Solar power generation medium pressure block

What is a solar power block?

Currently, the SRC is the most widespread and commercially available power block option, either coupled to a PTC solar field working with thermal oil, and generating steam at 370–390°C and 100 bar or coupled to a CR solar field working with molten salts and generating steam at 550–600°C and 180 bar.

What type of power block does a CSP plant use?

The typical power block associated with a CSP plant is the steam Rankine cycle. Most of the existing operational CSP plants use a steam turbine for power generation [ 25 ].

What is molten salt storage in concentrating solar power plants?

At the end of 2019 the worldwide power generation capacity from molten salt storage in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants was 21 GWh el. This article gives an overview of molten salt storage in CSP and new potential fields for decarbonization such as industrial processes, conventional power plants and electrical energy storage.

Are solar power blocks based on a steam Rankine cycle?

Most of them are based on other solar technologies also coupled to a steam Rankine cycle, although integrated solar combined cycles have a significant level of implementation. In the first place, power block configurations based on conventional thermodynamic cycles—Rankine, Brayton, and combined Brayton–Rankine—are described.

What is a concentrating solar power plant?

Power plant components and systems for concentrating solar power (CSP) benefit from a mature and well-understood technology found elsewhere in the power generation industry. The most common cycles employed by conventional CSP plants include subcritical Rankine and Stirling. Gross thermal-to-electric conversion efficiencies are typically 35%–45%.

Why is a concentrated solar power plant important?

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with direct molten salt storage plays an important role in future commercial projects for its high flexibility and reliability. To fully understand its thermodynamic performances and electrical characteristics under various meteorological conditions and load demands, an accurate dynamic model is essential.