[en] Highlights: •A novel high temperature solar thermal energy storage system is presented. •The system employs a molten metal oxide for energy storage. •The system can achieve a high energy density of 5 GJ/m³. •Oxygen can be also produced as a valuable by-product. -- Abstract: A novel cycle, the chemical looping of molten copper oxide, is proposed with the thermodynamic potential to achieve sensible, latent and thermochemical heat storage with an energy density of approximately 5.0 GJ/m³, which is approximately 6 times more than the 0.83 GJ/m³ of molten salt. This cycle avoids the technical challenges associated with the application of solid materials (especially multivalent metals) for thermochemical energy storage such as attrition, agglomeration, particle breakage and structural change in successive reduction and oxidation reactions, although it brings alternative challenges associated with the handling of molten metal oxides. A process path for the concept is proposed based on data from the literature for the equilibrium composition of copper and oxygen at different temperatures and gas phase pressures. The process has been modelled with codes developed in MATLAB. The calculations estimate that from the total input concentrated solar thermal energy into the system, about 73% can be absorbed, while the rest is lost through re-radiation heat loss. Furthermore, it is estimated that of the absorbed heat, approximately 95% is stored, while the rest leaves the system as high temperature gas. The calculations also predict that approximately 20% of the inlet solar thermal energy is partitioned as the chemical storage, which is also employed for oxygen production. Also reported is the sensitivity to the effects of key operating parameters.

[en] Highlights: • A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion system is presented. • This hybrid CLC system integrates a CLC plant with a solar thermal energy plant. • The oxygen carrier particles are used for chemical and sensible thermal energy storage. • A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. • The calculations show a total solar share of around 60% can be achieved. - Abstract: A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion (Hy-Sol-CLC) is presented, in which the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system are employed to provide thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. This hybrid aims to take advantage of key features of a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system that are desirable for solar energy systems, notably their inherent chemical and sensible energy storage systems, the relatively low temperature of the “fuel” reactor (to which the concentrated solar thermal energy is added in a hybrid) relative to that of the final temperature of the product gas and the potential to operate the fuel reactor at a different pressure to the heated gas stream. By this approach, it is aimed to achieve high efficiency of the solar energy, infrastructure sharing, economic synergy, base load power generation and a high solar fraction of the total energy. In the proposed Hy-Sol-CLC system, a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for fuel reactor while for the storage of the oxygen carrier particles two reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC. A heat exchanger is also proposed to provide independent control of the temperatures of the storage reservoirs from those of solar fuel and air reactors. The system is simulated using Aspen Plus software for the average diurnal profile of normal irradiance for Port Augusta, South Australia. The operating temperature of the fuel reactor, solar absorption efficiency, solar share, fraction of the solar thermal energy stored within the solar reactor, the fractions of sensible and chemical storages and the system exergy efficiency are reported. The calculations show that a total solar share of around 60% can be achieved. Also reported is the sensitivity to the effects of key operating parameters, i.e. reservoir temperature, molar ratio of oxygen carrier particles to fuel, solar fuel reactor operating temperature and solar collector field concentration ratio

[en] Highlights: • A hybrid solar chemical looping combustion power cycle is reported. • The cycle is studied for two configurations, with and without an after-burner. • The oxygen carrier particles are used as storage medium for solar thermal energy. • Total solar shares of 41.4% and 60% are achieved with and without the after-burner. • Efficiencies of 50% and 44.0% are achieved with and without the after-burner. - Abstract: The overall energetic performance of a gas turbine combined cycle powered by a hybrid cycle between a solar thermal and a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system firing methane is reported for two configurations. In one case, the outlet from the air reactor is fed directly to a gas turbine, while in the other an after-burner, also firing methane, is added to increase the gas turbine inlet temperature. The cycle is simulated using Aspen Plus software for the average diurnal profile of normal irradiance for Port Augusta, South Australia. The first law efficiency, total solar absorption efficiency, average and peak fractional power boosts, total solar share, net solar to electrical efficiency, fraction of pressurised CO₂, incremental CO₂ avoidance and the exergy efficiency for both cycles are reported. The calculations predict a first law efficiency of 50.0% for the cycle employing an after-burner, compared with 44.0% for that without the after-burner. However, this is achieved at the cost of decreasing the solar share from 60.0%, without the after-burner, to 41.4% with it. Also reported is the sensitivity analysis of performance to variations in key operating parameters. The sensitivity analysis shows that further improvements to the performance of the cycle are possible

