Open Access

ARTICLE

Design of Anti-Condensation System for Tower Solar Thermal Power Plant Coupled with Heat Pumps

Kai Li¹, Yongheng Zhang^2,*, Kai Sun¹, Mingkuan Rong³

1 School of Mechatronic Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China
2 School of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China
3 Luneng New Energy (Group) Gansu Branch, China Green Development Investment Group, Lanzhou, China

* Corresponding Author: Yongheng Zhang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances and Emerging Trends in Photovoltaic Technologies, Energy Storage, and Green Hydrogen)

Energy Engineering 2026, 123(10), 11 https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2026.078939

Received 11 January 2026; Accepted 13 April 2026; Issue published 30 August 2026

Abstract

This study designs a supercritical CO₂ heat pump anti-condensation system for a 50 MW tower solar thermal power plant in northwest China to prevent molten salt solidification in pipelines and storage tanks. A thermodynamic model is established to analyze the effects of key parameters (heat release power, maximum/minimum cycle pressure, heat source temperature, and isentropic efficiency) on the coefficient of performance (COP), with the simulation model validated against literature experimental data. Heat dissipation loss of the low-temperature molten salt tank is calculated to determine system capacity, and an economic comparison is conducted among the proposed heat pump, electric tracing, coal-fired boiler, and gas boiler. Results indicate that COP increases with higher heat release power, heat source temperature, and isentropic efficiency, but decreases with rising maximum cycle pressure. The minimum cycle pressure shows a non-monotonic effect due to density variations near the critical point. The heat pump system achieves a round-trip thermal efficiency of 35%–40%, and its annual operating cost is lower than conventional anti-condensation methods, offering a clean and economically viable solution for molten salt freeze protection.

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Keywords

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