Design and Dynamic Simulation of a Small Multipurpose Solar Thermal System for Rural Necessities
Abstract
The proposed paper explains in detail the sizing process and dynamic simulation of a solar powered system designed to satisfy the energy demand of a school in the rural area of Haridwar district, India. The system is able to satisfy heterogeneous power demands for typical rural applications: hay pasteurization process, refrigerated storage for vegetables (explained in a second publication) and steam cooking. The considered layout is first described and evaluated under steady state assumption to identify the rough size of the main components. The specific configuration is then implemented and simulated using a Modelica-based layout, specifically developed for the case study. The dynamic behaviour of the system for different power requirements is simulated and analyzed over a typical day of usage. The goal to properly size and study the solar field, Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal storage and overall Balance Of Plant (BOP) is achieved. Simulations results show that an optimal sizing can be achieved despite the large area of solar collectors required to ensure the power requirements of the facility. A better trade off between economic investment and system effectiveness can be accomplished slightly shifting the daily cooking activities. The final designed system is going be implemented and commissioned in the proposed rural area. Future work will consist in comparing experimental data with the dynamic model predictions.
Keywords
Csp, Solar cooking, Solar cooling, Solar hay processing, Dynamic modeling, Dymola.