Introduction
This project will investigate novel construction techniques for solar thermal towers, with a view to developing strategies for off-site construction and rapid deployment in high-insolation areas.
Aims & Objectives
- To reduce dependence on fossil fuel sources.
- To increase the viability of solar thermal towers as a renewable energy generation technology for urban areas across the full spectrum of development.
- To develop a novel solar thermal tower design with prolonged life span and increased resilience against UV radiation and seismic activity.
- To reduce the construction costs of large-scale solar thermal towers.
Methodology
This project will begin by modelling the physical processes of the solar thermal tower, enabling us to design a viable system and predict expected power output. Research will be undertaken to establish the system's resilience to the harsh high-insolation environment, to various aggressive forces (e.g.: abrasion by wind-borne sand particles) and to a seismic event. Further design work will then be undertaken to increase the resilience of the system to these risks. The research will be validated by scale-model experiments.
Outcomes
- A low cost solar thermal tower which is accessible to technologically less developed countries.
- An off-site construction strategy with minimised deployment time.
- New analytical tools to analyse the novel solar thermal tower's resilience to various environmental factors.
- Functioning scale-model experiments to validate the models.
I need a break from wading through the technical literature, so I thought I'd write a journal post! I am just over two months into my project. In this time we have applied for FP7 research funding from the EU to build a prototype plant and begun an in-depth literature review.
The existing literature appears to have been written by few people, each of whom is obviously dedicated and has written prolifically on this topic. Only one prototype of notable size has ever been constructed, and that is a solar thermal chimney built in Manzanares, Spain in the 1980s. It was operated as a research prototype between 1984 and 1989. Much of my initial research will focus on this plant and the many computational models constructed by academics to evaluate in detail the physical processes occurring within the solar thermal chimney power plant.
My literature review is well underway and a couple of tentative Matlab models are under development. We will have the outcome of the FP7 funding application by the end of the year. If we are successful then we will be invited to submit a more detailed application before April. If we are not successful (and these applications are always very competitive), then at least we have the beginnings of a research proposal and in-depth knowledge of the proposal application process. It is early days yet for the project and there is plenty of time to apply for funding as necessary.
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