FuelSaver

Solar Thermal Integration into Combined Cycle Power Plants
FuelSaver
™
Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC)
www.SkyFuel.com
Solar Thermal Integration into Combined Cycle Power Plants
FuelSaver™
Steam
Hot Header (Therminol VP-1)
Solar Steam
Generator
Solar Field
Pump
Stack
HP Steam Drum
Cold Header
High
Pressure
Boiler
Feed Pump
Gas Turbine
HP
Superheater
Hot Gases
HP
Evaporator
HP
Economizer
Heat Recovery Steam Generator
HP
Fuel
IP
LP
P
Steam Turbine
Product Information
Description
The FuelSaver™ application uses a SkyTrough™ parabolic trough solar field
to feed solar generated steam into a new or existing natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant, typically one equipped with duct burners or other
supplemental steam capacity. The FuelSaver™ is a means of improving the
heat rate of combined cycle power plants, reducing emissions, and hedging fuel cost. Combining a SkyTrough® solar field with a host plant of this
type produces up to 25 % more net electric energy than a “stand-alone”
solar plant of the same size. Also, with the steam generating capacity
already in place at the host plant, and often underutilized, the FuelSaver™
system delivers significantly lower cost electricity than a “stand alone”
solar plant.
Condenser
SkyTrough®: Peak Performance at Low Cost
FuelSaver™ installations utilize SkyFuel’s advanced, low
cost SkyTrough® parabolic trough concentrator. The
SkyTrough® uses ReflecTech® Mirror Film, SkyTrakker™
control and drive, and a patented, field-assembled
extruded aluminum space frame. The unbreakable Reflec­
Tech® mirrors are highly reflective and have proven outdoor
durability as verified by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL), and many years of outdoor testing. The
precisely formed mirrors are supported by the stiff aluminum space frame and positioned by SkyTrakker™, the most
advanced control and drive system in the industry. The
SkyTrakker™ control and drive system guarantees precise
(5 % of 1°) tracking and highest reliability.
Plant Integration
Proven Performance of Parabolic Troughs
SkyFuel’s standard integration method for a typical FuelSaver™ project is
shown in the schematic to the left. Hundreds of existing combined cycle
plants in areas with substantial solar resources are suitable candidates.
With its own steam generator, separated by valves, the FuelSaver™ delivers energy into the cycle in a controllable manner that does not disrupt
normal plant operations and can be easily isolated during gas-only operation.
Parabolic trough concentrators power the Solar Energy
Generating Systems (SEGS) in California’s Mojave Desert
producing over 350 megawatts of electricity and have
been in operation for over 25 years. Those plants have also
served as crucial proving grounds for new parabolic trough
designs and components, including ReflecTech® Mirror
Film. Beyond SEGS, hundreds of megawatts of parabolic
trough plants have been built in Nevada, Florida, Arizona,
Spain, and Northern Africa.
7000
Improve Plant Heat Rate
The benefits of FuelSaver™ can also be expressed as a reduction in plant
heat rate. The curve on the left represents the overall heat rate for a plant
where the solar steam completely displaces the duct firing steam capacity
at 100 % solar field output. In a typical facility, FuelSaver™ improves unfired
heat rate by over 15 % at full solar output. At 100 % solar field load, solar
steam can contribute 35-40 % of the total steam turbine output.
6500
Save Fuel
FuelSaver™ utilizes the supplemental steam path, increasing annual energy
production without counting against any emissions restrictions (if present).
Under certain scenarios for many plants, the total cost of electricity generated from solar steam is less than the fuel cost associated with firing the
ducts, independent of any additional green energy or renewable energy
credit premiums earned by the energy produced from solar.
ReflecTech® Mirror Film replaces the glass mirrors traditionally used in parabolic troughs. The self-adhesive, silvered
polymer is laminated to 1 mm aluminum sheets, which are
secured to the rigid space frame by precise parabolic ribs.
This approach has many advantages over curved glass
mirrors used in all prior-generation utility-scale parabolic
trough systems. Most notably conventional glass mirror
panels are fragile, heavy, and small scale, which makes
for difficult installation and limits the design and size of
concentrators. In contrast the lighter-weight ReflecTech®
mirrors are much easier and safer to handle than glass
mirrors, simple to ship, and faster to install. The mirror film
reflectance is comparable to the best glass mirrors and the
rib-and-panel mirrors are unbreakable. Most importantly,
ReflecTech® mirror panels are the world’s most accurate.
6000
Plant Performance
ReflecTech® Mirror Film
Overall Plant Heat Rate (HHV, Btu/kWh)
A FuelSaver™ project is quick to market and development success is more
assured because electric generation and transmission facilities are already
in place. FuelSaver™ reduces natural gas consumption, carbon dioxide
emissions, and can deliver high-value, green energy. SkyFuel is ready to
deliver commercial FuelSaver™ projects from 5 to 75 MWe.
0%
50%
Solar Field Output
100%
Solar Thermal Integration into Combined Cycle Power Plants
FuelSaver™
FuelSaver™ Demonstration
Get Started in CSP
Practical, Economic, Quick
Summary of FuelSaver™ Advantages
• Capital requirement is small compared to stand
alone solar plant
• Dispatch is unlikely to be affected
• Solar field can be built in phases
• Delivery of Premium Value Green Energy
• Enhances the Value of Your Power Plant
• Duct Burners Provide Built-in Backup to
Firm Output
• Transmission is Already in Place
• Rapid Construction and Expedited Development
as Compared to Greenfield Projects
• Increases Utilization of Supplemental Steam Path
(Duct Burner Capacity)
• Provides Plant Owners with a Carbon and
Fuel Price Hedge
• Proven and Robust Performance of Parabolic
Trough Concentrators
For more information, please contact:
[email protected]
SkyFuel, Inc.
18300 West Highway 72, Arvada, CO 80007, USA
1.303.330.0276
www.SkyFuel.com
SkyFuel can deliver FuelSaver™ systems as small as 5 MWe as an ideal
way for power producers to get started in CSP and gain experience.
Small, but fully representative of even the largest solar field, these facilities deliver operational experience, knowledge of system costs and
experience with parabolic trough technology while being economical
and requiring little capital.
Competitive and Low-risk Integration
Operational Flexibility
SkyFuel’s FuelSaver™ integration strategy delivers high-value solar (“green”)
energy without removing the operational flexibility from the host plant,
including firing of duct-burners. Additionally, the FuelSaver™ concept
inherently provides 15-30 minutes of energy storage, thus allowing you to
deliver solar energy into high value peak periods.
A Complete Technical Solution
SkyFuel partnered with major engineering firms to thoroughly analyze and
validate the physical integration, operation and performance of the FuelSaver™ system on several client plants.
The cost of integration with the host plant’s steam system and control system is surprisingly small and is based on established technical principles.
The resulting integration is robust and flexible. The FuelSaver™ system is
designed to give plant operators complete control while delivering maximum value to the plant owners. To determine the appropriate size and
integration of each FuelSaver™, SkyFuel can perform a detailed analysis
for your plant.
© 2013 SkyFuel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SkyFuel FuelSaver™ Brochure 2013.01
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