TEST OF A SOLAR-HYBRID MICROTURBINE SYSTEM AND EVALUATION OF STORAGE DEPLOYMENT

Kurzfassung

A solar-hybrid microturbine system using a tube receiver and a Turbec T100 was tested at the Plataforma Solar de Almería. The design receiver outlet temperature of 800°C was achieved with an open receiver aperture and also using a pressureless quartz window. Measured receiver efficiencies of 39.7% for the open receiver at 782°C outlet temperature and 44% at 803°C outlet temperature for the configuration with the window are much lower than the design values due to design flaws in the cavity insulation and a too low mass flow from the turbine. Nevertheless, the encountered problems are solvable and further lessons learned are given. For a commercial system design using small heliostats of 1m2-mirror area a peak receiver efficiency of >85% was simulated using a face-down receiver configuration with a much smaller aperture. The solar-hybrid system can also be combined with a pressurized pebble-bed heat storage. For an off-grid application a solar share of 82% was simulated.