Solar Chimney Power Plant Generating Technology

By Tingzhen Ming

Solar Chimney Power Plant Generating Technology presents the latest advanced solar chimney power generating technologies to help engineers acquire a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental theories, technologies, and applications of solar chimney power generating systems. The book includes comprehensive theories, very detailed technologies, and many well-illustrated, basic configurations of different types of systems, enabling readers to understand the fundamental theory, the design methods of solar chimney systems, and the basic parameters of the construction and operation of these systems.

• Includes comprehensive theories, very detailed technologies, and many basic configurations of different types of systems
• Covers the basic mechanisms of fluid flow, heat transfer, power output, energy storage, and operational procedures of SCPPS (solar chimney power plant system) turbines
• Focuses on thermodynamic theory, helio-aero-gravity effect, fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics, design for SC turbine, energy storage, and the effect of ambient crosswinds

• Language: English
• Publisher: Academic Press
• Release date: Mar 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9780128092934

Book preview

China

Preface

The field of renewable and sustainable energy is changing rapidly worldwide, and various technologies concerning energy saving and renewable energy utilization are constantly being reported. Further, the widespread use of solar energy, as an alternate and nondepletable resource for agriculture and industry as well as other applications, is dependent on the development of solar systems which possess the reliability, performance, and economic characteristics that compare favorably with the conventional systems.

The solar chimney power plant system (SCPPS) or solar updraft power plant system (SUPPS), which is composed of the solar collector, the chimney, and the turbine, has been investigated all over the world since the German researcher Professor Jörg Schlaich made the brainchild in the 1970s. The SCPPS, due to its attractive advantages of being easier to design, more convenient to draw materials, higher operational reliability, fewer running components, more convenient maintenance and overhaul, lower maintenance expense, no environmental contamination, continuous stable running, and longer operational life span, has excited many researchers all over the world, especially in countries with plenty of deserts and arid and useless areas. However, the book on SCPPS written by Professor Jörg Schlaich was published 20 years ago, and now it is necessary to update the progress made in the state-of-the-art technologies of SCPPS over recent years worldwide.

In this book we are going to reveal the basic mechanisms of fluid flow, heat transfer, power output, energy storage, and operation procedure of the turbine of SCPPS. We hope this book can provide good guidance for developers who are interested in SCPPS.

The remaining chapters are arranged in the following way. In chapter Introduction, we will present a brief introduction of the background of various solar energy power plant systems and SCPPS, and we will also introduce the recent research developments of SCPPS during the past 20 years. In chapter Thermodynamic Fundamentals, basic theory related to thermodynamics and the efficiency of the SCPPS will be introduced. This covers the basic thermodynamic process, Brayton cycle, and exergy analysis of various SCPPSs. Chapter Helio-Aero-Gravity (HAG) Effect of SC unveils the Helio-Aero-Gravity (HAG) effect of the SCPPS. In this chapter, how the SCPPS operates will be analyzed in detail dealing with the various parameters including the dimensions and ambient. In chapter Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer of Solar Chimney Power Plant, a mathematical model describing the fluid flow, heat transfer, and power output of the SCPPS will be presented, validation of the model by comparing the experimental results of the Spanish prototype will also be presented. Later, optimization of the dimensions of SCPPS based upon the results of power output will be performed.

In chapter Design and Simulation Method for SC Turbines, a detailed design of the turbine used for SCPPS will be presented, accompanied by a mathematical model and simulation method of the SCPPS coupling the moving part pressure-based wind turbine. In chapter Energy Storage of Solar Chimney, a detailed discussion on the energy storage characteristic of SCPPS will be presented. In this chapter, analysis of different materials and layout of energy storage will be shown. In chapter The Influence of Ambient Crosswind on the Performance of Solar Updraft Power Plant System, we will introduce the effect of ambient crosswind on the performance of SCPPS. In chapter Experimental investigation of a solar chimney prototype, an experimental investigation of an SCPPS setup will be briefly introduced. In chapter Research Prospects, the future research development will be discussed.

This book is supported by the Key Research Program of the Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant No. 104127), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51106060), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Fourth Special Funded Project (Grant No. 201104460), the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (Grant No. 2012FFB02214), Scientific Research Foundation of WUT (Grant No. 40120237), and the fundamental research funds for the Central Universities (WUT Grant No. 2016IVA029). Additionally, several contributors have helped the authors to create this book.

