DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A SOLAR POND FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESS HEATING

This paper describes the design of a solar pond for delivering 54 m³/day of hot water at 60°C to a catering facility in Singapore. The design of the pond was carried out in two steps. First, the depths of different layers of the pond were determined by considering the maximum temperature of the storage zone and the useful energy gain. For the given load and the local meteorological conditions, the optimum depths of various layers of the pond were found as follows:

Depth of surface-mixed layer:0.32 m

Depth of the insulation zone :1.00 m

Depth of storage zone:1.00 m

Total depth of the pond:2.32 m

The minimum payback period was used as the economic figure of merit to determine the optimum area of the pond. The optimum area of the pond is 6000 m². The payback period depends on the transparency of the pond, and for the conditions considered in the study, it varies between 3 and 4.5 years, The solar fraction varies from 65% for extinction coefficient, ( μ = 1.0m^?1 to 94% for μ = 0.55 m^?1, An experimental pond with an area of 14 m² and a depth of 1.5 m was built and tested over a period of time under the meteorological condition of Singapore. These results are used to validate the mathematical equations used in the design of the solar pond. A good agreement was found to exist between experimental and analytical results.     

Experimental study of natural brine solar ponds in Tibet

A salinity gradient solar pond (SGSP) is a simple and effective way of capturing and storing solar energy. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has very good solar energy resources and very rich salt lake brine resources. It lacks energy for its mineral processes and is therefore an ideal location for the development and operation of solar ponds. In China, solar ponds have been widely applied for aquaculture, in the production of Glauber’s salt and in the production of lithium carbonate from salt lake. As part of an experimental study, a SGSP using the natural brine of Zabuye salt lake in the Tibet plateau has been constructed. The pond has an area of 2500 m² and is 1.9 m deep. The solar pond started operation in spring when the ambient temperature was very low and has operated steadily for 105 days, with the LCZ temperature varying between 20 and 40 °C. During the experimental study, the lower convective zone (LCZ) of the pond reached a maximum temperature of 39.1 °C. The results show that solar ponds can be operated successfully at the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and can be applied to the production of minerals.     

THE THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF A SOLAR POND COUPLED LOW TEMPERATURE MULTI STAGE DESALINATION PLANT PART I: THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS

Salt Gradient Solar Ponds (SGSP) have the potential of providing low grade energy with the advantage of an annual thermal energy storage cycle. The development of Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) distillation plants operating below 100°C allows SGSP to be considered as the heat source for these systems.

In this paper, two schemes of matching the SGSP with the MSF distillation plant are presented. The first scheme is based on the assumption that the solar pond is to be used as the sole heat source for the distillation plant (i.e. all the plant's thermal energy requirements are provided by the solar pond). The second scheme considers a hybrid system (solar + fuel), where a 20,000 m² solar pond is linked to an otherwise stand alone, fuel driven desalination plant. Both options are simulated with the same daily product water output of 1000m³/day. The thermal simulation of the MSF desalination process was predicted by using a mathematical model based on stage by stage calculations taking into account the variations in fluid properties and flow conditions. The generated simultaneous equations of the mass and energy balances were combined and arranged in a matrix form and then translated into algorithm to predict process variables such as temperature and flash evaporation rates.     

Thermal analysis of constant flow partitioned solar pond

This paper presents the thermal analysis of the process of heat extraction by circulating water layer through the convective zone of a partitioned solar pond. The observed variation of atmospheric air temperature and solar intensity is assumed periodic. Explicit expressions for the transient rate and temperature at which heat can be extracted by circulation of water at constant flow rate, are derived. Numerical computations corresponding to solar heat flux and atmospheric air temperature measurement at New Delhi during the year 1974 have been made, and the optimization of the flow rate as well as the depth of the convective-non-convective zones in the pond have been investigated. The optimum heat retrieval efficiency of 27.5%, 34% and 40% corresponding to heat retrieval temperatures of 97°C, 60.5°C and 45.5°C, respectively, are predicted for water flow rates of 2 × 10^?4, 5 × 10^?4 and 10^?3 kg/s.m², respectively. The load levelling in retrieved heat flux improves as flow rates are lowered, and the non-convective zone is oversized. With the non-convective zone depth near optimum, an increase in the depth of the heat extraction zone considerably influences the retrieved heat flux; it shifts its maximum to winter months and deteriorates the load levelling. The variability in flow rate required for the maintenance of constant temperature of the heat extraction zone is also investigated. It is found that the required variability is less for higher temperatures of the extraction zone and larger depths of non-convective zone.     

