Solar pond

Introduction
Fossils fuels are reducing due to continuous use for
various purposes. Scientist are trying to develop the use of
renewable energy sources.
Among these, solar energy provides the greatest promise
for the mankind.
Solar pond technology has made substantial progress in
the last fifteen years. It is a device for both collecting and
storing solar energy. .
The sun is the largest source of renewable energy and this
energy is abundantly available in all parts of the earth.
One way to tap solar energy is through the use of solar
ponds. Solar ponds are large-scale energy collectors with
integral heat storage for supplying thermal energy. It can
be use for various applications, such as process heating,
water desalination, refrigeration, drying and power
generation.
solar ponds are an alternative source of harnessing the
suns energy to heat water that can be converted to
electricity.
 This technology is very basic and easy to use with
adequate land space and proper design.
The first solar pond was discovered in the early 1900s in
Transylvania and was naturally occurring.
History
In the twenty-first century the solar pond's design is based
on the naturally occurring phenomenon of the salinity-
gradient-thermal-energy process which was first observed in
Transylvania in the early 1900s.
 Due to its main advantages of a solar pond application
when combined with a desalination plant is that the design
can be
The first solar pond in India (6000 sq. metres) was built at
Bhuj. The project was sanctioned under the National Solar
Pond Programme by the Ministry of Non-conventional
Energy Sources in 1987 and completed in 1993.
after a sustained collaborative effort by TERI, the Gujarat
Energy Development Agency, and the GDDC (Gujarat
Dairy Development Corporation Ltd). The solar pond
successfully demonstrated the expediency of the
technology by supplying 80,000 litres of hot water daily
to the plant.
Defination
A solar pond is simply a pool of saltwater which collects
and stores solar thermal energy. The saltwater naturally
forms a vertical salinity gradient also known as a
"halocline", in which low-salinity water floats on top of
high-salinity water. The layers of salt solutions increase in
concentration (and therefore density) with depth. Below a
certain depth, the solution has a uniformly high salt
concentration.
Description

SThree
Three regions regions
of solar pond of the solar pnd
SUN RAYS

REGION I

REGION II

REGION III
Description

A solar pond is simply a pool of saltwater which collects

and stores solar thermal energy
There are 3 distinct layers of water in the pond:
The top layer, which has a low salt content.
An intermediate insulating layer with a salt gradient,
which establishes a density gradient that prevents heat
exchange by natural convection.
The bottom layer, which has a high salt content
The first layer consists of brackish water, which technically can
range from 0.5 to 30 grams of salt per litre of water. Brackish
water on the whole cannot be defined as a precise example of
saline content as this can vary depending on the application of
whether it is natural or human-made.
The water in the second layer cannot rise because the water in the
first layer has less salt content and is therefore lighter in density.
The water cannot fall because the water in the third layer has a
higher salt content and is heavier in density. The middle layer
keeps the top and bottom layers separate acting as a transparent
insulator trapping the heat of the sunlight in the third layer.
Large quantities of salt are dissolved in the third layer
making it too dense for the water and air to rise to the
surface. The temperature of the bottom layer of the hot
water can range from 70 -100 Celsius, which has a very
high salt content. The bottom layer traps the heat in a
similar way to a solar storage battery
Working Principle
When solar energy is absorbed in the water, its temperature
increases, causing thermal expansion and reduced density.
If the water were fresh, the low-density warm water would
float to the surface, causing a convection current.
The temperature gradient alone causes a density gradient
that decreases with depth.
However the salinity gradient forms a density gradient that
increases with depth, and this counteracts the temperature
gradient, thus preventing heat in the lower layers from
moving upwards by convection and leaving the pond.
This means that the temperature at the bottom of the pond
will rise to over 90 °C while the temperature at the top of
the pond is usually around 30 °C. A natural example of
these effects in a saline water body is Solar Lake in the
Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.
The heat trapped in the salty bottom layer can be used for
many different purposes, such as the heating of buildings
or industrial hot water or to drive an organic Rankine
cycle turbine or Stirling enginefor generating electricity.
The resulting solar thermal energy is stored within the
bottom storage layer of the solar pond. Therefore the hot
saline water can be transferred through pipes to be
reheated to produce steam. This steam can drive a steam
turbine and generator which will provide electricity for the
water pumps to ensure the desalination of saltwater from
the ocean and drinking water affected by salt in the
outback
Over 90 graduate and undergraduate students
have been involved in the project, performing
tasks ranging from construction to applied
research. In addition, numerous students have
done projects related to the pond, gaining
valuable experience in equipment design and
construction, lab techniques, problem solving,
instrumentation, and documentation.
Construction
Size - In the last 20 years, many salt gradient solar ponds
varying in size from a few hundred to a few thousand
square meters
Salt used - Normally sodium chloride salt is used in the
solar pond. But the maximum temperature obtained in the
natural brine solar pond is less than sodium chloride used
solar pond.
Modes of heat extraction- Methods to improve
performance Use of plane mirror at the top portion of the
solar pond
Higher water temperature was obtained when the
reflector is adjusted than the adjusting the orientation
angle of the pond
Baffle plate is used for more thermal conductivity
Factors affecting performance - Water turbidity and
bottom reflectivity Wall shading effect
Advatages
Low investment costs per installed collection area.
Thermal storage is incorporated into the collector and is
of very low cost.
Diffuse radiation (cloudy days) is fully used.
Very large surfaces can be built thus large scale energy
generation is possible.
Expensive cleaning of large collector surfaces in dusty
areas is avoided.
Solar ponds can only be economically constructed if there
is an abundance of inexpensive salt, flat land, and easy
access to water. Environmental factors are also important.
An example is preventing soil contamination from the
brine in a solar pond. For these reasons, and because of
the current availability of cheap fossil fuels, solar pond
development has been limite
The approach is particularly attractive for rural areas in
developing countries. Very large area collectors can be set
up for just the cost of the clay or plastic pond liner.
The evaporated surface water needs to be constantly
replenished.
The accumulating salt crystals have to be removed and
can be both a valuable by-product and a maintenance
expense.
No need of a separate collector for this thermal storage
system.
Conclusions
Solar pond is a device used for collecting and storing the solar
energy.
The temperature, salinity and density of UCZ and LCZ are almost
constant. Whereas,
in NCZ they are increasing with depth.
Mini solar pond can also be used for various thermal applications.
Heat can be extracted either batch mode or continuous mode from
LCZ of the solar
pond.
Natural brine and fertilizer salts are used in the solar pond instead
of sodium chloride.
References

^ C, Nielsen; A, Akbarzadeh; J, Andrews; HRL, Becerra; P,

Golding (2005), "The History of Solar Pond Science and
Technology", Proceedings of the 2005 Solar World
Conference, Orlando, FL 
^ Solar Gradient Solar Ponds, accessed on 28 November
2009, http://www.teriin.org/tech_solarponds.php
^ MacInnis, Roberta. "Solar pond producing power for Texas
cannery." Energy User News 12 (March 30, 1987): 8(1).
General OneFile. Gale. BENTLEY UPPER SCHOOL
LIBRARY (BAISL). 8 Oct. 2009
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS
 •

THANK YOU