WHAT CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS ARE?

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large amount of sunlight to a small area. The small area is usually located on top of a tall building that circulates its Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF). Electricity is generated, when the light heats up the HTF, which drives a steam turbine connected to an electrical power generator.

In most cases, CSP towers are using molten salt as HFT. This fluid is responsible making CSP systems relatively inefficient in comparison to other technologies in the market.

Why? Because molten salt

Is a rather expensive HTF to purchase, and its highly corrosive properties make maintenance a costly action.

Will decompose to salt and nitrogen above 600°C. Therefore this is the upper temperature limit it can be heated up to. It’s typical operative temperature is 280-550°C.

Can only hold its temperature for up to 7 hours after sunset, what makes the system rather unreliable. Cloud cover influences electricity production so much, that the network still needs to be connected to non renewable energy sources.

However, CSP plants are still very much interesting for investors in the renewable energy business and count as one of the fastest growing market of renewable energy solutions.

CSP had a world’s total installed capacity of 4,815 MW in 2016, up from 354 MW in 2005. As of 2017, Spain accounted for almost half of the world’s capacity, at 2,300 MW, making this country the world leader in CSP. The United States follows with 1,740 MW. Interest is also notable in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as India and China.

Therefore there is a reason to make it better.  Changing molten salt to SULFAD will provide many advantages.

SULFAD, THE GREENEST SOLUTION OF ALL

SULFAD is a new Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems that promotes an advanced and highly efficient production of electricity in an absolute green and a remarkably profitable way.

The secret of SULFAD’s efficiency lies in sulphur – it’s the main ingredient – and in its boosting catalyst.

Sulphur is an element that can be used to transfer heat. Its melting point is 119°C and its boiling point (when it turns into gas) is on 444.6°C. Sulphur gas can be heated up to 1200°C and can be stored on this temperature theoretically for infinite time. However, this is only successful with the help of the catalyst component that encourages the heating process of the sulphur.

Converting molten salt towers into SULFAD compatible CSP systems, and adding a gas turbine into the production chain can result to approximately 50% more electricity production than current solutions are capable of.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Gas and liquid SULFAD cannot be stored in the same place as they are blocking each-others way in the pipes, we combine Trough and Tower systems for our operation. Liquid SULFAD HTF is travelling in the Parabolic Trough until it heats up close enough to its boiling point when it can travel up to the tower as gas. This hot gas then will be cooled down with water which transforms into steam by the HTF’s heat. The steam than rotates a turbine to generate electricity and produce 10, 30 or 50 MW of it depending on the size of the plant. By using SULFAD, not only the visible heat of the fluid but the latent heat of evaporation is also utilized. Thus, due to higher thermodynamic efficiency of power generation at higher temperatures (1000°C grade), approximately 25% more electricity can be produced with the same solar energy input current HTFs (Molten Salt) use.

The capacity can be increased even further, if a gas turbine is also connected to the system right before it reaches the steam turbine. Theoretically another, approximately 25% more electricity can be created.

This process can be repeated infinite times with the same batch of SULFAD circulating in the system. To store some of this heat, a part of SULFAD gas can be diverted into a special container. On increased pressure it will heat up to 1200C and – according to the laws of physics – it can remain like that for infinite times.

FURTHER BENEFITS OF SULFAD

SULFAD creates opportunities for extra profit earnings through collateral functions

1200C mean a lot more income opportunities than just profits on electricity production. On this temperature metals can be recycled into products, water can be desalinated for drinking water production, or insoluble sulphur can be created for tires and other rubber industry products. All this can be done as a collateral function at the same time when electricity is generated with the power the sun supplies.

SULFAD is cheap

SULFAD is a much cheaper than any other currently used HTFs, and as it isn’t as corrosive as molten salt, the maintenance cost of a plant is significantly reduced.

SULFAD is a green solution

Sulphur is a spin-off in the process of oil manufacturing and it is indeed difficult to find industries where most of this waste can be processed into products. By choosing insoluble sulphur production as a collateral function, the irresponsible disposal of sulphur waste can be significantly reduced.

Metal recycling is similarly an environmental friendly action and drinking water production would mean a relief in many parts of the world where people suffer the lack of it.

HOW DO YOU KNOW SULFAD REALLY WORKS?

In 2003 the Hungarian MTA (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia – Hungarian Scientific Academy) highlights the advantages of Sulphur against molten salt in its KKKI (Központi Kémiai Kutató Intézet – Central Chemical Research Institute) “Research Report”.

Getting inspired by the content of the report, two scientists, Dr. Jenő Marton and Zsuzsanna Berze started experimenting with Sulphur. As a result, in 2006 they found a breakthrough solution for CSP-HTF. The inventors registered their idea as a patent, and presented their results in the Solar Paces Conference in Seville.  SULFAD has been tested in laboratories and was improved through almost a decade. All our researches are underlining the fact, that SULFAD is capable of everything stated in this paper.

CSP systems already function all over the world. They are undoubtedly safe, and they seem to be profitable even with more costly and lower quality HTFs, like molten salt or synthetic oils.

There isn’t another solar harvest solution in the market, than would be near as efficient, profitable and green as SULFAD.

WHAT ABOUT A PROTOTYPE?

 Building a prototype for a SULFAD tower would be a breakthrough in the life of this project, as the only disadvantage of SULFAD lies in the fact, that we cannot represent a working system and provide factual data on its operation.

SO WHO IS IT WE ARE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for partners and investors, who would like to build a SULFAD CSP TOWER with us, take part in some experiments with us, market SULFAD together with us, and share a green and liveable planet with us.

Upcoming CSP events:

4th Annual CSP Focus MENA 2019（Jun.26-27, Dubai）

3rd CSP Focus Innovation 2019（Oct.24-25, China）

More CSP news and reports please visit www.cspfocus.cn 

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