Conference article

Models for dynamic simulation of a parabolic trough concentrating solar power plant were developed in Modelica for the simulation software tool Dymola. The parabolic trough power plant has a two-tank indirect thermal storage with solar salt for the ability to dispatch electric power later in the evening and during the night when little or no solar irradiation is present. The complete system consists of models for incoming solar irradiation; a parabolic trough collector field; thermal storage and a simplified Rankine cycle. A parabolic trough power plant named Andasol located in Aldeire y La Calahorra; Spain is chosen as a reference system when the complete system model is designed and built in Dymola. The system model is later verified against performance numbers from this reference system in order to make sure a correct implementation has been made. Test cases with difference in solar insolation for different part of the year is set up and simulated. These tests shows that the system model works as expected but lacks some of the dynamics present in a real thermal power plant. This is due to the use of a simplified Rankine cycle. The collector and solar model is also verified against different papers regarding solar collector performance and shows good results; which indicates a correct implementation of the different loss models.

Concentrating solar power; parabolic trough; solar salt thermal storage; dynamic modeling; Dymola; Modelica.