Global solar radiation estimation from measurements of visibility and air temperature extremes

Solar radiation is the main source of energy for the survival of life and its associated activities. It is important to know accurate solar radiation value in areas such as agricultural activities, solar energy systems, heating, and meteorology. In this study, we present a model for the estimation of solar radiation value with other meteorological parameters in cases where solar radiation cannot be measured or not available. This model is based on the relationship between solar radiation and measured air temperature and visibility extremes. As is known, the incident global solar radiation is attenuated by clouds, aerosols, ozone layer, water vapor, etc.. In the model, the attenuation of the solar radiation is expressed by dew point temperature, visibility, and the maximum and minimum air temperatures. Dew-point temperature refers to the effect of water vapor on solar radiation, air temperature extremes are used to signify cloudiness. Visibility also gives the effect on the attenuation of solar radiation by air pollutants and aerosols in the model. The model was applied to the data taken from meteorological stations in Turkey. Error analysis was performed and compared with the models in the literature and satisfactory results were obtained.

Abbreviations H: Daily total global solar radiation, units of MJ ? m^?2 ? day^?1; H₀: Extraterrestrial solar radiation, units of MJ ? m^?2 ? day^?1; H_m: Measured daily total global solar radiation, units of MJ ? m^?2 ? day^?1; H_c: Calculated daily total global solar radiation, units of MJ ? m^?2 ? day^?1; T_min: Daily minimum temperature, units of °C; T_max: Daily maximum temperature, units of °C; RH: T_dew: Relative humidity, units of %rh; Dew-point temperature, units of °C     

Performance analysis of solar chimney using mathematical and experimental approaches

A mathematical model based on one‐dimensional energy and mass balance across the solar chimney has been developed. The air flow characteristics such as exit velocity and temperature are evaluated with respect to the collector inclination angle, hourly solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed. The model is validated by comparing the performance parameters obtained, with the experimental results and also with the experimental data of different geometrical range and environmental conditions from the literature. An average deviation of 8% for exit air velocity and 1.35% for exit air temperature is obtained for the solar chimney with absorber inclination angle 30°, collector area 0.41 m², and chimney height 0.24 m. The experimental daily average and maximum exit air velocity during the month of April are 0.5 and 0.88 m/s, respectively. The predicted optimum operating conditions are 75° inclination angle, 0.63 m² absorber area, and 0.48‐m chimney height. The maximum average exit air velocity and temperature numerically obtained are 0.64 m/s and 331 K, respectively, when operating with optimum conditions. It is observed that the exit air velocity increases 33% by increasing the absorber area from 0.5 to 3 m² for a solar chimney with 0.5 m height. An increase in exit air velocity of 52% was obtained by increasing the chimney height from 0.5 to 3 m for a solar chimney with 0.64 m² absorber area. A reduction in exit air velocity of 4% was observed for the increment in wind flow over the glass cover from 1.5 to 3 m/s. These results confirm that the solar chimney could be designed based on the predicted monthly performance by the present model.     

The philosophy of design and construction of the Kuwait 1700 m2 solar pond

This paper discusses the design and construction philosophy of the Kuwait solar-pond/multistage-flash system. The present work came about to study the performance of a solar pond as a main source for energy collection and storage and to use the collected heat in producing fresh water, which is difficult to obtain in remote areas. The pond is built with 1700 m² of surface area and 45° sloping sides. Taking the natural surroundings and the nature of the climate into account, the pond is estimated to perform at 18% efficiency. The collected energy, which is estimated at 1800 kWh/day, will be used to produce 25 m³ of fresh water daily.     

Transient analysis and performance studies of two tubular photobioreactors for outdoor culture of spirulina

A mathematical model to make a transient thermal analysis and to estimate the incident solar energy for two designs of tubular photobioreactor installed outdoors is presented here. In the first photobioreactor design the tubes were arranged in one plane, whereas in the second the tubes were arranged in two planes. The model was validated by comparing the experimental data and predicted values of culture temperature. Both the input solar energy and culture temperature in a tubular photobioreactor may be predicted with a reasonable degree of accuracy by employing the model. The performance of the two photobioreactors for mass culture of Spirulina was also studied in relation to their design and culture temperature. The average biomass yield obtained in one-plane and two-plane photobioreactors were (dry weight) 23.7 g m^?2 day^?1 and 27.8 g m^?2 day^?1 respectively. Such biomass yields corresponded to a volumetric productivity of (dry weight) 0.466 g litre^?1 day^?1 in the one-plane reactor and 1.5 g litre^?1 day^?1 in the two-plane reactor. We further observed that biomass yield could be increased by about 21% when the culture temperature was maintained at the optimal value of 35°C compared to another culture in which temperature changed according to the ambient temperature from 20 to 39°C during the day.     

