Project introduction

Noor Energy 1 PSC is implementing the 4th phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Solar
Park, which is a 700MW CSP +250 MW PV Project. The Project will be the largest
single-site concentrated solar power plant in the world.

ACWA Power, with 24.99% equity stake in Noor Energy 1, will lead the project
development. NOMAC, a subsidiary of ACWA Power, will be responsible for the
operation and maintenance solar plant. Shanghai Electric is the engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, while ICBC is the financial partner
for the project. Abengoa is the key technology provider for the hybrid solar power
facility.

The technology used includes a combination of the world’s largest solar tower at 260
meters (100MW), parabolic trough concentrated solar power technologies to collect
energy from the sun (600MW split in 200MW for each unit), and photovoltaic (250
MW).

Central Tower
The basic principle of the plant is to convert primary solar energy into electrical
energy using a field of heliostats, a solar receiver located at the top of a tower in the
center of the solar field, a system for storing the thermal energy, with a generation
capacity of 7 hours based on molten nitrate salt, and a steam cycle with a
turbo-generator with a rated capacity of power output 100 MW in the normal
operation point. A simplified version of the basic operating principle behind the
project is shown below:

The Solar Plant’s collector system includes the field of heliostats, which reflect and
focus the solar radiation on the receiver installed at the top of a tower. The receiver
consists of a wall of pipes, which acts as a heat exchanger. The solar radiation
reflected on the receiver is converted into thermal energy and heats the molten nitrate
salts from 300ºC to 565ºC.

The Cold Salt Storage Tank holds the cold salts (300ºC). The Receiver’s circulation
pump pumps the cold salts from the Cold Salt Storage Tank to the receiver, passing
through the Inlet vessel.

At the receiver outlet, the hot salts (565ºC) enter the Outlet Tank, which acts like a
buffer for the hot salt system.
From the receiver’s outlet tank, the hot salts descend from the tower at 565ºC to the
hot salt tank, where they are stored. From this tank, the circulation pump pumps the
flow required for steam generation, which consists of a group of salt/water-steam heat
exchangers.

The salts act as the means of heat transfer between the solar field and the steam cycle,
heating up in the receiver, and cooling when the superheated steam is generated in the
plant’s exchangers. The steam produced this way is sent to the turbine, where it
expands, driving the electrical generator. The electrical energy produced is later
delivered to the electrical network.

On cloudy days, and at nights, the operation of the solar field stops, and the
discharging of the storage system begins. The receiver’s salt circulation pump stops,
the receiver empties, and the salt circulation pump is maintained, which is responsible
for supplying salt to the steam generator.
To keep the salt from solidifying, the Plant includes electric resistance elements
submerged in the salt storage tanks and a pipe tracing system and salt pipe
accessories.

Parabolic Trough

The key principle of a parabolic trough plant is to transform solar primary energy into
electricity by means of a solar field with parabolic trough technology.

The parabolic trough collectors track the sun from East to West in order to maximize
the electricity generation. In their focus line they have absorber tubes through which
the Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) circulates. This thermal fluid consists of a mixture of
diphenyl and biphenyl oxide (type Therminol VP1, Dowtherm A or equivalent) with a
freezing temperature of around 12 ºC. During sun hours, the parabolic collectors of
the solar field concentrate radiation on the collection pipes and heat the transfer fluid
up to a temperature of 393ºC. The energy contained in this fluid can be transferred
directly into the steam generator or it can be sent to a thermal storage system (two
molten salt tanks) where it will be kept for its later use.
The parabolic trough power plant might be operated in different modes. In the direct
operation mode, the heat transfer fluid flows from the solar field to the solar steam
generation system where the main steam is produced at a temperature around of
380ºC and pressure of 100 bar, passing the fluid through different (or just one)
parallel trains of heat exchangers, each one composed by three heat exchangers
connected in series (preheater, evaporator and super heater). Also a train of heat
exchangers in parallel are used to produce reheat steam. The heat exchangers cool the
HTF fluid and send it to the solar field to be reheated. The excess of the energy is sent
to the TES system.
The HTF acts as a mean for the transfer of heat between the solar field and the
water–steam cycle generation plant, being heated in the solar collectors and cooled
when producing the steam demanded by the steam turbine-generator.

The steam produced is sent to the generation plant where it expands in a steam turbine
activating the relevant electricity generator. The steam-water cycle is a classical
Rankine regenerative cycle with one steam reheating. In addition to an Auxiliary PV
is connected to CSP electrical auxiliaries Busbar to supply auxiliary power during the
day.

Achievements:
we have successfully synchronized one unit of 200MW to Dewa grid successfully
and have achieved COD .and within few more days we will synchronized the CT unit
100MW to Dewa grid. The rest of the units are still under construction and
commissioning phase