A large part of the work of this book was performed when I worked in Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the rest was accomplished in Wuhan University of Technology. The contributors of this book include my two supervisors, Professor Wei Liu from School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Professor Yuan Pan from School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, HUST. In addition, the contributors also include Professors Shuhong Huang, Suyi Huang, Guoliang Xu, and Tianhua Wu, Drs Renaud K. de Richter, Xuemin Li, Xiaoming Huang, Aiwu Fan, and Kun Yang, my students Dr Jun Liu, Mr Xiaoyang Shi, Yong Zheng, Xinjiang Wang, Fanlong Meng, Yongjia Wu, Wenqing Shen, Lixian Wang, Tao Fang, Zhou Zhou, Jinle Gui, Chao Liu, Tao Pan, and Keyuan Peng, Ms Xiangfei Yu, Cheng Zhou, Yue Qiu, and so on. Drs Xiaohu Liu, Hui Liu, Dongyuan Shi, Xinchun Lin, and Xinping Zhou are greatly appreciated for their kind suggestions on the work of this book.

January 20, 2016

Chapter 1

Introduction

Tingzhen Ming¹,², Wei Liu², Yongjia Wu², Jinle Gui², Keyuan Peng² and Tao Pan²,    ¹School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China,    ²School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China

Abstract

A brief introduction of the energy status quo is presented, followed by the existing solar thermal power plant technologies. The solar chimney power plant (SCPP) technology is presented. Later, a comprehensive introduction on the research and development of SCPP system is presented.

Keywords

Solar energy; solar chimney power plant system (SCPPS); chimney; turbine; collector; energy storage layer

Chapter Outline

1.1 Energy Background 1

1.1.1 The Energy Issue and the Status Quo 1

1.1.2 China’s Energy Policy and Prospect 4

1.1.3 Solar Power Generating Technologies and the Status Quo 5

1.2 Solar Chimney Power Plant System 11

1.2.1 The Appearance of a Solar Chimney Power Plant System 11

1.2.2 Advantages of SCPPS 13

1.2.3 Weaknesses of SCPPS 15

1.3 Research Progress 15

1.3.1 Experiments and Prototypes 15

1.3.2 Theory Research 25

1.3.3 Economic and Ecological Theory and Feasibility Studies 30

1.3.4 Potential Application of SCPPS 31

1.4 Research Contents of This Book 33

References 35

1.1 Energy Background

1.1.1 The Energy Issue and the Status Quo

Energy is the lifeblood of the national economy and closely related to the living environments of human beings. Since the global energy crisis occurred in the 1970s, the depletion of fossil energy resources has caused economic recession in many developed countries, which affects the sustainable development of the national economy and social stability directly. The main cause of the wars and terrorist threats all around the world in recent decades should be attributed to the exploitative ways the developed countries adopted in controlling fossil energy resources. There is no doubt that, the overexploitation of fossil fuels has caused worldwide environmental pollution, global warming, melting glaciers in the Arctic region, human diseases increasing, and deterioration in the ecological environment. While developed countries sustain a high standard of living quality and economic development rate by relying on an excessive use of fossil fuels, the developing countries with the vast majority of the population of the world still cannot afford the necessary cost of traditional energy resources. In addition, they are not able to compete with the developed countries in the fight for fossil energy resources. The people in these countries are still living in poverty, backwardness, and lacking electricity and clean water, which in turn leads to the population surge and aggravates poverty. The protection of the Earth’s ecological environment, the sustainable progress of civilization, and the stability of the international community mainly depend on government regulation and control around the world, the environment protection sense of the public, the saving and clean use of fossil energy resources, the generalization and application of renewable energy, the well-organized control on the population growth in developing countries, and so on.

Consumption and production for all fuels except nuclear power have increased remarkably during the recent decades. For each of the fossil fuels, global consumption rose more rapidly than production. Table 1.1 shows the oil production and consumptions of the top 10 world countries in 2013 [1]. It indicates that the United States and China utilize a very large percentage of the world’s oil consumption.

Table 1.1

Oil Production and Consumption in 2013 (Millions of Barrels Per Day) [1]

Due to the increased consumption of fossil energy, the global CO2 emissions have grown significantly, with China and the United States ranking No. 1 and 2 since 2009 [2]. According to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) forecasts for emissions from energy use until 2030 (Fig. 1.1), this trend will last if we do not intervene.

Figure 1.1 Past and projected CO2 emissions for countries, 1990–2030 [3].

