Sunited Group Energymanager Jan Mar 2013

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ISSN 0974 - 0996January - March | 2013 | Vol :: 06 | No :: 1

- nature's power unleashed- electricity from the sun - the possibilities- sizing SPV systems for largecommercial establishments

- JNNSM - an update- Kerala's 10,000 solar rooftops

solarelectricitya promisingbusinessof the future


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two innovative

renewable energytechnologies

from France

Antoine GOURDON

The Indian industry and the public

are facing relatively high electricity

prices combined with unreliability of

the grid. Alternative technologiessuitable for local needs offer an

alternative to the unreliable grid

distribution which relies on

centralized energy production. Two

innovative technologies developed

in France are introduced here, which

could provide Indian villages and

industries with a low-cost energy

production system, perfectly

adaptable to rural, urban or

industrial use in India.


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January-March2013

twoinnovativerenewableenergytechnologiesfromF

rance

n order to resolve the twenty-first century challengesIrelated to energy production for the increasingpopulation, with a lower impact on the environment,

researchers and engineers are poised to develop new

low-cost and efficient renewable energy production

technologies.

The Indian industry and the public are facing relatively

high electricity prices combined with unreliability of

the grid. Alternative technologies suitable for local

needs offer an alternative to the unreliable grid

distribution which relies on centralized energy

production.

Power plant design engineers often fail to consider

the long-term costs of exploitation and maintenance,

as well as adaptation to the local context. Levelized

cost of energy (LCOE) is the price at which electricity

must be generated from a specific source to breakeven over the lifetime of the project. LCOE allows a

fair and pertinent comparison between technologies

as it enables to take into account the local context.

Two innovative technologies developed in France are

introduced here, which could provide Indian villages

and industries with a low-cost energy production

system, perfectly adaptable to rural, urban or

industrial use in India.

Heat and Electricity Production with Solar Captor

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is currently the best

available technology for electricity production from

direct solar insolation. It can also be used in solar air-

conditioning systems for buildings and for process

steam generation in factories. India presents a range2

of direct normal irradiance (4-6 kWh/m /day),

comparable to Spain, which has been the hot spot for

the CSP technology in recent years.

Among the CSP technologies, parabolic t rough is

currently the most mature. CSP technologies are still

expensive both at installation and during operation.

The worldwide range of LCOE for parabolic trough

CSP in 2009 was `0.14 - 0.18 per kWh, excluding

government incentives.

Presented below is a French CSP technology under

development which aims at delivering lower than

`0.1 per kWh LCOE, lower than those of the current

wind energy and new nuclear plant, and comparable

to that of the classical coal plant.

A CSP system consists of various components. A

concentrator reflects and concentrates sun rays ontoan absorber. The heat fluid circulating in the absorber

is further used either directly as a heating fluid (air-

`

conditioning, steam production) or indirectly for

electricity production via a turbine.

The above-mentioned innovative technology

introduces a new concentrator technology. A

concentrator is a curved trough coated with a

reflecting material which reflects direct solar radiationonto an absorber running the length of the trough,

positioned at the focal point of the reflectors.

Existing solutions

The currently existing off-the-shelf solutions for the

reflective surface and its supporting structure include

w glass reflector with a thin metal layer (mirror-type)

w reflective polished metal sheet, curved or pressed,

and fixed on a rigid structure

w very thin reflective polymer film fixed or glued onto

a curved or pressed sheet, fixed on a rigid

structure

Glass Reflector

This reflector exhibits a high reflective quality and

concentration precision as a result of the mould-

based fabrication process. Excessive weight and

large volume are the main downsides of this solution

for shipment, putting up the infrastructure andinstallation. Its stiffness allows for a fairly isostatic

bearing, with few fixing points.

The rigidity of the structure and that of the orientation

mechanism need to anticipate the risk of normal

mode oscillations which can occur at low frequencies

due to the mass.

The annual loss of yield amounts up to 1.5% to 2%,

and the replacement cost is relatively high.

Reflective Polished Metal Sheet

Sheets of reasonable mass and thickness coherent

with the formatting processes do not offer sufficient

resistance to harsh climatic conditions. It therefore

requires designing the carrier structure as a

hyperstatic assembly which demands high spatial

manufacturing precision resulting in a very high cost.

The yield losses are superior to that of glass and

comparable to that observed with films. However,

replacement costs remain relatively high.


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rance

Thin Film on Metal Sheet

In this case, one needs to manufacture a curved

metal sheet not much different from a reflective

polished metal sheet. The process of sticking the thin

film onto the metal sheet affects the quality of the

reflected spectrum; moreover, in case of thin filmdeterioration, it is necessary to replace the carrier

soiled by the glue.

The FRF Innovative Technology

The technology relies on a flexible reflecting film

(FRF) shaped by longitudinally and transversely

stretched cables (ribs) fixed to a frame by a network

of brackets (Figures 1 and 2). It is a 3-D patented

structure built out of simple elements.

The FRF technology allows for lower

investment, installation and operation

costs for the concentrator; also it is easy

to maintain and has a long life span. For

an equal amount of reflected power, the

current developments in FRF technology

lead to an estimated 50% to 70%

reduction in investment costs as

compared to the concentration system

based on glass mirrors. Design with

simple elements and a flexible reflecting

film roll allows for a very large range of

collector dimensions, surfaces and

concentration ratios.

