Renewable Energy Technologies-ME659

Lecture -1

Dr. K.S.REDDY
Heat Transfer &Thermal Power Lab.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS,CHENNAI-600 036

Renewable Energy Systems

Fossil Fuel - Energy System
Finite Source of energy potential

Renewable Energy System

Environment

Current Source of
continuous energy flow

Energy Conversion Device

E
Use

D
B

Energy Conversion Device

E
Use
F

F
C

Environment

Environment

Environmental Energy
Reflected to space
50,000

80,000
40,000

From Sun
Solar Radiation

120,000

Sensible Heating

Solar Power
OTEC

Latent Heat, PE

Hydro Power

300

Total solar flux incident at sea

level is about 1.2X1017W

From
Earth

Geothermal
Gravitation
Orbital motion

30

Wind and Wave

Conversion

KE

Photosynthesis

Biofuels

Heat

Geothermal
installation

30

The alternative energy sources include:

Solar power
- Wind power
Ocean power
- Geothermal power

Tides

Tidal power

- Biomass fuels
- Hydroelectric power

Renewable Energy Technologies

Reference Book:
1. John Twidell and Tone Wier, Renewable Energy Resources 2nd Edn.,
Taylor & Francis (2007)
2. G N Tiwari and M K Ghosal, Renewable Energy Resources- Basic
Principles & Applications , Narosa Publishing House (2005)
3. D Yogi Goswami & Frank Kreith, Edt. Energy Conversion , CRC Press,
Taylor & Francis Group. (2008)

Solar Thermal Power Generation

Energy From Sun (Source for REs)
Solar technologies have shown greatest potential for cost effective energy
generation.
The estimated power released by the sun is of the order of 3.8x1026W
The Earth intercepts 1.78 x 1017 W.
(20,000 times the present energy Demand)

Approximately 1 % of the world's desert area utilized by solar thermal power plants
would be sufficient to generate the world's entire electricity demand.

Suitable Regions for Solar

Thermal Power Plants

Direct radiation 5kWh/md

Solar Energy Utilization

Direct Conversion
Thermal
Water Heating
Drying of Food
Cooking
Distillation
Refrigeration
Green Houses

Photovoltaic
Power Generation

Indirect Conversion
Water Power
Wind Energy
Bio - Mass
Ocean Energy
Wave

Tidal

Power Generation

Abundantly available, Environment friendly. Economically viable in remote areas.

Solar Energy Conversion System

OTEC

Solar Thermal Power Technologies

Non-Mirror Systems

Mirror Systems

Parabolic Trough ( CR=40-80,

o
Solar Pond
(CR=1, T<400 C, P<100MW)
T<95oC, P<5MW)
Central Tower ( CR=200-700,
T<1500oC, P<200MW)
Flat Plate Collector
(CR=1, T<200oC, P<1MW)
Parabolic Dish( CR=100-250,
T<1500oC, P<150kW/unit)
Vacuum Tube Collector
( CR=3, T<250oC, P<1MW)
Linear Fresnel Collector

Air Moving Systems

Solar Chimney (Up-draft)
( CR=1, T<150oC,P<2MW/200MW)
Sneh Aero-electric Power(SNAP)
(Down-draft)

Power Cycles for Solar Energy Conversion

Cycles may classified as

Rankine Cycle - water or organic fluid
Brayton Cycle - helium or air
Hybrid Cycles
Stirling Cycle - helium or air
Optimum Operating Temperature

Based on Temperature :
Low Temperature
: < 100 oC
Medium Temperature: 100-400 oC
High Temperature :>400 oC

Low Temperature Solar Power Systems

Flat Plate Collector- Day &Night Generator 1904

The hot water at temperatures close to 100 oC is stored in a well-insulated thermal storage tank

Heat collected

Qw = Ac FR ( ) S FRU L (T fi Ta )

Thermal efficiency of the

U L (T fi Ta ) Where mC
F U L Ac
& p
system is given by
th = FR ( )

FR =
1 exp

S
&

U L Ac
mC

p
ORC is used to produce power from low temperature heat.
Working fluids :Methyl Chloride, Toluene, SO2 and Refrigerants R11,R113 and R114
The overall efficiency (2%) is rather low, because of low T~50 oC
Collector efficiency = 25%
ORC efficiency = 7-8%
A 10 kW plant installed at IITM during 1979-80 under Indo-German collaboration Cost :
Rs. 3,00,000/- kW for 6-8 hours of operation.

Solar Ponds

Temperature inversions have been observed in natural lakes and high concentration of
dissolved salts in the bottom layers.
This phenomenon suggested the possibility using ponds as large scale horizontal solar
collector.
Solar Ponds

Shallow Solar Ponds

Salt-Gradient Solar Ponds

Salts(brine):
MgCl2, NaCl
and Sodium
nitride

Solar radiation absorbed by the pond liner

and can attain temperatures of up to 60C .
The Collector Modules are : 4m wide X
200m long
Sometime honeycombs also used as cover

Pond Lining: Butyl Rubber, Black Polyethylene

and Hipalon reinforced with nylon mesh
For leak proof: Embankments and membrane
liners Clay over the liners to make to protect
them and and improve their durability.

Salt-Gradient Solar Pond

A salt-gradient non-convective solar pond can be considered to have three layers:

1 A
C1

C2

T1 T2

The top, or Upper Convective Zone (UCZ). : This is relatively fresh water, about 30 cm thick.

