Thermal Storage

When anyone hears about renewable energies, the first thing he thinks is in its benefits, they are inexhaustible, they are clean and we can use them in the same place where they occur.  But what happens when the wind stops blowing?  Or when the sun stops shining? Here the idea of Thermal Storage was born.

Spain is the first country in the world to use the renewable energy with a Thermal Storage System by inorganic salts. The plant of Andasol-1 was opened last July in Aldeire, Granada. The plant can operate up to seven hours without sun. Fuente de Andalucia, Seville has begun to build the Gemasolar plant, this plant can operate up to fifteen hours without sun.

The plant operation is simple and efficient, in the first case of the Andasol-1 plant, the inorganic salts like Sodium Nitrate and Potassium nitrate are stored in liquid in a cold thank at 293 degree Celsius, when the sun is shining the salts are pumped to heat exchanger where they absorb heat  and reach the 393 degree Celsius. Then the salts are transferred to a hot tank. The same happens when the sun stops shining, but now in a reverse way, the hot thank is transferred to the cold tank, and the hot salts transfer energy to the fluid of synthetic oil and the steam is generated.

Fig 1: Tanks acumulators of Andasol 1 plant.

In the second case of the Gemasolar plant, the operation is very similar Andasol-1 plant. The sunlight shines on the heliostats reflecting it to receiver, in the cold thank the salts are pumped to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower the salts begin to heat, then the salts down into the hot tank where they are stored at 500 degree Celsius. Then the salts pass through the heat exchanger pipes, when the salts lose heat the steam is genereted and the turbine operated of the electrical generetor is activated.

Gemasolar Heliostats solar thermal plant.

STEAM TURBINE IN SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS Madrid, 20 y 21 de November The course studies the steam turbines, considering that the technician who operates or participates in projects not designed thermal turbines. Therefore does not fall into deep termosdinámicos or kinematic studies, and instead focuses on the analysis of each component of the main problems that can occur, the consequences of a rágimen of starts and stops daily, selection of turbines, etc. Click here for more informatión.

HTF SYSTEM IN SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS Sevilla, 25 y 26 de November The course examines the HTF system in power planst, from a practical standpoing. The oil system is thermal or HTF as the circulatory system that links the captured heat and energy produced. Study the principles of operation, the main component parts, Operation and Maintenance of this system. Click here for more informatión.

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