sun by
rotating around a north–south axis.

10. Electric Generation Using
Heat Transfer Fluid
 The HTF (oil) is circulated through the
pipes.
Under normal operation the heated
HTF leaves the collectors with a
specified collector outlet temperature
and is pumped to a central power plant
area.

11. Electric Generation Using
Heat Transfer Fluid
 The HTF is passed through several
heat exchangers where its energy is
transferred to the power plant’s
working fluid (water or steam)
The heated steam is used to drive a
turbine generator to produce electricity
and waste heat is rejected.

12. Electric Generation Using
Direct Steam Generation
 The collectors reflect heat from
the sun onto the receiver.
Working fluid in the receiver is
converted into steam
After flowing through the super
heater the high pressure steam is
fed into the turbine/engine
The fluid passes through the
condenser back to the feed water
tank where the cycle begins again

13. Electric Generation Using
Combined Cycle
Hybrid system with a gas-fired
turbine and a solar field
Solar energy heats creates steam
at daytime while fossil fuel used at
night and peak time
The running cost of the fuel will
be reduced due to lesser fuel
input.

14. Our Selection
Weighing all the advantages and
disadvantages we have decided to select
Direct Steam Generation
method as our project

15. Selection of Working Fluid
Efficiency for Same Working Pressure (140 kPa) for different working
fluids in an Ideal Rankine Cycle
0.04
0.035
0.03
0.025
Efficiency
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0
Steam R11 R113 R123 R134a R22 n-pentane
Working Fluids

16. Selection of Working Fluid
• Water
– Cheap abundant supply
– Non toxic
– Non flammable
– Close cycle not necessary for operation

17. Cycle Selection
Efficiency Vs Boiler Pressure
0.07
0.06
0.05
Efficiency
0.04 Closed Cycle
0.03
Open Cycle
0.02
0.01
0
102 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230
Boiler Pressure
Closed Cycle Open Cycle
Pressure (kPa) 101 101
Pump Inlet Quality 0.1 N/A
Pump Temperature (°C) N/A 25

18. Schematic

19. Design Constraints
• Temperature is 15 K superheat
– Conserve engine life
– Demonstrate the principle
• Pressure 140 kPa
– Limitation of overhead tank
– Unavailability of Low Flow rate pumps

20. Design Constraints
• Black nickel electroplating
– Solar selective coating
– Easily available
• Tube Length 1.6 meter
– Test on existing parabola
– Unavailability of Larger electroplating setup

21. Design Approach

22. Design Approach

23. Design Approach

24. Design Approach

25. Super-heater Surface Temperature against its Length
1800
1600
1400
Surface Temperature (°C)
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1 0.11
Superheater Length (m)

26. Boiler Analysis
Heat Transfer Coefficient Vs Water Level
14
Steam
Heat Transfer Co-efficients W/m2-K
12
Water
10
8
DANGEROUS!!!
6
4
2
Steam
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Water
SAFER TO OPERATE

27. Boiler Analysis
Reynolds Number Vs Water Level
2600
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

28. Boiler Analysis
Entry Length of Thermal Bondary
Layer Vs Water Level
3
Entry Length of Thermal Bondary Layer (m)
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

29. Boiler Analysis
Boiling Regime: Nucleate
Safe Operation

30. Heat Loss Analysis
1.4
1.2
1
Total Heat Loss (kW)
0.8 0 m/s
1 m/s
0.6 2 m/s
3 m/s
4 m/s
0.4
5 m/s
0.2
0
0.02
0.05
0.08
0.11
0.14
0.17
0.2
0.23
0.26
0.29
0.32
0.35
0.38
0.41
0.44
0.47
0.5
0.53
Length of Superheater (m)

31. Boiler Heat Loss Comparison
0.8
0.7
0.6
Heat Loss (kW)
0.5
0.4
Bare Tube
Glass Tube
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Wind Velocity (m/s)

32. Super-heater Heat Loss Comparison
0.7
0.6
0.5
Heat Loss (kW)
0.4
2 m/s bare
0.3 2 m/s glass
5 m/s Bare
5 m/s glass
0.2
0.1
0
0.02
0.05
0.08
0.11
0.14
0.17
0.2
0.23
0.26
0.29
0.32
0.35
0.38
0.41
0.44
0.47
0.5
0.53
Length of Superheater (m)