Assessment of electricity and hydrogen production performance of evacuated tube solar collectors

In this work, a unified renewable energy system has designed to assess the electricity and hydrogen production. This system consists of the evacuated tube solar collectors (ETSCs) which have the total surface area of 300 m², a salt gradient solar pond (SGSP) which has the surface area of 217 m², an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and an electrolysis system. The stored heat in the heat storage zone (HSZ) transferred to the input water of the ETSCs by means of an exchanger and thereby ETSCs increase the temperature of preheated water to higher level as much as possible that primarily affects the performance of the ORC. The balance equations of the designed system were written and analyzed by utilizing the Engineering Equations Solver (EES) software. Hence, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the overall system were calculated as to be 5.92% and 18.21%, respectively. It was also found that hydrogen generation of the system can reach up to ratio 3204 g/day.     

Numerical and experimental analysis of a salt gradient solar pond performance with or without reflective covered surface

An experimental salt gradient solar pond having a surface area of 3.5 × 3.5 m² and depth of 2 m has been built. Two covers, which are collapsible, have been used for reducing the thermal energy loses from the surface of the solar pond during the night and increasing the thermal efficiency of the pond solar energy harvesting during daytime. These covers having reflective properties can be rotated between 0° and 180° by an electric motor and they can be fixed at any angle automatically. A mathematical formulation which calculates the amount of the solar energy harvested by the covers has been developed and it is adapted into a mathematical model capable of giving the temporal temperature variation at any point inside or outside the pond at any time. From these calculations, hourly air and daily soil temperature values calculated from analytical functions are used. These analytic functions are derived by using the average hourly and daily temperature values for air and soil data obtained from the local meteorological station in Isparta region. The computational modeling has been carried out for the determination of the performance of insulated and uninsulated solar ponds having different sizes with or without covers and reflectors. Reflectors increase the performance of the solar ponds by about 25%. Finally, this model has been employed for the prediction of temperature variations of an experimental salt gradient solar pond. Numerical results are in good agreement with the experiments.     

CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF A 6000 m SOLAR POND AT KUTCH, INDIA

A 6000 m² solar pond was constructed at Bhuj in India in the premises of a milk processing dairy plant to supply process heat and demonstrate the technical and economic viability of solar pond technology in the Indian context. An inexpensive lining scheme, consisting of alternating layers of clay and LDPE (low density polyethylene) combination was used for lining the pond. The pond attained a maximum temperature of 99.8°C under stagnation in May 1991 but developed leakage soon after. A failure analysis that was carried out subsequently indicated that the leakage was caused by the combination of high stagnation temperature and large air pockets below the liner. The lining scheme was re-designed and the pond re-established in June 1993. Hot water supply to the dairy started in September 1993 and continued until April 1995. After an interruption of nearly one year, hot water was resumed in August 1996. The total cost of construction of the Bhuj Solar Pond was US$90 000 (1997 prices), including heat exchanger and piping etc., corresponding to a unit cost of US$15 m⁻².     

Thermal analysis of insulated north-wall greenhouse with solar collector under passive mode

An insulated north wall greenhouse dryer has been fabricated and tested for no-load condition under passive mode. Testing has been conducted in two different cases. Case-I is considered for solar collector kept inside the dryer and Case-II is dryer without solar collector. Convective heat transfer coefficient and various heat transfer dimensionless numbers with have been calculated for thermal analysis. The maximum convective heat transfer coefficient is found 52.18?W/m²°C at 14?h during the first day for Case-I. The difference of the highest convective heat transfer coefficient of both cases was 8.34?W/m²°C. Net heat gain inside room curves are uniform and smooth for Case-I, which shows the steady heat generation process due to presence of solar collector inside the dryer. Above results depicts the effectiveness of solar collector and insulated north wall. The selection of suitable crop for drying can be done by analysing article’s result.     

