Solar Thermal Energy

John Warren T. Sta. Cruz

11/13
Solar Thermal Energy
DEFINITION

Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy

and a technology for harnessing solar energy to
generate thermal energy or electrical energy for
use in industry, and in the residential and
commercial sectors
HISTORY

Augustin Mouchot in 1878 universal exhibition in Paris demonstrated

a solar collector with a cooling engine
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

Thermal energy storage (TES) are high-pressure liquid storage tanks

used along with a solar thermal system to allow plants to bank
several hours of potential electricity
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

1. Two-tank direct system - solar thermal energy is stored

right in the same heat-transfer fluid that collected it.
2. Two-tank indirect system - functions basically the same
except it works with different types of heat-transfer fluids.
3. Single-tank thermocline system - stores thermal energy as
a solid, usually silica sand.
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

1. Two-tank direct system - solar thermal energy is stored

right in the same heat-transfer fluid that collected it.
2. Two-tank indirect system - functions basically the same
except it works with different types of heat-transfer fluids.
3. Single-tank thermocline system - stores thermal energy as
a solid, usually silica sand.
COLLECTION SYSTEMS

There are certain systems to collect the solar thermal energy.

Most systems for low-temperature solar heating depend on the
use of glazing, in particular its ability to transmit visible light but
to block infrared radiation.High temeprature solar collection is
more likely to employ mirrors. In practice, solar systems of
both types can take a wide range of forms.
COLLECTION SYSTEMS

LOW TEMPERATURE (T<100 C) - Domestic water, swimming

pool heating
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE (T<400 C) - Electricity produce
HIGH TEMPERATURE (T>400 C) - Electricity produce, blast
furnace, etc.
COLLECTION SYSTEMS TYPES:

Passive solar heating systems mostly use air to circulate the collected
energy, usually without pumps or fans indeed the collector is often an
integral part of the building.
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING

Direct Sun Gain (Windows, Atrium, skylight, etc).

Indirect Sun Gain - This passive solar design approach uses the basic
elements of collection and storage of heat in combination with the
convection process. In this approach, thermal storage materials are
placed between the interior habitable space and the sun so there is
no direct heating.
INDIRECT SUN GAIN EXAMPLE

Greenhouse effect - A south facing "greenhouse space" is constructed in front

of a thermal storage wall exposed to the direct rays of the sun. This wall would
be at the rear of the greenhouse and the front of the primary structure.
COLLECTION SYSTEMS TYPES:

Active solar heating - This always involves a discrete solar collector,

usually mounted on the roof of a building, to gather solar radiation.

Solar thermal engines - These are an extension of active solar

heating, usually using more complex collector to produce
temperatures high enough to drive steam turbine to produce electric
power.
ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING

LOW TEMPERATURE SOLAR COLLECTOR - The solar collector plate

has four principal elements: The transparent covert (1),The absorbent
layer (2), Insulating (3), The casing (4).
ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING

LOW TEMPERATURE SOLAR COLLECTOR - The solar collector plate

has four principal elements: The transparent covert (1),The absorbent
layer (2), Insulating (3), The casing (4).
LOW TEMPERATURE SOLAR COLLECTOR

The transparent cover should have several characteristics for the

appropriate performance of the collector:
Produce a green house effect and reduce the external losses
Have a low coefficient of thermal conductivity
The external surface has to be clean
The collector must be sealed to prevent water and air to go into
the system.
LOW TEMPERATURE SOLAR COLLECTOR

The absorbent layer receives the solar radiation that is transformed

into heat an then it is transmitted to the fluid that will transport it.
Two examples of these layers are:
Two metallic sheets separated by a few millimeters.
A metallic sheet that contain several tubes that carry the fluid.
ABSORBER COATING

There to procedures, paintings and selective surfaces:

The black paintings have a good absorption of solar radiation, but
they have a high emission coefficient. They are cheaper than the
selective surfaces but they suffer from deterioration from ultraviolet
radiation.
The selective surfaces are coatings with a high absorption coefficient
and low emission coefficient. They have in general a better
performance.
ABSORBER COATING

The absorber is protected in the back side to reduce the thermal losses.
The isolators used for this are generally made from fiber glass or
polyurethane. Some of the characteristics of these isolators are:
Good performance at temperatures around 150o C
Aging
Good behaviour against humidity
ABSORBER COATING

The housing protects the different elements of the collector. It has some
characteristics like:
Rigidity
resistance to temperature variations
corrosion resistance
isolation from elements like water, snow and ice
TYPES OF COLLECTOR

Unglazed panels: These are most

suitable for swimming pool
heating, where it is only necessary
for the water temperature to rise
by a few degrees above air
ambient air temperature, so heat
losses are relatively unimportant.
TYPES OF COLLECTOR
Flat plate water collectors: Usually
they are only single glazed but may
have an additional second glazing
layer, sometimes of plastic. The more
elaborate the glazing system, the
higher the temperature difference that
can be sustained between the
absorber and the external air.
TYPES OF COLLECTOR

Flat plate air collectors: These are

not so common as water
collectors and are mainly used
for space heating only. Also can
combine this type of collector
with a photovoltaic panel
TYPES OF COLLECTOR
Evacuated tube collectors: The
absorber plate is a metal strip down
the centre of each tube. Convective
heat losses are suppressed by virtue
of a vacuum in the tube. The
absorber plate uses a special heat
pipe to carry the collected energy to
the water.
TYPES OF COLLECTOR
Line focus collectors: These focus
the sun on to a pipe running down
the centre of a trough. The trough
can be pivoted to track the sun up
and down or east to west. A line
focus collector can be oriented with
its axis in either a horizontal or a
vertical plane.
MOUNTING