33. Total Plant Heat Loss For Bare and Glass Tube
1.4
1.2
1
Heat Loss (kW)
0.8
Bare Tube with 5 m/s
Glass Tube with 5 m/s
0.6
Bare Tube with 2 m/s
Glass Tube with 2 m/s
0.4
0.2
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.22
0.24
0.26
0.28
0.32
0.34
0.36
0.38
0.42
0.44
0.46
0.48
0.52
0.54
Length of Superheater (m)

34. Area Required for Each Combination
11
10.5
10
Area of Trough (m2)
9.5 Bare Boiler + Bare Superheater
Bare Boiler + Glass Superheater
Glass Boiler + Bare Superheater
9 Glass Boiler + Glass Superheater
8.5
8
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.22
0.24
0.26
0.28
0.32
0.34
0.36
0.38
0.42
0.44
0.46
0.48
0.52
0.54
Length of Superheater (m)

35. Parabola Width for Boiler and Superheat
Sections
100
Parabola Width (m)
10 Bare Boiler
Glass Boiler
Bare Superheater
Glass Superheater
1
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.1
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.2
0.22
0.24
0.26
0.28
0.3
0.32
0.34
0.36
0.38
0.4
0.42
0.44
0.46
0.48
0.5
0.52
0.54
Length of Superheater (m)

36. Total Efficiency of Plant
1.15
1.1
Percentage Efficiency (%)
1.05
1 Entirely Bare Tube 5m/s
Entirely Envoloped with Glass Tube
0.95 5m/s
Entirely Bare Tube 2m/s
0.9 Entirely Envoloped with Glass Tube
2m/s
0.85
0.8
0.02
0.05
0.08
0.11
0.14
0.17
0.23
0.26
0.29
0.32
0.35
0.38
0.41
0.44
0.47
0.53
0.2
0.5
Length of Superheater (m)

37. Plant Layout

38. Variation of Super-heater Surface Temperature and
Steam Exit Temperature with Boiler Pressure
800
700
600
Temperature (oC)
500
400 Superheater Surface
Temperature
300 Steam Exit Temperature
200
100
0
120
135
150
165
180
195
210
225
240
255
270
285
300
315
330
345
360
375
Working Pressure (kPa)

39. Variation of Plant Carnot Efficiency, Efficiency with
Bare Tube and Glass Tube with Pressure
0.12
0.1
0.08
Efficiency
0.06
Carnot Efficiency
Thermal Efficiency with Bare Tube
Thermal Efficiency with Glass Tube
0.04
0.02
0
120
135
150
165
180
195
210
225
240
255
270
285
300
315
330
345
360
375
Working Pressure (kPa)

40. Heat Loss with Pressure
0.9
0.8
0.7
Total Plant Heat Loss (kW)
0.6
0.5
0.4 Heat Loss Bare Tube
Heat Loss Glass Tube
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
120
135
150
165
180
195
210
225
240
255
270
285
300
315
330
345
360
375
Working Pressure (kPa)

41. Variation Total Area Required with Pressure
18
16
14
Total Area Required (m2)
12
10
8 Area Required with Bare Tube
Area Required with Glass Tube
6
4
2
0
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310
320
330
340
350
360
370
380
Working Pressure (kPa)

42. Cost breakup
Part Cost
Copper tube 2,500
Black nickel coating 400
Parabola frame with mounting 9,000
Valves and fittings 5,000
Steam engine 5,000
Mirror strips 2,500
Miscellaneous 1,000
Total 25,400

43. FEA Analysis
• Objective:
– Determine the deformation in Supporting
Structure
– Optimize the flow in the Superheater by
• Reducing the vortex region
• Reducing the Stagnation Pressure Drop
43

44. Stress and Strain Analysis
44

45. Super-heater Analysis
Inlet Region
45

46. Flow Inlet Angle: 45
Vortex Region: Largest Stagnation Pressure Drop: Large
46

47. Flow Inlet Angle: -5
Vortex Region: Moderate Stagnation Pressure Drop: Moderate
47

48. Flow Inlet Angle: -55
Vortex Region: Negligible Stagnation Pressure Drop: Largest
48

49. 49

50. 50

51. 51

52. 52

53. 53

54. 54

55. 55

56. Manufacturing Operations
56

57. 57

58. 58

59. 59

60. 60

61. 61

62. 62

63. 63

64. 64

65. Engine Operation Principle
65

66. Pump
66

67. ACHIEVEMENTS
• Presented two papers
1. 3rd National Energy Confrence at QUEST
Nawabshah
2. SPEC-2010 at NED University Karachi
• Won as Runner up at NED University

68. Conclusion
68