Collection of ENEA technology and expertise
ENEA-SHIP: A concentrated solar thermal plant designed to supply medium-temperature heat (up to 350 °C) for industrial processes
Application sectors
Problem to solve
This can significantly contribute to the widespread adoption of clean energy technologies within the industrial sector. Concentrated solar thermal technology, thanks to cost-effective high temperature thermal energy storage solutions, can respond to the renewable thermal energy needs of the industrial sector, thus significantly supporting the decarbonization of processes. In concentrating solar technology direct solar radiation is concentrated and absorbed by a heat transfer fluid, which is then stored in conventional storage tanks, allowing the on-demand thermal energy supply to thermal users. The design of the concentrator/receiver and the choice of heat transfer fluid must be tailored to meet the specific energy needs of diverse industrial processes. To this purpose, the ENEA-SHIP infrastructure was designed for flexible component adaptation and modification, allowing for the experimental characterization of different technical solution responding to industrial requirements.
Description
The ENEA-SHIP facility includes two subsystems: a linear Fresnel collector and a balance-of plant circuit serving the solar field. Differently from parabolic trough collector, Fresnel collectors consist of long, flat mirrors arranged in parallel rows which track the sun on a single axis to maintain optimal focus on the fixed receiver located above the mirrors. The ENEA-SHIP solar field features a 36-meter-long linear Fresnel collector with 425 mirrors (62.5 x 125 cm), providing a total reflective surface area of approximately 330 m2. With a maximum operating temperature of 350 °C and a thermal output of about 200 kW, the system is particularly suitable for studying the application of CST technology for small/medium industrial processes requiring thermal energy below 320°C. Indeed, the current heat transfer fluid (HTF) is diathermic oil with a maximum operating temperature of 320 °C. This circuit includes an electric boiler (EC), which preheats the diathermic oil, a buffer (BU), which stabilizes and homogenise the HTF inlet temperature to the solar field, the solar field, which collects solar energy and transfers it to the HTF, two oil-air heat exchangers (AE1, AE2), which simulate the end-user loads, a pressurized expansion vessel with a nitrogen line (about 6 atm), and a pump for circulating the diathermic oil in the experimental loop.
Innovative aspects and advantages
- Possibility to adjust the power supplied by the solar system according to the thermal user
- real dimension of the solar loop
Admissible applications
- integration and characterization of components for the interfacing of the solar plant with industrial endothermic processes in food, textile, paper sectors, etc. (heat exchangers, steam generators, endothermic reactors);
- integration and characterization of innovative thermal storage systems, operating at medium temperature
- testing and qualification of components for the collection of solar energy (mirrors, receiver tubes, automatic tracking system, etc.), with the possibility of characterizing linear Fresnel collectors up to 36 meters long;
- testing of operating procedures in different conditions (start-up, stopping, transients, emergencies, etc.).
Research group involved
Revision date
25-05-2026
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