Characteristics and advantages

The FRF technology allows for lower investment,

installation and operation costs for the concentrator;

also it is easy to maintain and has a long life span.

For an equal amount of reflected power, the current

developments in FRF technology lead to an estimated

50% to 70% reduction in investment costs as

compared to the concentration system based on

glass mirrors.

Design with simple elements and a flexible reflecting

film roll allows for a very large range of collectordimensions, surfaces and concentration ratios.

The technology theoretically allows a wide range of

focal point temperatures, from a few tenths to

hundreds of degrees Celsius. Technically, the focal

distance depends on the lateral crossbeams, frame

and ribs. All the other components, including the

reflecting film and brackets, are similar for all

installations and are of a standard design.

FRF offers good mechanical properties: resistance to

hail and sand storm due to its flexibility; resistance to

wind thanks to the network of brackets and the film

stiffness. For instance, on a reflector with an opening

of 1m50, representing a total length of 2m10, and

with ribs every 70 cm, a 40 km/h wind leads to a

theoretical maximum spectrum dispersion of only 5

mm. This data remains to be corroborated with wind

tunnel measurements.

In case of very strong wind conditions, the film can be

easily and quickly removed from the cable ribs.

Otherwise the flexible film will be gone with the wind,

without damaging the frame. The FRF's specific cost

remains very affordable making it almost a

consumable.

The whole structure is made of simple elements that

can be put up on pallets. Installation does not require

any specific instruments. The technology can be

quickly installed in any region of the world without

having to deploy specific logistics.

FRF can be removed easily, and its low

cost allows replacement every 3 yearswithout significant increase of LCOE. In

SUNITED

Figure 1: FRF CAD design

SUNITED

Figure 2: FRF prototype


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contrast to the glass mirror technology,

the yield of which may decrease by 10%

to 20% over 10 years, FRF replacement

affords almost constant yield over the

lifespan of the installation. Hence, FRFtechnology affords better average yield

than does glass mirror despite the initial

yield spread (


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replaced by an organic fluid and the turbine is

adapted to the characteristics of the organic fluid.

This allows the machine to use low-temperature heat

sources, typically between 80 C and 300 C.

The organic working fluid is compressed with a pump,

which forces it through a regenerator. The regenerator

allows preheating of the liquid working fluid, which is

then heated in the evaporator, thanks to the

heat/waste heat source. It is then expanded in a

dedicated turbine which will drive a generator

producing electric power. After expansion, some heatcan still be recovered in the regenerator, and then the

vapour is condensed.

The temperature level of the condensation process

can be adjusted for the remaining waste heat to be

used in a district heating network.

In comparison with a steam turbine, which

uses water, no superheating is necessary

to avoid liquid formation in the exhaust

vapour, because the expansion ends for

most of the fluids in the area of

superheated vapour. This means lower

risk for the machine, whereas a steam

turbine can suffer damage if the

temperature decreases, due to the

formation of water droplets in the steam

which could damage the blades. In

contrast, the organic fluids used in ORC

are most of the time 'drying' fluids, which

always remain in the gaseous phase while

being expanded in the turbine; this affords

longer life of the turbines and reduces

operation and maintenance costs.

The selection of the working fluid plays a significant

role in the utility of the ORC process and is

determined by the application and the waste heat

characteristics. Fluids with higher critical temperature

on the one hand allow higher boiling temperaturesbut on the other hand lower the pressure, thereby

lowering the pressure difference.


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In comparison with a steam turbine, which uses

water, no superheating is necessary to avoid liquid

formation in the exhaust vapour, because the

expansion ends for most of the fluids in the area of

superheated vapour. This means lower risk for the

machine, whereas a steam turbine can suffer damage

if the temperature decreases, due to the formation of

water droplets in the steam which could damage the

blades. In contrast, the organic fluids used in ORC

are most of the time 'drying' fluids, which always

remain in the gaseous phase while being expanded in

the turbine; this affords longer life of the turbines and

reduces operation and maintenance costs.

ORCHID: an innovative modular ORC

technology on a cupola blast furnace in Western

France

The French foundry company FMGC, a division of the

privately held Farinia Group (France), contracted to

install an innovative ORCHID ORC module in one of

its foundries in France.

The 1 MW ORCHID module has been under

construction since October 2011 and was

commissioned in November 2012. The project is

being carried out as a partnership between an R&D

centre of the French metal casting industry and the

customer FMGC, the European leader in

counterweights and ship keels production, with an

annual output of 90,000 tons of cast iron.

The FMGC-ORCHID project was selected by ADEME-

TOTAL for the 6th Award for Energy Efficiency and

awarded a 1.8 m financial aid by Total S.A. in

September 2011.

The ORCHID ORC module is plugged into an

existing closed cooling loop between the combustion

chamber and the filter in a cupola installation to

recover the cupola furnace exhaust heat (see Figures

4 and 5.)

The power production from the module comes at 690

V from the generator and is stepped up to 20 kV in

the plant sub-station.

The module is presently under commercial run test

producing enough electricity to cover around 30% of

the needs of the foundry.

E

NERTIM

E

Figure 4: ORCHID module

E

NERTIME

Figure 5: ORCHID module in installation

Mr. Antoine GOURDON is the

Founder - Executive Director of

GreenVista sas, DESERTEC France.

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Sunited Group Energymanager Jan Mar 2013

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