Distributed Monitoring of HTF Temperature at Solar Thermal Power Plants

Project Information

DIMONTEMP

Grant agreement ID: 711041

DOI

10.3030/711041

Project closed

EC signature date 17 December 2015

Start date 1 February 2016

End date 31 July 2016

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

DIAGNOSTIQA CONSULTORIA TECNICA SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIMONTEMP (Distributed Monitoring of HTF Temperature at Solar Thermal Power Plants)

Reporting period: 2016-02-01 to 2016-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Parabolic Trough Collectors (PTC) plants, which represent the 98% of the concentrated solar facilities installed today, is viewed as one of the main alternative to the problems regarding global warming and fossil fuels exhaustion.
However, cost competitiveness remains a crucial barrier to their deployment, being the maintenance and control of heat thermal fluid (HTF) temperature one of the main causes. Current control systems of HTF present lots of limitations, controlling few specific HTF pipe points and offering high uncertainty about the real state of the plant and the expensive HTF. This fact causes degradation of HTF and economical losses associated to long non-operational time of the plant.
The general objective of DIMONTEMP project is the commercialization of an innovative system for DISTRIBUTED MONITORING of HTF temperature through the entire solar field at PTC power plants, using optical fiber (FO) as sensorization element, allowing a reduction of HTF related O&M cost and an important increase of facilities availability.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the last 6 months of Phase 1, DIAGNOSTIQA has been working in this Feasibility Study. The main tasks carried out during the project were:
• Development of the financial feasibility assessment.
• Study of the best commercial strategy in every target market; customers, competitors as well as the overall economic, political, cultural and technical environment was analysed.
• A detailed analysis of the regulatory standards to be matched by the new DIMONTEMP system in order to ensure that it complies with the national and European legislation of the first-stage targeted markets.
• IPR strategy definition for DIMONTEMP and also for future technology adaptations.
• Contingency plan.
• Technical feasibility plan, to determine reliability and competitiveness of the system and to identify limitations.
• A scalability study of the industrial production process.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

After all the tasks carried out during the 6 months of the Phase 1 described previously, it can be concluded that launching DIMONTEMP to the market could be a very successful business for DIAGNÓSTIQA. Not only in the sector initially considered but also in others. In addition, the product will enable to reduce O&M costs of energy plants as well as process industries. The expected growth of the company after the current SME Instrument Phase 1 and the subsequent Phase 2 will be very important. DIAGNÓSTIQA should increase its net incomes and hence it foresees the creation of new employment.

Parabolic Trough Collectors (PTC) plants