[en] Highlights: • Impact of non-displaced feedwater heater on plant’s performance has been evaluated. • Two operation strategies for non-displaced feedwater heater has been proposed. • Constant temperature strategy is generally better. • Constant mass flow rate strategy is suit for rich solar thermal input. - Abstract: Solar Aided Power Generation is a technology in which low grade solar thermal energy is used to displace the high grade heat of the extraction steam in a regenerative Rankine cycle power plant for feedwater preheating purpose. The displaced extraction steam can then expand further in the steam turbine to generate power. In such a power plant, using the (concentrated) solar thermal energy to displace the extraction steam to high pressure/temperature feedwater heaters (i.e. displaced feedwater heaters) is the most popular arrangement. Namely the extraction steam to low pressure/temperature feedwater heaters (i.e. non-displaced feedwater heaters) is not displaced by the solar thermal energy. In a Solar Aided Power Generation plants, when solar radiation/input changes, the extraction steam to the displaced feedwater heaters requires to be adjusted according to the solar radiation. However, for the extraction steams to the non-displaced feedwater heaters, it can be either adjusted accordingly following so-called constant temperature strategy or unadjusted i.e. following so-called constant mass flow rate strategy, when solar radiation/input changes. The previous studies overlooked the operation of non-displaced feedwater heaters, which has also impact on the whole plant’s performance. This paper aims to understand/reveal the impact of the two different operation strategies for non-displaced feedwater heaters on the plant’s performance. In this paper, a 300 MW Rankine cycle power plant, in which the extraction steam to high pressure/temperature feedwater heaters is displaced by the solar thermal energy, is used as study case for this purpose. It was found that plant adopting the constant temperature strategy is generally better than that adopting the constant mass flow rate strategy. However, if rich solar energy is available, adopting the constant mass flow rate strategy can achieve better performance.

[en] Highlights: • Four configurations of solar preheaters have been proposed. • Three typical operation strategies of solar preheaters have been identified. • 12 “configuration-operation” combinations has been proposed. • There are superior combinations to achieve the highest solar thermal performance. - Abstract: Solar Aided Power Generation is an efficient way to integrate solar thermal energy into a fossil fuel fired power plant for solar power generation purposes. In this particular power plant, the solar heat is used to displace the extraction steam to preheat the feedwater to the boiler. The heat exchanger, which facilitates the heat exchange between the solar heat carried by the heat transfer fluid and the feedwater, is termed a solar preheater. Four possible configurations of the solar preheater, namely Parallel 1, Parallel 2, Series 1 and Series 2, are proposed in this paper. In this type of plant, the extraction steam flow rates must be adjusted according to the solar input. The ways to control the extraction steam flow rates are termed solar preheater operation strategies. Three typical strategies: the Constant Temperature control, Variable Temperature control with high to low temperature feedwater heater displacement and Variable Temperature control with low to high temperature feedwater heater displacement have been identified. Each configuration can be operated with one of the three strategies, resulting in twelve “configuration-operation” combinations/scenarios (shown in Table 1). Previous assessments and modelling of such a plant have only been based on a single combination. In this paper, a Solar Aided Power Generation plant, modified from a typical 300 MW power plant, is used to understand the plant’s performance for all twelve of the available combinations. The results show that the instantaneous and annual technical performances of such a plant are dependent on the combinations used. The scenario 10 (Table 1) is superior to the other combinations in terms of the plant’s instantaneous technical performance, while the scenarios 2, 5, 8 (Table 1) has the best plant’s annual technical performance.

[en] Highlights: • We present the benefits of integrating a solar cavity receiver and a combustor. • The hybrid solar receiver combustor is compared with its equivalent hybrid. • The start-up losses of the back-up boiler are calculated for a variable resource. • Levelized cost of electricity is reduced by up to 17%. • Fuel consumption is reduced by up to 31%. - Abstract: The impact of avoiding the start-up and shut-down losses of a solar thermal power plant by directly integrating the back-up boiler into a tubular solar-only cavity receiver is studied using a multiple time-step, piecewise-continuous model. A steady-state analytical model of the mass and energy flows through both this device and a solar-only cavity receiver reported previously are incorporated within a model of the solar power generating plant with storage. The performance of the Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC) is compared with an equivalent reference conventional hybrid solar thermal system employing a solar-only cavity receiver and a back-up boiler. The model accounts for start-up and shut-down losses of the boiler, threshold losses of the solar-only cavity receiver and the amount of trace heating required to avoid cooling of the heat transfer fluid. The model is implemented for a 12 month/five year time-series of historical Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) at 1 h time-steps to account for the variability in the solar resource at four sites spanning Australia and the USA. A method to optimize the size of the heliostat field is also reported, based on the dumped fraction of solar power from the heliostat field. The Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for the HSRC configuration was estimated to be reduced by up to 17% relative to the equivalent conventional hybrid solar thermal system depending on the cost of the fuel, the storage capacity and the solar resource, while the fuel consumption was estimated to be reduced by some 12–31%.

