# CSP power plant efficiency calculations

1. Jun 13, 2013

### sam_89

Hello,
please I want to know how to calculate the overall efficiency of a concentrated solar power plant (CSP) which uses parabolic trough concentrator,so please if you can provide me with detailed information and calculation method.

Thank you

2. Jun 13, 2013

### rock.freak667

What parameters are you given to work with? Do you have your heat sink's temperature? The absorptivity of your receiver and so on?

3. Jun 14, 2013

### sam_89

yes I have these parameters ,the reflectivity of the collector,the absorptivity of the receiver and the temperatures.

4. Jun 14, 2013

### rock.freak667

In general, you would need the heat input and the work output for efficiency.

$$\eta = \frac{W}{Q}$$

Do you have the work output from the steam turbine (or whichever kind) ?

What pressures and temperatures are you working with?

Is your plant running under the rankine cycle or a different one?

5. Jun 15, 2013

### sam_89

My CSP power plant is running under rankine cycle.As you know the boiler,in this power plant is replaced by the parabolic trough concentrator to generate steam before entering the turbine.

I have the pressure entering the pump and leaving it,and the output power of the turbine.
Also I have all the temperatures needed,the reflectance of the collector,the emissivity and the absorptivity of the receiver(tube).

The idea is to find how the integration of parabolic trough concentrator,will affect the efficiency formula of the basic rankine cycle,maybe it will multiplied by the collector efficiency,so how to calculate it?

Last edited: Jun 15, 2013
6. Jun 16, 2013

### rock.freak667

You can see how to get the theoretical efficiency (in combination with carnot efficiency) from this section of Wikipedia.

The final efficiency formula gives all the parameters you would use. I have not really studied parabolic trough concentrators so I can't really tell how much times it would concentrate the solar flux.

7. Jun 16, 2013