Operational Study of a Solar Thermal Installation with Recirculation for Industrial Applications

Jazmin Martínez-Sánchez, Guillermo Martínez-Rodríguez (), Cristobal R. Diaz- de-Leon and Juan-Carlos Baltazar
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Jazmin Martínez-Sánchez: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico
Guillermo Martínez-Rodríguez: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico
Cristobal R. Diaz- de-Leon: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico
Juan-Carlos Baltazar: Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 3581, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: The solar thermal collector network (SCN) and the thermal energy storage system (TES) represent 90% of the solar thermal installation (STI) total costs. STI occupies 30 hectares, and any reduction is significant for the environment. The proposed approach, which includes a solar thermal plant with recirculation, a mixer, and a heat exchanger, reduces investment costs and environmental impact. It facilitates mixing in a simple tank. The developed methodology reduces the number of collectors and the size of the storage system. An industrial-powdered milk process is the case study. Two scenarios and the base case were evaluated. The four seasons and critical meteorological conditions were considered. Scenario one, without a heat exchanger, presents energy surpluses in three seasons. The second scenario, with a heat exchanger, heats the feedwater and guarantees the heat load and target temperature on critical days of the year. In this second scenario, it is possible to reduce the tank filling time from 8 to 7 h. Up to five parallels were reduced in both scenarios, with mass flow of 0.125 kg/s and up to 3.75% of the total tank volume of 52.65 m 3 (mass flow 0.075 kg/s). The optimized system is cost-effective, and 10.20% of the total cost was reduced. This methodology can be applied to any low-temperature STI.

Keywords: flat-plate solar collector; operational study; recirculation; solar thermal installation; storage tank; thermal energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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