system was described in Section 2.2 and subsystem performance was given in Sections 3.1 (collectors), 3.2.1 (fluid energy transport) and 3.3.2 (Rankine heat engine). This section integrates these subsystems and develops a total system design. The performance, cost and impacts of the power plant are discussed in the following sections. The size of the central generation plant has been set at 150 MWe rated power. This is power output averaged over the average day of the year. The plant has a peak capacity of 180 MWe. This is an arbitrary selection, but takes advantage of the efficiencies of scale of the central Rankine plant equipment. Earlier studies based on flat plate collectors and two dimensional concentrator collectors were also based on 150 MWe. This dish power plant will be compared to these earlier studies. The information presented will allow scaling of the peak plant size from 100 MWe to 1000 MWe. 4.2.1 System Performance and Economics The collector performance was discussed in Section 3.1.1 and was initially presented as part of the distributed generation system with the small closed cycle Brayton engine. Each energy transport system considered for central generation uses a different fluid to absorb the heat in the cavity receiver. The cost of these various cavity exchangers varies from one system to another. The collector cost versus size shown earlier in Figure 9 assumed a constant ~10$/ft2 (1974 dollars) at dish diameters up to 15 feet. The cost at dish sizes greater than 36 feet was assumed to be a function of diameter cubed rather than squared. The size between 15 and 36 feet is a transition zone between the squared and cubed cost dependency. The least expensive dish collector per unit energy intercepted is the largest size with the squared cost relationship. (Energy collected is a function of diameter squared.) The two major factors
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==