Feasibility Study of a Radial Turbine for a Solar Chimney Power Plant
Date
2018-12-07
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Abstract
Solar Chimney Power Plants (SCPPs) use solar radiation to increase the temperature of the air creating an airflow which is used to drive one or more turbines. Only one large-scale prototype has been built in Manzanares, Spain. Among other factors, the uniqueness of each location plays against a mass production method for the whole system or specific components. According to the literature review, the cost of the turbine is an average of 15 % of the total investment. This thesis investigates if a radial turbine with sheet steel blades placed at the bottom of the Manzanares SCPP is a cost-effective solution. Three radial turbines are designed and the largest power output achieved is 77.7 kW at 15 rpm for a solar radiation of 850 W/m^2, more than 40 kW higher than the original axial turbine. The thickness of the blades and the Levelized Electricity Cost (LEC) are calculated.
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Keywords
Renewable Energy, Solar Chimney Power Plant, Radial Turbine
Citation
Caicedo Flores, P. V. (2018). Feasibility Study of a Radial Turbine for a Solar Chimney Power Plant (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/34923