[en] Highlights: • SAPG with concentrating and non-concentrating collectors has been compared. • Non-concentrating collectors could be superior to concentrating collectors in SAPG. • Using non-concentrating collectors is more effective in low latitude. - Abstract: The preheating of the feedwater in a Regenerative Rankine Cycle power plant with solar thermal energy, termed Solar Aided Power Generation, is an efficient method to use low to medium temperature solar thermal energy. Here, we compared the use of medium temperature (200–300 °C) energy from concentrating solar collectors (e.g. parabolic trough collectors) to displace the extraction steam to high temperature/pressure feedwater heaters with that from low temperature (100–200 °C) non-concentrating solar collectors (e.g. evacuated tube collectors) to displace the extraction steam to low temperature/pressure feedwater heaters of the power plant. In this paper, the in terms of net land based solar to power efficiency and annual solar power output per collector capital cost of a Solar Aided Power Generation using concentrating and non-concentrating solar collectors has been comparted using the annual hourly solar radiation data in three locations (Singapore; Multan, Pakistan and St. Petersburg, Russia). It was found that such a power system using non-concentrating solar collectors is superior to concentrating collectors in terms of net land based solar to power efficiency. In some low latitude locations e.g. Singapore, using non-concentrating solar collectors even have advantages of lower solar power output per collector capital cost over using the concentrating solar collectors in an SAPG plant.

[en] Highlights: • A new mixed operation mode for Solar Aided Power Generation plant has been proposed. • Mixed mode operation has been proved to enable to maximize economic return for plant. • Advantages of mixed mode over the single mode has been demonstrated by two cases. • In Australia, the advantage of the mixed mode can be 12.1% higher than single mode. • In China, the advantage of the mixed mode over single mode decrease to only 2.0%. Integrating solar heat into a regenerative Rankine cycle power plant to displace the heat of the extraction steam is a highly efficient method to use solar thermal energy for power generation purpose. This technology is termed Solar Aided Power Generation. Such a power system can be operated for power boosting or fuel saving mode of operation. Here, we proposed a mixed mode of operation. In such a mixed mode of operation, the Solar Aided Power Generation is operated at a series of time intervals. In each time interval, such a power system is operated in one selected mode (i.e. either power boosting or fuel saving mode) with higher profitability. In this paper, the superiority of the mixed mode of operation over the single mode of operation (i.e. power boosting or fuel saving) has been demonstrated through two case studies. In these case studies, a Solar Aided Power Generation plant located in Australia and China where the market (and weather) conditions are significantly different, is assumed to operate in power boosting, fuel saving and mixed mode of operation. The results indicate that the mixed mode of operation could guarantee the best economics for such a power system over the single mode of operation in different markets. In Australia where the on-grid tariff fluctuate significantly, the annual profitability of the mixed mode of operation could be up to 12.1% higher than that of a single mode of operation. However, in China where is electricity market is controlled by the government and relatively flat, the mixed mode of operation still shows economic advantage over the single mode of operation although not much (i.e. about 2.0%).

[en] Highlights: • The energetic performance of LCL-TES system connected to a gas turbine combined cycle is presented. • The first law efficiency of the system is 44.9% and it can be increased up to 50% by using an after-burner. • The effect of air reactor pressure and concentration ratio on the cycle efficiency is assessed. -- Abstract: A Liquid Chemical Looping cycle Thermal Energy Storage (LCL-TES) with a gas turbine combined cycle is assessed for two different configurations. In the first configuration, the hot gas from the LCL-TES system is transferred directly to the gas turbine, while in the second one the hot gas is heated further by an after-burner. Aspen plus software was used together with MATLAB codes to simulate the cycle for an average diurnal normal irradiance profile of Port-Augusta in South Australia, using copper oxide as the chemical looping medium. The effect of air reactor pressure, concentration ratio of the solar concentrator, conversion extent and thermal input from the after-burner on the cycle efficiency was assessed. Also reported are the solar absorption, solar to electrical efficiency, solar share, and exergy efficiency, together with their sensitivities to relevant input parameters. On this basis, the first law efficiency was estimated to be 44.9% and 50% for the cycle without and with the after-burner, with corresponding temperatures of 1200 °C and 1700 °C, respectively.

[en] Highlights: ► A novel solar–CLC hybrid system is proposed which integrates a CLC with solar thermal energy. ► The oxygen carrier particles are used as storage medium for thermal energy storage. ► A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. ► The absorbed solar energy is stored in the particles to produce a base heat load. -- Abstract: A novel hybrid of a solar thermal energy and a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system is proposed here, which employs the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system to provide diurnal thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. In taking advantage of the chemical and sensible energy storage systems that are an inherent part of a CLC system, this hybrid offers potential to achieve cost effective, base load power generation for solar energy. In the proposed system, three reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC system to allow storage of the oxygen carrier particles, while a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for the fuel reactor. The performance of the system is evaluated using ASPEN PLUS software, with the model being validated using independent simulation result reported previously. Operating temperature, solar efficiency, solar fraction, exergy efficiency and the fraction of the solar thermal energy stored for a based load power generation application are reported.