TY - JOUR
T1 - Incorporating the concept of flexible operation in the design of solar collector fields for industrial applications
AU - Martínez-Rodríguez, Guillermo
AU - Fuentes-Silva, Amanda L.
AU - Lizárraga-Morazán, Juan R.
AU - Picón-Núñez, Martín
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors.
PY - 2019/2/12
Y1 - 2019/2/12
N2 - This work introduces the concept of flexible operation in the design of solar thermal utility systems for low temperature processes. The design objectives are: (a) The supply of the thermal needs of the process (heat duty and minimum required temperature), and (b) the maximization of the operating time during the day. The approach shows how the network structure is defined by adjusting the mass flow rate and the inlet temperature of the working fluid to achieve the smallest collector surface area. This work emphasizes the need to specify the solar network structure, which is comprised of two main elements: The number of lines in parallel and the number of collectors in series in each line. The former of these two design specifications is related to the heat load that the system will supply, while the latter is directly related to the delivery temperature. A stepwise design approach is demonstrated using two case studies where it is shown that the detailed design of the solar collector network structure is fundamental for a successful thermal integration with minimum investment. In this paper, the design methodology is based on flat-plate solar collectors, but it can be extended to any other type of low temperature solar technology.
AB - This work introduces the concept of flexible operation in the design of solar thermal utility systems for low temperature processes. The design objectives are: (a) The supply of the thermal needs of the process (heat duty and minimum required temperature), and (b) the maximization of the operating time during the day. The approach shows how the network structure is defined by adjusting the mass flow rate and the inlet temperature of the working fluid to achieve the smallest collector surface area. This work emphasizes the need to specify the solar network structure, which is comprised of two main elements: The number of lines in parallel and the number of collectors in series in each line. The former of these two design specifications is related to the heat load that the system will supply, while the latter is directly related to the delivery temperature. A stepwise design approach is demonstrated using two case studies where it is shown that the detailed design of the solar collector network structure is fundamental for a successful thermal integration with minimum investment. In this paper, the design methodology is based on flat-plate solar collectors, but it can be extended to any other type of low temperature solar technology.
KW - Flexible operation
KW - Maximum operating time
KW - Minimum number of solar collectors
KW - Solar collector network
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061913042&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/en12030570
DO - 10.3390/en12030570
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85061913042
SN - 1996-1073
VL - 12
JO - Energies
JF - Energies
IS - 3
M1 - 570
ER -