Solar collectors are usually roof mounted and once installed are difficult
to reach for maintenance and repairs. They have to be proof against
internal corrosion and very large temperature swings. A double-glazed
collector is potentially capable of producing boiling water in high summer
if the heat is not carried away fast enough
ORIENTATION

One orientation to the East bring forward daily period (1 hour each 15º)
One orientation to the West put off daily period (1 hour each 15º), the
performance is better because the collector can work more hours with
higher ambient temperature.
SLOPING

UTILIZATION DEGREE OF INCLINE

All year DWH Latitude + 10º
Winter (Heating) Latitude + 20º
Summer (swimming-pool) Latitude - 5º
ORIENTATION

One orientation to the East bring forward daily period (1 hour each 15º)
One orientation to the West put off daily period (1 hour each 15º), the
performance is better because the collector can work more hours with
higher ambient temperature.
MOUNTING

Solar collectors are usually roof mounted and once installed are difficult
to reach for maintenance and repairs. They have to be proof against
internal corrosion and very large temperature swings. A double-glazed
collector is potentially capable of producing boiling water in high summer
if the heat is not carried away fast enough
ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING

MEDIUM AND HIGH TEMPERATURE - In a solar electricity generation

system, the rays of the sun are used to generate heat. This systems
use this energy to produce high temperatures that can boil water and
drive steam machines to produce mechanical work or drive electrical
generators in the same way as conventional oil, coal or nuclear power
plants. We can differentiate basically two kinds of solar thermal
systems: with and without concentration of solar rays.
WITHOUT CONCENTRATION OF SOLAR RAYS

Solar Ponds - In this system, a large salty lake is used as a plate collector. With the right salt
concentration in the water, the solar energy can be absorbed at the bottom of the lake. The
heat is insulated by the different densities of the water and at the bottom the heat can reach
90C, which is high enough to run a vapour cycle engine, at the top of the pond, the
temperature can reach 30C. There are three different layers of water in a solar pond, the top
layer that has less concentration of salt; the intermediate layer, that acts as a thermal
insulator and finally the bottom layer that has a high concentration of salt. These systems
have a low solar to electricity conversion efficiency, less than 15% (having an ambient
temperature of 20C and a storage heat of 80C).
SOLAR PONDS
WITH CONCENTRATION OF SOLAR RAYS (CSP)

A. Parabolic trough - is a type of solar thermal collector that

is straight in one dimension and curved as a parabola in the
other two, lined with a polished metal mirror. The energy of
sunlight which enters the mirror parallel to its plane of
symmetry is focused along the focal line, where objects are
positioned that are intended to be heated.
PARABOLIC TROUGH
PARABOLIC TROUGH EFFICIENCY

This system has an efficiency of solar to electricity conversion

between 14 and 22% and the thermal efficiency ranges from 60
to 80%. In absence of sun light, these plants use conventional
power generators. These hybrid systems need other
components like condensers and accumulators. With a normal
parabolic trough plant can produce between 14 and 80 MW.
PARABOLIC TROUGH DESIGN

A parabolic trough is made of a number of solar collector

modules (SCM) fixed together to move as one solar collector
assembly (SCA). A SCM could have length up to 15 meters
(49ft) or more. About a dozen or more SCM make each SCA
up to 200 meters (660ft) length. Each SCA is an
independently tracking parabolic trough.
WITH CONCENTRATION OF SOLAR RAYS (CSP)

B. Solar Dish - This system puts the engine itself at the focus
of a parabolic dish shaped mirror. The most common way to
concentrate the solar energy is with parabolic mirrors, this
mirrors reflect the rays of the sun in a parallel way, this allow
us to concentrate all the reflections into one point.
SOLAR DISH
SOLAR DISH EFFICIENCY

Some modern systems can reach very high conversion

efficiencies, close to 30%. The temperature at the focal point
can reach 3000 ºC that can be used to generate electricity,
melt steel or to produce hydrogen fuel. This plant can
produce between 7 and 25kW.
SOLAR DISH MECHANISM

Solar dish engine systems use mirrored dishes to focus and

concentrate sunlight onto a receiver. The receiver is mounted
at the focal point of the dish. To capture the max amount of
energy, the dish assembly tracks the sun across the sky. The
receiver is integrated into an external combustion engine.
WITH CONCENTRATION OF SOLAR RAYS (CSP)

Solar Power Tower - Also called central receiver system or heliostat

power plants. In this plant the sunlight is focused into a boiler at the
top of the central tower by an array of moveable mirrors that track the
trajectory of the sun. This boiler heats a synthetic oil or molten rock
salt due to their high thermal capacity and conductivity. This heat can
be stored by those elements for further use and some new designs
have show that this energy can be stored from 3 to 13 hours.
SOLAR POWER TOWER
SOLAR POWER TOWER EFFICIENCY

The maximum conversion efficiency for a power

tower system is between 23–35%, but the average
annual efficiency is closer to 7–20%. A solar tower
can produce between 30 to 200MW.
HOW DOES CSP WORKS?
DIFFERENCES

Parabolic Trough Solar Tower Parabolic dish

Size 30-320MW 10-200MW 5-25kW

Temperature C
390 560 750
(mean value)

Peak Efficiency 20% 23% 30%

Energy Storage Limited Yes Battery

Annual efficiency 16% 20% 25%

 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THERMAL ENERGY

Advantages Disadvantages
No Fuel cost High Costs
Predictable, 24/7 Power Water Issue
No pollution and Global Ecological and Cultural Issues
Warming Effects Limited Locations and Size
Using Existing Industrial Base Limitations
REFERENCES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-zjbRqYXk

https://www.solarthermalworld.org/sites/default/files/story/2015-06-
20/solarthermal.pdf

https://www.slideshare.net/RaktimSaikia4/solar-thermal-energy-
67679489
THANK YOU