Status and first results of the DUKE Project - Qualification of new DSG receivers and collectors

Abstract

One option to improve the cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness of parabolic trough power plants is the utilization of water/steam in the solar field, the so-called direct steam generation (DSG). First commercial stand-alone plants using DSG are now in operation in Thailand (parabolic trough with superheating by Solarlite) and in Spain (linear Fresnel for saturated steam by Novatec Solar). To further bring down the costs of a DSG solar field, the research project DUKE aims at the development and demonstration of a commercially applicable once-through mode design. The demonstration will be done at the DISS test facility at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), Spain, by the DLR-Institute of Solar Research in close collaboration with the Spanish CIEMAT. For this purpose, the DISS test facility was upgraded to a length of 1000 m by three new collectors. It now has commercial-scale size and, in addition, is able to stand 500 °C and 110 bar at the outlet [1]. The construction and commissioning of the new plant has been completed (see Fig. 1) and the first test period has started in May 2013. The paper examines two aspects: illustrate the design changes of the solar field and show the performance of the two new main components: the DSG receivers as well as the new collectors.