Jan 23 2010
Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group (B&W PGG), an operation unit of The Babcock & Wilcox Company, designed and manufactured a solar receiver that performed well during its initial operations at eSolar’s Sierra SunTower commercial plant in Southern California.
The performance of this tower-mounted receiver has been evaluated by eSolar since its startup. This tower-mounted receiver, at the Sierra SunTower facility, has the ability to produce steam required to generate 2.5 megawatts of zero carbon emissions electricity. The design temperature and pressure had already been achieved by the design created by Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group besides starting up and attaining rapid steam flow.
Richard L. Killion, Chief Operating Officer and President of B&W PGG, remarked that the company is pleased with the performance of its solar receiver. He believed the design of system with its advantage is the best technology for solar thermal steam generation. Killion said that the receiver’s design has external evaporator panels that utilize the energy from the sun efficiently. Issues related to temperature during the start-up are reduced by the company’s vertical steam separator.
This solar receiver is designed for eSolar’s model for utility-scale concentrated solar thermal power plants. At the Sierra SunTower plant, the tube surface of the receiver acquires solar energy that is reflected by a field of sun-tracking mirrors. The receiver is mounted on a 153-foot tower that heats water to produce steam. The produced steam is sent to a turbine to generate electricity for businesses and homes with zero carbon emissions.
Source: http://www.babcock.com/