Annual performance improvement for solar steam turbines through the use of temperature-maintaining modifications

作者：Spelling James^*; Jocker Markus; Martin Andrew

来源：Solar Energy, 2012, 86(1): 496-504.

DOI：10.1016/j.solener.2011.10.023

• Solar thermal power
• Steam turbine
• Dispatchability
• Start-up

Steam turbines in solar thermal power plants experience a much greater number of starts than those operating in base-load plants. By maintaining higher internal temperature during idle periods, faster start-up times can be achieved, increasing the flexibility of the plant as well as increasing net electrical production. Prior work by the authors identified a number of methods for achieving this, with strong increases in daily production predicted; only two specific start-up cases were studied however. In order to obtain a more representative evaluation of the performance increase that can be achieved through increased dispatchability of the turbine, the annual improvement needs to be studied. Building on the existing results, a dynamic system model of a parabolic trough power plant has been established and used to determine the distribution of different cool-down times experienced throughout the year, with a view to evaluating the potential annual production increase. A modification of the start-up curves allows an increase in annual electrical production between 6.4% and 2.4% depending upon the operating mode (free operation versus day-time operation). Through application of a combination of heat blankets and an increase in gland steam temperature, further annual production increases between 2.2% and 3.1% are predicted.

• 出版日期2012-1