Impact of Component Improvements Within a Next Generation sCO2 CSP Plant

Several component improvements within a next-generation CSP plant were investigated in the German-project, HelioGLOW, to determine their impact on the system performance. To accomplish this, multiple configurations of an upgraded CRS plant with four different components were parameterized and simulated using a transient simulation model. The four components introduced to the plant as upgrades are: a high temperature solid body receiver, an air curtain that reduces convection losses, a supercritical CO2 power cycle that can operate at a range of temperatures, and an advanced heliostat field. With the result of multiple annual simulations under various operating conditions, configuration optima, performance sensitivity and specific component improvements were identified.