In May, the EU Hycool project achieved a major milestone with the formal commissioning of two concentrating solar steam and cooling demonstration plants. Below is an 800m² linear Fresnel collector field located next to givaudan's chemical facility, which is used to produce flavors and fragrances for energy.
The Hycool project combines concentrated solar steam power generation with an innovative heat pump that uses both electric and thermal compressors and is therefore significantly more efficient than conventional heat pumps. The demonstration plant also includes thermal steam storage to provide flexible solutions to meet the plant's heating and cooling needs. In addition, the specificity of the project Hycool lies in the part of its SHIP resources, as well as two tools to support the planners in carrying out pre-feasibility studies.
The Hycool project has experienced extensive delays in recent years due to a number of external factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, material shortages, and the restructuring of the consortium due to the departure of partner Fresnex GmbH in August 2019. The installation of the two demonstration systems was part of an EU project proposal in 2018, for which Austrian company Ecotherm acquired Fresnex six months later and took over Fresnex's work at Hycool.
"We are pleased to have fulfilled our obligations and have successfully commissioned two demonstration projects." Antoni Castells, project manager of Ecotherm Austria.
Givaudan's demonstration project is understood to be particularly challenging because it requires a solar steam pressure of up to 25 bar, the upper end of the steam pressure range for industrial processes. To achieve this, an 800m² solar field (marked yellow in the image above) has been installed near building 167 (blue) requiring steam. Between the solar field and the heat consumption point, The Technology room 167 (red) contains all the components used for dynamic balancing of the steam system, mainly the steam drum and feed tank, and the phase change material (PCM) steam storage tank. Solar steam is delivered at rates of 20 bar and 12 bar to two of the three steam networks at the Givaudan plant. Some of the heat was channeled to Technology room 122 (light orange), where a cooling cooler was installed. These provide cooling of about 5°C for the plant in Building 122 (purple).
Another demonstration project is a company producing prepared dishes in Bo de Debo, with a 360m² linear Fresnel field installed on the factory roof as a demonstration system. The main challenge is not to have any impact on the structure of the building. The installation of the solar farm does not require any type of foundation structure. In this case, solar heat is generated at 150°C as pressurized hot water, which is transferred directly to the plant's mix cooler and phase change material (PCM) tanks.
In addition, real-time monitoring systems were installed in both demonstration projects to assess the overall performance of different system components; Energy management algorithms are applied to automatically switch modes of operation based on the desired output, such as maximizing cost savings or reducing carbon footprint. To do this, for example, the installation is combined with the plant's gas and electricity pricing, weather forecasting platforms and the company's performance records to automatically determine how to direct the energy flow.
The resources of the SHIP
Said Marco Calderoni, EU project manager at R2M Solutions in Italy, one of 15 Hycool partners from 10 EU countries. "During the four-year project, we added some useful tools and information about solar process heat to the Hycool website." For example, in the "Resources about Ships" section, you'll find links and references to projects, tools, and scientific publications on the topic of solar thermal for industrial processes; In addition, there are two tools available for planners and users of solar industrial cooling plants."
Pre-feasibility simulator
The simulator enables planners and users to quickly and preliminarily assess whether the Hycool system is suitable for replacing compression coolers during a given industrial cooling process. You can start the emulation online by adding values for five parameters.
Direct sun exposure on site
Average annual ambient temperature on site
Temperature of cooling process required
Price: The price per kilowatt-hour of electricity used to operate a compressed chiller
Annual operating hours of the chiller at full capacity
The result of the pre-feasibility simulator is a score that shows the planer or investor the attractiveness of the Hycool system for that particular situation.
Refrigeration capacity and EER calculator tool
The EER tool predicts the capacity and energy efficiency ratio (EER) of Hycool chillers during a given industrial cooling process. Users of the tool are required to provide values for three variables:
Inlet temperature of hot water in adsorption chiller
Inlet temperature of recooling water in adsorption chiller
Outlet temperature of chilled water/glycol solution for compression chiller
The tool was based on experimental tests performed on two selected chiller units in the CNR laboratory, and statistical analysis of the results provided estimated performance values: the adsorption unit using granular desiccant/water and the compression chiller using R1270 refrigerant.