Master’s dissertation (Dissertations and theses)
Dynamic model reduction of a thermocline storage integrated in a micro-scale solar power plant
Wéber, Noé
2015
 

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Keywords :
thermocline storage; concentrated solar power; storage tank
Abstract :
[en] Concentrated solar power plants (CSPs) are one of the growing technologies that will help increase the share of renewable energy in the world’s electricity production. Coupling them with a storage tank allows for the storage of excess energy during sunny periods to be reused during the day, hence improving the plant’s capacity factor and reducing the cost of electricity. Thermocline storage tanks are a very good compromise between cost and efficiency constraints, compared with other storage technologies. Nevertheless, powerful dynamic simulation tools are needed to model efficiently the transients linked to the intermittency of the solar source. The aim of the proposed thesis is to contribute to the development of such tools. This paper first compares existing physical deterministic models of a thermocline storage tank and a parabolic trough solar field to reduced models over four reference days. The deterministic models give accurate results with high simulation times, whereas the reduces models are fast, but loose some precision in the results. Some flaws of the simplified tank model are detected, and a third model of storage system is designed. Based on the study of numerous charging and discharging processes, the law that characterizes the evolution of the thermocline is computed and integrated in the new model. This model is then validated over the same four reference days; the dynamic update of the height of the thermocline allows this new model to fit very well any weather condition. The model developed has fixed dimensions and parameters, which limits its generality. As such, a fourth model of tank is developed, based on dimensionless numbers. This last model is validated in various conditions, and is therefore suitable to any situation, with no constraint regarding weather conditions, geometry of the tank or working fluid. The simulation time required by this model is between 75 and 180 times less than that of the first complex model, and the robustness of the model is flawless, which makes it a very powerful tool. Finally, a new control strategy for the solar power plant is assessed : it allows validation of the new model of tank in yet another set of working conditions, as well as investigation of advantages and drawbacks of one strategy over an other. An unexpected observation is that the thermocline height at the end of the day does not depend on the strategy used, even though the evolution is different in both cases. Some numerical issues that have been tackled to bring the model to a perfect robustness are also discussed.
Disciplines :
Energy
Author, co-author :
Wéber, Noé ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Master en ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité approfondie
Language :
English
Title :
Dynamic model reduction of a thermocline storage integrated in a micro-scale solar power plant
Defense date :
June 2015
Number of pages :
92
Institution :
ULiège - Université de Liège
Degree :
Master en ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité approfondie
Promotor :
Lemort, Vincent  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M)
Jury member :
Dewallef, Pierre ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M)
Dickes, Rémi ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M)
Quoilin, Sylvain  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M)
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since 17 December 2015

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