Increasing the thickness of this layer decreases the pond s ability to store heat.

It is difficult to keep this less than 0.4 m in thickness if pond size is greater than 10 hectares.

The gradient, or Non-Convective Zone (NCZ).

The insulating zone can be 0.5 to 1.5m thick, depending on the application.

The heat storage zone , or Lower Convective Zone (LCZ): Ideally, this is a near saturated saline solution.


This is best achieved by direct injection of concentrated brine into the LCZ.

Solar Pond Concentration

Let T,, C are Temp., Density and Concentrations of the

solar pond.
No convection occurs so long as the curve AB is positive.
The condition that the lower layer remain denser than
those above is given by
d/dx>0;
Since = (C,T)
The condition for stability is

x
D

dT

dC dT
or dC

C dx
+
>
0

>
C T dx T C dx
dx

Considering effect of small perturbations

T
dT

dC
+ T C dx
>

dx
+ D

C T

The Steady-state energy equation can be

written as: Heat collected

Qu = A S ( )eff
+ U g (TLCZ TUCZ )
x

2
1
C1

C2

Where

B
A

T1 T2

kinematic viscosity,
Thermal diffusivity,
D Diffusivity of salt in
water

Where k = thermal conductivity of the solution in

NCZ
x = thickness of the gradient zone
a bP
Ug = ground loss coefficient U g = +
k
xg A g

P = Perimeter of a pond area of A

kg = effective thermal conductivity of the ground
under the pond
xg = distance from bottom of the pond down to the
water table
a,b = constants for a particular pond

Solar Pond Power Plant

The first experimental solar ponds
were constructed in Israel in
early 60 s.
Capacities: 6kW and 150kW
World s largest solar pond: 5MW
with 2,50,000 m2 was
constructed in 1984.

India: First solar pond was built at Bhavnagar with 1200 m2

Other ponds
Pondicherry
: 100 m2
IISc Bangalore: 240 m2
Hubli
: 300 m2
Bhuj
: 6000 m2 largest 1993
Process heat needs of dairy

Solar Chimney(Up Draft)

Green House Effect,
Chimney Effect
Wind Turbine
(Kaplan type)

Thermal Model of Solar Chimney

Solar Collector
The energy balance for air is give
as (for steady state)
Qu = ()eff AC S UL AC TCA
= m Cp TChA where T
ChA = TCh-TA
= C AC S
TCA = TC-TA
The mass flow rate of hot air passing
through the solar chimney,
m = a ACh VC
Where a air density, ACh chimney area
The air velocity at outlet of the solar collector
is expressed by
( ) AC U L AC TCA

VC =

eff

a AChC p TChA

If the air temperature flowing in the solar

collector increases linearly along with flow
direction, TCA could be estimated as

TCA =

2Q
(1 F )
ACU L FR

Furthermore TCA can be expressed as TCA

=1/2 TChA

TCh

TA

ACh Hch
()eff

TC

AC

UL

The efficiency of collector is given by

C =

U T
Q
= ( )eff L CA
AC S
S

Where the heat removal factor, FR can be

estimated by
1

FR =

1
AU
F + C L
2mCp

F! is the efficiency factor of solar collector

Flow factor is given by F!! = F /F!

Thermal Model of Solar Chimney

Solar Chimney
The chimney is a pressure tube with friction
loss because of its optimal surface
plume ratio.
The chimney efficiency is expressed as:

SCh =

Electrical power: Pwe =Pwmax X TG

2
g
PWe = CTG
H Ch AC S
3
C pTa

Prototype Plant at Manzanares

PFW gH Ch
=
Q
C pTa

Where Hch height of the chimney

PFW Power contained in the flow

PFW = C Q =

gH Ch
aVC TChA ACh
Ta

The pressure difference, p, which

produced between the chimney base
and the surroundings is given by

p = a gH Ch

TChA
Ta

Tower height 200 m,

Collector Collector 240m
7 years test phase years test phase successfully
completed

100 MW Solar Chimney

Turbine: Static pressure is converted to
Height: 1000m, Diameter: 130m
rotate energy using a cased turbine.
Max. mechanical power taken up the turbine Wall thickness at base: 1m, at top : 0,25m
2
2
g
PW max = VC ACh p = C
H Ch AC S Collector: Radius: 3500m, Height outside: 3,5m
3
3 C pTa
Height at chimney: 35m, Output: 700 GWhel

Down Draft System- Sneh Aero-electric Power(SNAP) System

SNeh Burning Bush (Hebrew lang.)
refers bush burned not consumed
Natural Phenomenon-rain on to dry air-create strong
sustained wind drive wind turbines
Power plant-hollow tower-openings at bottom-wind
turbines in opening-water spray over hot dry airheavier air sinks down the tower-meets turbine-exit at
the bottom
SNAP technology uses hot dry air and water to
produce electricity.
When a passing cloud sheds rain into hot air, a
strong downward draft called WIND SHEAR is
generated.
The sprayed water evaporates, making the air at the
top of the flue cooler and heavier than the
surroundings.
If air is cooled by 12oC, it becomes approx. 4% heavier than previous state.
The heavier air can reach a speed of 80kmph.
Besides power production, desalinated water from seawater can be obtained.