The aim of this study was to conduct thermodynamic and economic analyses of a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant to drive a supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle. The objectives were to assess the system viability in a location of moderate-to-high-temperature solar availability to sCO2 power block during the day and to investigate the role of thermal energy storage with 4, 8, 12, and 16 h of storage to increase the solar share and the yearly energy generating capacity. A case study of system optimization and evaluation is presented in a city in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh). To achieve the highest energy production per unit cost, the heliostat geometry field design integrated with a sCO2 Brayton cycle with a molten-salt thermal energy storage (TES) dispatch system and the corresponding operating parameters are optimized. A solar power tower (SPT) is a type of CSP system that is of particular interest in this research because it can operate at relatively high temperatures. The present SPT-TES field comprises of heliostat field mirrors, a solar tower, a receiver, heat exchangers, and two molten-salt TES tanks. The main thermoeconomic indicators are the capacity factor and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The research findings indicate that SPT-TES with a supercritical CO2 power cycle is economically viable with 12 h thermal storage using molten salt. The results also show that integrating 12 h-TES with an SPT has a high positive impact on the capacity factor of 60% at the optimum LCOE of $0.1078/kW h.
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October 2019
Research-Article
Viability Assessment of a Concentrated Solar Power Tower With a Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle Power Plant
Ali Sulaiman Alsagri,
Ali Sulaiman Alsagri
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Unayzah College of Engineering,
Unayzah 51911,
e-mail: a.alsagri@qu.edu.sa
Unayzah College of Engineering,
Qassim University
,Unayzah 51911,
Saudi Arabia
e-mail: a.alsagri@qu.edu.sa
1Corresponding author.
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Andrew Chiasson,
Andrew Chiasson
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Engineering,
Dayton 45469, OH
e-mail: achiasson1@udayton.edu
College of Engineering,
University of Dayton
,Dayton 45469, OH
e-mail: achiasson1@udayton.edu
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Mohamed Gadalla
Mohamed Gadalla
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Engineering,
Sharjah 26666,
e-mail: mgadalla@aus.edu
College of Engineering,
American University of Sharjah
,Sharjah 26666,
UAE
e-mail: mgadalla@aus.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Ali Sulaiman Alsagri
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Unayzah College of Engineering,
Unayzah 51911,
e-mail: a.alsagri@qu.edu.sa
Unayzah College of Engineering,
Qassim University
,Unayzah 51911,
Saudi Arabia
e-mail: a.alsagri@qu.edu.sa
Andrew Chiasson
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Engineering,
Dayton 45469, OH
e-mail: achiasson1@udayton.edu
College of Engineering,
University of Dayton
,Dayton 45469, OH
e-mail: achiasson1@udayton.edu
Mohamed Gadalla
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Engineering,
Sharjah 26666,
e-mail: mgadalla@aus.edu
College of Engineering,
American University of Sharjah
,Sharjah 26666,
UAE
e-mail: mgadalla@aus.edu
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received April 2, 2018; final manuscript received April 11, 2019; published online April 24, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Marc Röger.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Oct 2019, 141(5): 051006 (15 pages)
Published Online: April 24, 2019
Article history
Received:
April 2, 2018
Revision Received:
April 11, 2019
Accepted:
April 15, 2019
Citation
Alsagri, A. S., Chiasson, A., and Gadalla, M. (April 24, 2019). "Viability Assessment of a Concentrated Solar Power Tower With a Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle Power Plant." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. October 2019; 141(5): 051006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4043515
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