Alfonso Chinnici

Techno-economic assessment of a hybrid solar receiver and combustor

A techno-economic analysis is performed to compare two different configurations of hybrid solar thermal systems with fossil fuel backup to provide continuous electricity output. The assessment compares a Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC), in which the functions of a solar cavity receiver and a combustor are integrated into a single device with a reference conventional solar thermal system using a regular solar cavity receiver with a backup boiler, termed the Solar Gas Hybrid (SGH). The benefits of the integration is assessed by varying the size of the storage capacity and heliostat field while maintaining the same overall thermal input to the power block.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the iso-thermal flow characteristics within a cylindrical chamber with multiple planar-symmetric impinging jets

We present a joint experimental and numerical study of the flow structure within a cylindrical chamber generated by planar-symmetric isothermal jets, under conditions of relevance to a wide range of practical applications, including the Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC) technology. The HSRC features a cavity with a coverable aperture to allow it to be operated as either a combustion chamber or a solar receiver, with multiple burners to direct a flame into the chamber and a heat exchanger that absorbs the heat from both energy sources. In this study, we assess the cases of two or four inlet jets (simulating the burners), configured in a planar-symmetric arrangement and aligned at an angle to the axis (αj) over the range of 0°–90°, at a constant inlet Reynolds number of ReD = 10 500. The jets were positioned in the same axial plane near the throat and interact with each other and the cavity walls. Measurements obtained with particle image velocimetry were used together with numerical modeling employing...

Development of ASTRI high-temperature solar receivers

Three high-temperature solar receiver design concepts are being evaluated as part of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative (ASTRI): a flux-optimised sodium receiver, a falling particle receiver, and an expanding-vortex particle receiver. Preliminary results from performance modelling of each concept are presented. For the falling particle receiver, it is shown how particle size and flow rate have a significant influence on absorptance. For the vortex receiver, methods to reduce particle deposition on the window and increase particle residence time are discussed. For the sodium receiver, the methodology for geometry optimisation is discussed, as well as practical constraints relating to containment materials.

Iso-thermal flow characteristics of rotationally symmetric jets generating a swirl within a cylindrical chamber

We present a systematic experimental study of the interaction between four rotationally symmetric jets within a cylindrical chamber, under conditions relevant to a wide range of engineering applications, including the technology of a Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC). The HSRC geometry is simplified here to a cylindrical cavity with four inlet jets (representing four burners) which are configured in an annular arrangement and aligned at an inclination angle to the axis with a tangential component (azimuthal angle) to generate a swirl in the chamber. In this study, the jet inclination angle (αj) was varied over the range of 25°–45°, while the jet azimuthal angle (θj) was varied from 5° to 15°. The inlet Reynolds number for each injected jet and the number of jets were fixed at ReD = 10 500 and 4, respectively. Measurements obtained with Particle Image Velocimetry were used to characterise the large-scale flow field within selected configurations. The results reveal a significant dependence of the mean and root-mean-square flow-fields on the jet azimuthal angle (θj) and the jet inclination angle (αj). Three different flow regimes with distinctive flow characteristics were identified within the configurations investigated here. It was also found that θj can significantly influence (a) the position and strength of an external recirculation zone and a central recirculation zone, (b) the extent of turbulence fluctuation, and (c) the flow unsteadiness. Importantly, the effect of αj on the flow characteristics was found to depend strongly on the value of θj.We present a systematic experimental study of the interaction between four rotationally symmetric jets within a cylindrical chamber, under conditions relevant to a wide range of engineering applications, including the technology of a Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC). The HSRC geometry is simplified here to a cylindrical cavity with four inlet jets (representing four burners) which are configured in an annular arrangement and aligned at an inclination angle to the axis with a tangential component (azimuthal angle) to generate a swirl in the chamber. In this study, the jet inclination angle (αj) was varied over the range of 25°–45°, while the jet azimuthal angle (θj) was varied from 5° to 15°. The inlet Reynolds number for each injected jet and the number of jets were fixed at ReD = 10 500 and 4, respectively. Measurements obtained with Particle Image Velocimetry were used to characterise the large-scale flow field within selected configurations. The results reveal a significant dependence of the mean...

Thermal performance analysis of a syngas-fuelled hybrid solar receiver combustor operated in the MILD combustion regime

ABSTRACT This article examines the overall performance of a hybrid solar receiver combustor when operated under the moderate or intense low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion mode and contrast it with performance under the solar-only mode. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, coupled with analytical model data, is utilised to investigate the influence of fuel type (syngas, natural gas and tail gas) on the thermal efficiency, heat transfer mechanisms and heat flux distribution within the cavity. It was found that irrespective of the fuel type, similar thermal performance characteristics can be achieved under the MILD combustion mode and the solar only mode of operation (given a cavity of sufficient length and an appropriate arrangement of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) pipes). Nonetheless, it was found that the type of fuel influences significantly the rate of radiative heat transfer and the ratio of radiative to convective heat transfer rates, and so the configuration must be optimised for each type of fuel. The total heat absorbed by the HTF pipes and the thermal efficiency are predicted to be higher for the fuelled-syngas MILD hybrid solar receiver combustor case than for the CH4-fuelled and a simulated tail gas-fuelled MILD cases (where the tail gas is the by-product from a Fischer–Tropsch process) owing to a greater rate of radiative heat transfer (the latter increases with the H2 concentration in the syngas). Also, the level of dilution of the fuel stream was found to significantly influence the thermal performance of the device. In addition, the calculated distribution of heat flux to the receiver pipes was found to be significantly different under the solar and combustion modes of operation, which needs to be considered in the selection of design strategies and materials.

Flow behavior inside a novel rotating fluidized bed for solar gasification of biomass

The present paper reports a numerical investigation of the iso-thermal flow field and particle deposition onto the reactor window of a novel concept of Rotating Fluidized Bed Solar Reactor (RFBSR) and their sensitivity to reactor inner diameter. The RFBSR differs from conventional fluidized bed solar reactors in that it relies on the centrifugal force generated through rotation to counteract the drag force produced by the fluidizing gas on the particles. A three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the RFBSR was developed and combined with a Lagrangian particle tracking model to investigate the flow velocity components at various locations and particle concentration onto the window surface. The CFD model was partially verified by comparing its predictions with the published experimental measurements in a rotating porous cylindrical vessel with a radially injected flow. It was found that the Baseline Reynold Stress Model (RSM BSL) produces more agreeable predictions with the experimental...

Assessing the techno-economics of modular hybrid solar thermal systems

A techno-economic assessment was performed on modular hybrid solar thermal (in particular, solar power tower) systems with combustion from natural gas as backup to provide a continuous supply of electricity. Two different configurations were compared, i.e. a Hybrid Solar Receiver Combustor (HSRC), in which the functions of a solar cavity receiver and a combustor are integrated into a single device, and a Solar Gas Hybrid (SGH), which is a reference hybrid solar thermal system with a standalone solar-only cavity receiver and a backup boiler. The techno-economic benefits were assessed by varying the size of the modular components, i.e. the heliostat field and the solar receivers. It was found that for modularization to be cost effective requires more than the increased learning from higher production of a larger number of smaller units, such as access to alternative, lower-cost manufacturing methods and/or the use of a low melting point Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) such as sodium to reduce parasitic losses. In...