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Thermoelectric Topping Cycle for Trough Solar Thermal Power Plant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Andy Muto  and
Gang Chen
Andy Muto
Affiliation:
andymuto@MIT.EDU, MIT, Cambridge, United States
Gang Chen
Affiliation:
gchen2@mit.edu, MIT, Mechanical, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
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Abstract

Solar thermal power generation is fast becoming cost competitive for utility scale electricity. Parabolic trough concentrators have proven economical and reliable but their efficiency is limited by the maximum temperature of the heated fluid. This work will explore the possibility of adding a thermoelectric power generator (TEG) as a topping cycle at high temperature to increase the overall efficiency of the system. In this design the perimeter of the receiver tube is covered with thermoelectrics so that the absorber temperature is raised and the energy rejected from the TEG is used to heat the fluid at its originally specified temperature. A heat transfer analysis was carried out on the design to determine the overall system efficiency. Our findings show the state of the art solar thermal trough collector is not a good application for a ZT=1 thermoelectric material. To increase the overall power output of the system by approximately 10% would require a ZT=3 material.

Keywords

thermoelectricenergy generationradiation effects
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1218: Symposium Z – Energy Harvesting–From Fundamentals to Devices , 2009 , 1218-Z07-05
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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References

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