Performance investigation of a salt gradient solar pond coupled with desalination facility near the Dead Sea

Solar ponds provide the most convenient and least expensive option for heat storage for daily and seasonal cycles. This is particularly important for a desalination facility, if steady and constant water production is required. If, in addition to high storage capacity, other favorable conditions exist, the salt gradient solar ponds (SGSPs) are expected to be able to carry the entire load of a large-scale flash desalination plants without dependence upon supplementary sources. This paper presents a performance investigation of a SGSP coupled with desalination plant under Jordanian climatic conditions. This is particularly convenient in the Dead Sea region characterized by high solar radiation intensities, high ambient temperature most of the year, and by the availability of high concentration brine. It was found that a 3000 m² solar pond installed near the Dead Sea is able to provide an annual average production rate of 4.3 L min⁻¹ distilled water compared with 3.3 L min⁻¹ that would be produced by El Paso solar pond, which has the same surface area. Based on this study, solar ponds appear to be a feasible and an appropriate technology for water desalination near the Dead Sea in Jordan.     

Solar drying system for energy conservation

A low cost portable farm solar dryer was evaluated for drying goose berry candy in the conditions of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state. Temperature profile at top, middle and bottom in its seven trays loaded with candy was studied with respect to ambient temperature during the course of drying and maximum solar radiation of 1120 W/m² was observed at 11.30 to 12 h. The solar radiation was varied from 720–500 W/m² at 9.00 h to 16.00 h. The minimum temperature of 27°C was observed at bottom tray of the dryer and maximum of 44°C in top tray at 9.00 h. The maximum temperature of 70°C was attained at 11.30 h. The conventional drying method took 8 days to dry the product. The moisture content was reduced from 36.38 to 8.33 per cent (wb) in three days in solar drying method. The product recovery was 71.55 per cent as compare to 35 per cent in conventional drying method. The drying period was reduced by 62 per cent and product recovery was doubled using portable farm solar dryer. The goose berry candy was also dried with and without shade drying methods. The temperature variation of dryer without shade was found, in the range of 23–36°C, 31–48°C and 38–55°C in bottom, middle and top trays respectively of dryer. The weight loss of 810, 870 and 820 g were observed in three days at bottom, middle and top trays of the dryer respectively. The thermal efficiency of the dryer onepy first day drying was found 15.55 and 15.23 per cent in shade and without shade drying methods respectively. Appearance, taste and flavour of goose berry candy dried in farm solar dryer with shade were superior to conventional drying. The cost of final product was Rs 114/kg. The profit from a single unit of farm solar dryer per year was Rs 57588/-.     

Feasibility of air-cooled solar air-conditioning in hot arid climate regions

In air-cooled lithium bromide absorption chillers, the working conditions in the absorber and condenser are shifted to higher temperatures and salt concentrations, thereby increasing the risk of crystallisation in the solution heat exchanger. In this paper, we present the results of numerical investigations performed in order to find out the appropriate operating conditions to avoid salt crystallisation by ensuring an acceptable coefficient of performance. It is shown that, to this purpose, the lowest and highest temperatures in the machine must be modified (evaporation at 11 °C, generator at 90 °C). Based on these results, we evaluated the potential of an integrated solar air-conditioning system for a middle-class house (150 m²) under the climatic conditions of Tunis city.

The chiller generator is supplied with heat via an external pressurised water loop from an insulated tank storing solar heat from an evacuated tube collector field and maintained at a maximum temperature of 110 °C with make-up energy from fossil fuel combustion. It is shown that the collector surface is unlikely to exceed 32 m².     

Development of the gel pond technology

A review of the development of the gel pond technology is presented. First, the emergence and growth of solar pond technology since the 1950's is described. The inherent problems encountered with the conventional salt gradient ponds are discussed, leading to the concept of the solar gel pond in which the salt gradient layer in the former is replaced by a transparent polymer gel. The major work in the first phase dealt with the experimental development of a polymer gel which met certain selection criteria. The criteria considered included transmissivity, stability of physical and chemical properties, high viscosity and other physical and optical properties. The gradual development of the polymer gel through an alternating process of testing and elimination and evaluation of relevant properties of the gel has been described. Modeling and optimization studies of the solar gel pond have been presented. Bansal and Kaushik's model for a salt gradient pond has been modified for a solar gel pond, and the results of the simulation are presented in a graphical form to serve as a quick reference for estimation of pond surface area, depth and flow rate for heat extraction depending on the extreme temperature required in the storage zone and the required heat load. Then, a cost-benefit economic analysis compares the economics of a solar gel pond with a conventional salt gradient pond. The construction of an experimental gel pond (18 m²) at The University of New Mexico is described, and the results of the study are summarized. Information on commercial scale ponds at Chamberino, New Mexico (110 m²), and in Albuquerque, New Mexico (400 m²), is provided. The review of the technology demonstrates the immense potential of the gel pond as a source of alternate energy for the years ahead.     

