TURBODEN ORC ADVANTAGES IN SOLAR THERMAL APPLICATIONS
The ORC technology entails several distinguishing features which translate into significant technical and operational advantages in solar thermal applications.
| › Electrical efficiency up to 26% | › Remote Control operation No operator needed on site |
| › Capability to adapt to load variation easily and quickly | › Low O&M requirements |
| › Partial load operation down to 10% of the nominal load | › Ease of hybridization with biomass or heat recovery plants |
| › Direct air condenser. No water consumption | › Possibility to couple to low cost/medium scale |
| › Synchronous or asynchronous generation | › Mineral/synthetic oils or saturated steam as heat transfer fluids |
ADVANTAGES | FLEXIBILITY & AUTOMATION
Turboden's ORC units in solar thermal applications demonstrate high operational flexibility which allows efficient adaptation to the variability of solar radiation.
Turboden ORC units demonstrate an excellent behavior in variable flow and temperature conditions maintaining 90% of the cycle efficiency at 50% load and can operate even at 10% of the nominal load.
Furthermore, Turboden ORC plants are designed for automatic and continuous operation and can be operated even by unskilled personnel with weekly operation requirements as low as 3-5 hours (else unattended).
Start up is quick and simple minimizing system inertia and maximizing electricity production.
Capability to adapt to load variation easily and quickly Automatically adapt cycle at ambient temperature variations
ADVANTAGES | HYBRIDIZATION & STORAGE
Turboden ORC based solar thermal power plants can easily be hybridized by adding biomass or heat recovery as a second source of heat, while thermal oil can be used both as heat transfer and heat storage medium.
Turboden's hybrid power plant in Italecementi's cement plant in Morocco is a prime example of ORC's hybridization capabilities.
In Ait Baha hybrid plant waste heat from the cement factory is combined with heat from a 6,159 m2 solar field to power a 2 MWe ORC turbine. The plant further integrates 12 hours of storage capacity with pebble stone.
Plant type Hybrid | Heat recovery from waste heat of cement factory | Solar collectors with pebble stone thermal storage 
Location Ait Baha | Morocco Customer Italcementi Group Solar field area Aperture area: 6,159 m2 Nr. of string 3 String length 215 m DNI 2,400 kWh/m2 year Storage capacity 18 HR 12 hours ORC electric power 2 MWe Turboden unit Turboden 18 HR Thermal power 4 MWth ADVANTAGES | HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS FLEXIBILITY
Depending on the specific characteristics of each solar thermal application, thermal oil (mineral or synthetic) or saturated steam can be employed as the heat transfer fluid.
Thermal oil Saturated steam Thermal oil at 250-300°C feeds HR units (20%nel) Saturated steam at ~20 barA can feed HR units (20%nel) Thermal oil at 250-300° feeds HRS units (24% nel) Saturated steam at ~60-70 barA can feed HRS units (25%nel) 
Non-harmful mineral or synthetic oil Lean configuration Thermal oil also as storage medium Lower CAPEX Higher equivalent working hours considering storage Environmentally friendly Heat transfer fluid working at ambient pressure Partial load with saturated steam inlet even below 5 barA High ORC efficiency
