A validated energy model of a solar dish-Stirling system considering the cleanliness of mirrors

Alessandro Buscemi, Valerio Lo Brano, Christian Chiaruzzi, Giuseppina Ciulla and Christina Kalogeri

Applied Energy, 2020, vol. 260, issue C, No S0306261919320653

Abstract: Solar systems based on the coupling of parabolic concentrating collectors and thermal engines (i.e. dish-Stirling systems) are among the most efficient generators of solar power currently available. This study focuses on the modelling of functioning data from a 32 kWe dish-Stirling solar plant installed at a facility test site on the University of Palermo campus, in Southern Italy. The proposed model, based on real monitored data, the energy balance of the collector and the partial load efficiency of the Stirling engine, can be used easily to simulate the annual energy production of such systems, making use of the solar radiation database, with the aim of encouraging a greater commercialisation of this technology. Introducing further simplifying assumptions based on our experimental data, the model can be linearised providing a new analytical expression of the parameters that characterise the widely used Stine empirical model. The model was calibrated against data corresponding to the collector with clean mirrors and used to predict the net electric production of the dish-Stirling accurately. A numerical method for assessing the daily level of mirror soiling without the use of direct reflectivity measures was also defined. The proposed methodology was used to evaluate the history of mirror soiling for the observation period, which shows a strong correlation with the recorded sequence of rains and dust depositions. The results of this study emphasise how desert dust transport events, frequent occurrences in parts of the Mediterranean, can have a dramatic impact on the electric power generation of dish-Stirling plants.

Keywords: Stirling efficiency; Solar concentrator; Energy analysis; Numerical model; Mirror soiling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919320653
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:260:y:2020:i:c:s0306261919320653

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114378

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().