WORK PACKAGES

This WP is dedicated to R&D activities for the development of a high temperature pressurized air solar receiver manufactured by diffusion bonding. The objective is two-fold. The first step is to select an enhanced oxidation resistant Ni-based alloy according to the requirements of the assemblies with a specific focus on the thermomechanical characteristics. The next step is to design the solar absorber
and the manifolds with a double and contradictory requirement of low pressure drop and high heat transfer coefficient. To this end, the thermo-hydraulic properties of the receiver will be optimized.
Achieving a low manufacturing cost of 1.4 €/W for the prototype (cost target of 0.4 €/W for the commercial version) will also be considered as a major constraint.

This WP aims at hybridizing a proven and commercially available micro-gas-turbine in order to operate it in solar hybrid mode and in conventional fuel mode. The work mainly consists in designing the different new components and in integrating them to the engine in order to make an efficient solar power generation package. A specific target will be to integrate the solar receiver into the gas cycle.
Another important objective is to combine the gas-turbine and the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine with the heat storage in-between. The ORC needs adaptation to the operating conditions imposed by the thermal storage. A new heat exchanger will be designed and implemented to this end.
Moreover, the direct evaporation of the organic fluid using the heat rejected by the gas turbine will be studied as an option and tested with a specific additional heat exchanger.

The main goal of this WP is the development and testing of thermal energy storage (TES) solutions. A thermocline system with a solid filler and thermal oil as Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) will be developed.
The objective is to implement a non-pressurized tank made of concrete and to promote the utilization of concrete for insulating foundation. These approaches are expected to be effective solutions for solving the limitation in size imposed by metallic storage tanks and light expanded clay aggregate (Arlita® Leca®) spheres as insulation for foundation. The capacity of the TES unit of the prototype plant will be 2 MWh. The cost target for this storage technology is 28 €/kWh.
Since dual media thermocline prototypes have been already studied in previous R&D projects, the challenges to address in this proposal are those dealing with avoiding the problems of thermal ratcheting by using a tank made of concrete and by studying its coupling with the solid filler. Various natural rocks and structured bricks will be studied.

In this WP the overall plant design for the prototype of the solar thermal combined cycle plant will be carried out. The sub-systems of the prototype under development have to be aligned amongst each other and integrated into the existing solar tower facility in order to form the complete solar-to-electric conversion chain of the prototype plant. To this end, a close interaction and collaboration with the
development of the solar receiver (WP1), the solar-driven micro gas-turbine (WP2) and the thermal energy storage (WP3), respectively the associated entities, is foreseen. The matching of these sub-components will be coordinated within WP4. Furthermore, based on the final design of the sub-components and on the planned operating strategies, the interconnections between the main components and the auxiliary equipment (pumps, valves, etc.) will be defined. The overall design of the plant set up with respect to the local conditions of the test facility and the general engineering and design of the control system will be carried out in parallel.

In this WP the components of the prototype plant will be manufactured and implemented on the existing solar tower research facility Themis (operated by CNRS) in France. The solar receiver and the gas turbine power block will be placed at the focus in the tower, the thermal energy storage and the ORC-module next to the bottom of the tower. Piping, auxiliary devices and cable connections will be installed according to the plant layout issued in WP4 (Task 4.1). At the end of this WP5 the prototype plant will be commissioned and will be ready for experimental operation.

WP6 is one of the core WPs of POLYPHEM project. The key components and the integrated solar-to-electric conversion system will be tested through experiments carried out in relevant environment and their performance will be assessed in representative operating conditions. The Themis solar field will be operated by CNRS. Each component will be tested separately according to specific protocols. A
particular attention will be paid to the μGT starting and shut down regimes and to the TES charging and discharging modes. Then the entire system will be evaluated under operating strategies that reflect realistic situation of a small-scale solar power generation system connected to a mini-grid in remote area. The measured data will be processed to evaluate the conversion efficiencies along the energy conversion chain and to determine the best and less suited ranges of operating parameters. Other major findings will be to validate the manufacturing techniques, the integration scheme and the implementation of the control system. Finally the data will be collected and recorded in the form of a database which will be used for the performance assessment in WP7 and for the study of the deployment of the technology in WP8.

In this WP a dynamic simulation model of the overall plant will be developed by FISE within several steps. A preliminary system model will be developed, which is needed for the design of the prototype solar plant (WP4) and its performance rough estimation. This model will be adapted, extended and validated during the course of the project, based on the additional input of the sub-component developers and on the experimental test results (WP1, WP2 and WP3).
With this enhanced system model a software tool for the plant layout will be developed which also considers techno-economic optimizations.
With the measurement data obtained during the testing campaign of the prototype (WP6) a profound analysis will be conducted and the performance of the prototype system will be analyzed. The efficiencies and the performance of the sub-components will be studied in detail as well as the overall plant performance. The results of this analysis will help to improve and to validate the system simulation model.
Additionally, a life cycle assessment will be carried out.
The results generated in this WP will be considered for input in the Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of the project Results (WP9) providing that the IP rules as defined in the Consortium Agreement are fully applied.

This WP will focus on the gap between the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) reached at the end of the project and the fully qualified and operational unit (TRL9). The objective is to pave the way to a competitive, reliable and mature technology of POLYPHEM. Learning from the results of the other WPs of the project, the beneficiaries will estimate the effort which is necessary to harmonise the POLYPHEM set-up with industrial standards and will identify the requirements from the supplying industry. In the end, a strategy for the commercial deployment of the POLYPHEM technology will be proposed in the form of a roadmap. The outcomes of this WP will feed-in the Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of the project Results (WP9).

This work package aims (1) to identify the potential different routes for innovation and exploitation of the project results as well as the protection of the intellectual properties in order to maximize the post-project’s impact on the participating organizations, the industry as well as on the community at-large; (2) to disseminate the information about POLYPHEM to a wide range of relevant stakeholders and to the public at large through various dissemination activities in order to engage the community behind the project; (3) to ensure maximum visibility of the project through tailored communication activities in order to raise awareness about the potential of CSP and POLYPHEM .

The general objective of this work-package is to ensure the good implementation of the project with respect to its original objectives, in terms of scientific quality, timely delivery and contribution to the expected impact, within the timeframe and budget constraints and to ensure a smooth and regular communication between the consortium members. Specifically, WP10 should ensure an efficient project management and an adequate coordination of activities through the structure and procedures described both in Annex 1 and in the Consortium agreement.