Constant flow solar pond collector/storage system

This paper presents a periodic analysis of the process of heat extraction by the brine layer circulating at constant flow rate through the bottom convective zone of a solar pond. Explicit expressions for the transient rate of heat extraction and the temperature at which heat can be extracted, as a function of time, depths of convective as well as non-convective zones and the flow rate, are derived. Extensive analytical results for the optimum performance of a pond during its year round operation are presented. In a pond with an upper convective zone depth of 0.2 m optimum heat extraction efficiencies of 24 per cent, 29 per cent and 32 per cent corresponding to heat extraction temperatures of 89, 55 and 42°C are predicted for water flow rates of 2 × 10^?4, 5 × 10^?4 and 10^?3 kg/s m², respectively. The load levelling in the extracted heat flux as well as in its temperature improves as the flow rate is lowered and the non-convective zone is over sized. An increase in the total depth of the solar pond improves the load levelling in extraction temperature, but influences the extracted heat flux differently; shifts its maximum to winter months and deteriorates the load levelling. The variability in flow rate required for the maintenance of constant temperature of the heat extraction zone is also investigated. It is found that the required variability is less for higher temperatures of the heat extraction zone and larger depths of the non-convective zone.     

Design,modeling, and optimization of a dual reflector parabolic trough concentration system

The aim of the present work is to enhance the thermal management avoiding the high-thermal stress on the outer surface of the parabolic trough receiver (PTR) derived from nonuniform concentrated solar flux distribution. A parabolic trough concentrating (PTC) system with second homogenizing reflector (HR) is numerically designed and optimized to ensure a uniform concentrated solar flux on the PTR walls. For this purpose, a three-dimensional optical model has been developed to analyze quantitatively the improvement made by the HR using the optical efficiency and qualitatively basing on the uniformity of the solar flux density distribution over the entire surface of the PTR. The validation of the numerical tool is presented, and the algorithm of the design process has been proposed and detailed. As a preliminary trait, it was revealed that the peak of the designed system performance is achieved with a rim angle of 68° avoiding simultaneously the aberration and the blocking effects. Despite the optical efficiency decrease by about 7% compared with the conventional PTC design, the uniformity of the solar flux distribution has been strongly improved such that the maximum local solar flux density gradient is decreased from 80 to 11 kW/m² equivalent to a decrease of 86.25% with respect to the conventional PTC and the average local density is about 25.5 kW/m².     

Development of a new type of solar dryer: Its mathematical modelling and experimental evaluation

A solar dryer fitted with a novel design of absorber having inbuilt thermal storage capabilities was designed, fabricated, simulated and also tested at Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering Research & Technology, Chandrapur (MS) India. Thermic oil was used as a storage material. The main objective of the study was to reduce the drying period and enhance the quality of dried product mainly chillies and fenugreek leaves. The products were laid in a single layer. The dimensions of the dryer were arrived at using the well-defined procedure available in literature. The mass of thermic oil needed in the absorber and mass of product to be dried in trays were optimized using simulation techniques. The maximum drying air temperature required for drying agricultural products was around 65°C. The ambient conditions at the location were 25–40°C, 16–43% RH and solar radiation 105–1024 W m⁻². Experimental studies based on temperature and humidity measurements were performed on the dryer. The research concluded that the desired drying air temperature was achieved and maintained for a longer period. The length of operation of the solar air heater and the efficiency of the dryer were increased, and better quality of agricultural products in terms of colour value were obtained compared with open sun drying. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation of ice‐chamber for melting of ice based on Scheffler solar concentrator for high altitude regions

This experimental analysis was performed with the aim to melt the ice into hot water at very high altitude regions such as Leh Ladakh. Three different designs of ice‐chamber were used to melt the ice with direct heating in minimum time. The radiations were focused on the receiver with the help of 1 m² Scheffler solar concentrator exposed to the atmospheric situations of NIT Kurukshetra. The Scheffler solar concentrator was fabricated with fiber‐reinforced plastic material. The fabrication process is discussed in detail. The results obtained from the design showed that the ice frozen at ?5°C completely melted, converting into water. The maximum temperature of water attained in the ice‐chamber with receiver 1 (circular plate with fins), 2 (CPC with fins), and 3 (copper crucible) was 57.7°C, 64.3°C, and 67.4°C, respectively.