Abstract
Widespread industrial utilization of solar energy is an important goal that requires overcoming several technical challenges. One of the key hurdles is the need to address the temporal fluctuations in incident solar power (e.g., on an hourly basis or seasonally) which lead to variations in the outlet power. This work is aimed at the development of a systematic design procedure providing a stable power outlet while using solar systems. First, the dynamic performance of solar collectors is parametrically modeled. Next, an optimization formulation is developed as the basis for the design procedure which accounts for the integration of solar and fossil energy sources in a power system. The procedure determines the optimal mix of energy forms (solar vs. fossil) to be supplied to the process, the system specifications, and the dynamic operation of the system. The developed procedure includes gathering and generation of relevant solar and climatic data, modeling of the various components of the solar, fossil, and power generation systems, and optimization of several aspects of the hybrid system. A case study is solved to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the devised procedure.
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Abbreviations
- A s :
-
Area of the sth solar collector (m2)
- AFC solar s :
-
Annualized fixed cost of the sth solar system ($/year)
- C Fossil f,d :
-
Cost of the fth fossil fuel providing steam to the dth header ($/MM kJ)
- C solar s,d,t :
-
Operating cost of a solar system providing steam to header d during period t ($/kWh)
- D t :
-
Duration of time period t (h/period)
- fcP,v :
-
Heat capacity of process cold stream (kW/K)
- FCP,u :
-
Heat capacity of process hot stream (kW/K)
- P d,t :
-
Electric power produced during period t from the steam turbine(s) connected to the dth header (kW)
- Q External d :
-
Rate of external heating provided in the form of steam to the dth header (kW)
- Q in_other d :
-
Rate of heating provided in the form of steam to dth header from sources other than the external solar and fossil (kW)
- Q Heating d :
-
Rate of heating provided in the form of steam from process sources to the dth header (kW)
- Q non-heating d :
-
Rate of heating provided in the form of steam to heating the process from the dth header (kW)
- Q Turbine d :
-
Rate of heating provided in the form of steam to the turbine connected to the dth header (kW)
- Q Fossil f,d,t :
-
Rate of heating in the form of steam resulting from the fth fossil-based utility and entering the dth header during period t (kW)
- Q Fossil f,t :
-
Rate of heating in the form of steam resulting from the fth fossil-based utility and entering all headers during period t (kW)
- Q Solar s,d,t :
-
Rate of heating in the form of steam resulting from the sth solar plant and entering the dth header during period t (kW)
- Q Solar s,t :
-
Useful solar power collected and delivered to all headers in thermal form for the sth solar collector during period t (kW)
- Q Useful_Solar s,t :
-
Useful solar power collected and delivered in thermal form per unit area of the sth solar collector in period t (kW/m2)
- Q AnnualSolar :
-
Annual useful energy collected by the solar system (kWh/year)
- c:
-
Cold
- d:
-
Steam header
- f:
-
Fossil
- h:
-
Hot
- s:
-
Solar
- t :
-
Time period
- u:
-
Utility
- α:
-
Annualized fixed cost function of the solar system
- η:
-
Efficiency of power block
- ψ s :
-
Turbine performance function
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Acknowledgments
Support by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and the US National Science Foundation OISE Project # 0710936 is gratefully acknowledged.
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Tora, E.A., El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design and integration of solar systems and fossil fuels for sustainable and stable power outlet. Clean Techn Environ Policy 11, 401–407 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-009-0198-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-009-0198-3