China has become one of the largest countries in energy production and consumption. The huge total reserves but relatively low per capita possession, uneven distribution, and low utilization efficiency are four key features of energy production and consumption in China. The total energy production in China is only less than the United States and Russia, ranking No. 3 in the world. The necessary energy use accounts for 10% of the world, ranking only second to the United States. The annual average economic growth rate for China was 9.7% while the growth rate of energy consumption was only 4.6% in the past 20 years. Since 1980, the total energy consumption for China has grown about 5% per year, which is nearly three times the world’s average growth rate. As China’s demand for energy keeps increasing, there is an enormous gap between China’s energy reserves and future development needs. The total amount of the energy gap was over 100 million tons of standard coal in 2003. It is predicted that the total energy gap will be about 250 million tons of standard coal in 2030, and it will reach about 460 million tons of standard coal in 2050. With the enlargement of the energy gap year by year, China’s dependence on energy imports will expand gradually, which is the primary concern for our energy security in the future. In addition, since China’s main energy source is coal, the conflict between economic development and environment pollution should be much more severe. Coal combustion produces a lot of CO2, SO2, NOx, and many other harmful gases, which are blamed for the greenhouse effect and acid rain. The emissions of trace elements and particulate matter in the coal combustion processes also threat human health.

The world’s energy reserve is not good news. Besides coal, oil, and natural gas reserves could be mined for less than 100 years. Despite the rapid development of nuclear power plant, uranium will be available for less than 100 years since the world’s uranium reserve is quite low. As for China, the recovery time will be only about 50 years. Furthermore, the general public have doubts on the nuclear fission technology and technology blockade. Some technical problems, such as protection from nuclear radiation, reactor control, and nuclear waste disposal [4–11], add to the uncertainty about the future of the technology. Thus, large-scale construction of nuclear power plants worldwide is not a permanent solution to the energy problem.

1.1.2 China’s Energy Policy and Prospect

In view of the energy, environmental, economic, and sustainable development problems, The Twelfth Five-Year Plan for the Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China proposed energy construction policies of implementing preferential taxation and investment, and mandatory market share policies to encourage the production and consumption of renewables and increase its proportion in primary energy consumption, Positively developing and utilizing solar, geothermal and ocean energy, Strengthening the exploitation and application of air water resources, solar, wind and other energies. At the same time, the plan introduced the environmental protection policies of the essential point of ecological protection transiting from post-treatment to protection in advance. In addition, a hard target of a 4% energy saving during Twelfth Five is proposed. According to the development goals determined by The New and Renewable Energy Industry Development Plans and Key Points in 2000–2015, China’s new and renewable energy production would reach 43 million tons of standard coal by 2015, which is about 2% of the total energy consumption. China would cut more than 30 million tons of greenhouse gases emissions and more than 2 million tons of sulfur dioxide emissions. The visible effect would be indicated by a reduction in atmospheric pollution and an improvement of the atmospheric environment quality. Nearly 500 thousand jobs would be provided, and more than 5 million farmer families (more than 25 million people) living in remote areas would be alleviated from the lack of water and electric. So, exploitation and utilization of renewable energy is a strategic direction for China’s energy development. In recent years, the exploitation and use of new and renewable energies has developed rapidly throughout the world, with technologies being matured gradually, and economically viable products and equipment being put on the market quickly. It is expected that the development and utilization of the new and renewable technologies and market share of these technologies will breakthrough dramatically in the coming decades. The new and renewable technologies have broad prospects for development (Fig. 1.2).

Figure 1.2 Global change in power generation, 2010–2035 [12].

In the development of energy technologies in China, a challenging problem is how to develop and utilize solar energy on a large scale and to eliminate the dilemma of a shortage of conventional energies gradually. Solar energy is clean and inexhaustible. China is rich in solar energy resource. The regions with a total solar radiation of more than 5020 MJ/m² annually and a sunshine time of more than 2200 h cover two-thirds of the total territory of China, which are good conditions for the development and application of solar energy technologies. Especially in China’s western regions, where the solar energy resource is very rich, the population is small, the ecological environment is fragile, and the desertification situation is very severe. The acute shortage of water and electricity is one of the most important factors that restricted the economic development in the regions. Developing solar power technologies can not only improve the economic and ecological environment in the western region, but can also effectively utilize waste land. The action is in line with the national energy and environmental coordination and management policies. Solar power technologies surely have very broad application