THE EXPERT’S VIEW Sensorics adapted to the new times
NEWS IK4-TEKNIKER produces 11 patents in the renewables sector
PROJECT Validating the measuring principle
© TORRESOL -ENERGY
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
Solar power asserts itself to deal with a renewable future Luis Crespo, Chairman of Protermosolar and ESTELA
JULY 2017 | No. 106
INTRODUCTION This edition of newtek addresses two issues that IK4-TEKNIKER believes are essential. On the one hand, the integration of different technological capabilities to further its development capabilities with regard to smart products also known as sensoring devices. And, on the other, new technologies applied to renewables, specifically technologies used to not only make use of the energy provided by the sun, but to also store and use it whenever it becomes extremely necessary to do so. Don’t miss any details!
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INDEX
THE EXPERT’S VIEW
C04 Sensorics adapted to the new times
INTERVIEW
NEWS
C06 “Solar power asserts itself to deal with a renewable future”
C08 IK4-TEKNIKER designs a system to optimise ship gliding in the water
PROJECTS
C12 Validating the measuring principle
C14 Simultaneous heliostat calibration
C10 IK4-TEKNIKER produces 11 patents in the renewables sector JULY 2017
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THE EXPERT’S VIEW
Sensorics adapted to the new times The expert’s view: Jon Mabe. Responsible for Sensor Devices at IK4-TEKNIKER
JON MABE
IK4-TEKNIKER has become e an outstanding player ng, developing and in terms of conceptualising, industrialising sensoring devices thanks to its nd integration capabilities. extensive technological and
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Industry 4.0, the internet of things, point-of-care, wearable devices, etc., are some of the terms we use in our daily lives. All of them, regardless of their target sector (industry, consumer goods, medical, entertainment, infrastructures, etc.) involve a measuring component connected to a number of basic parameters of physical-chemical magnitudes that are used to develop new products or deliver added value to existing solutions or products. High performance integrated measuring technologies have been developed so that sensors can be adapted to new technologies in view of the current level of demand. It is, however, difficult to incorporate these capabilities to functional solutions that must meet stringent requirements in terms of cost, size, certification, regulation and, above all, reliability in measuring operations. To deal with this challenge, IK4-TEKNIKER offers a range of technological and integration capabilities that have placed the technology centre at the forefront in terms of conceptualising, developing and industrialising sensor devices for an extensive range of applications and sectors. The Basque centre has developed an integral product development methodology that embraces concept validation, measuring techniques and allows for the development of prototype families and test benches. Moreover, it enables the industrialisation and certification of any solutions developed and provides support for maintenance and life cycle management actions once integrated in the market. This approach allows IK4-TEKNIKER to guarantee a correct development of feasible prototypes and products in record time. It also gives the customer more freedom to forge ahead alone or continue alongside the centre at the end of each stage.
Amongst ongst all the existing potential ial measuring principles principles, IK4-TEKNIKER offers advanced capabilities for the integration of photonic and optoelectronic sensing solutions. The development of products by means of photonic inspection techniques requires an in-depth knowledge of the different components to be integrated such as light sources, detectors, optics, micromechanics, electronics, signal acquisition and processing, physicalchemical analyses, machine-to-machine interfaces, regulations and certifications applicable in each case. This knowledge, together with the emergence of highly advanced detectors and emitters (with more features, smaller in size and low cost) has opened the door to the development of monitoring systems for many applications. In this regard, and for the purpose of achieving more profitable solutions that can achieve higher levels of reliability, the centre is currently collaborating with some of the most innovative suppliers in the field of micro spectrometers and light sources. IK4-TEKNIKER specifically offers fully stand-alone solutions that analyse the chemical parameters of solid or liquid samples by applying visible or infrared ultraviolet spectrometry techniques (NIR-SWIR), although it does pay special attention to the reliability of measurements and cost-effectiveness of a given solution. These are but a few application examples: sensoring devices used to monitor wine fermentation, the quality of olive oil, nut sorting, detection of water in lubricants, etc. JULY 2017
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INTERVIEW
“Solar power
asserts itself to deal with a renewable future”
Luis Crespo Chairman of Protermosolar and ESTELA
Luis Crespo is the Chairman of the Spanish Association for the Promotion of the Solar Thermal Power Industry, Protermosolar and of ESTELA, the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association. During this interview, Crespo describes the advantages associated with this technology compared to others generating power and explains some of the most outstanding technological developments that have taken place in this field.
Solar thermoelectric technology has grown significantly in recent years. Why has the European industry seen an opportunity in this field? Historically, it was in the United States where the commercial deployment of Solar Thermal power stations began in the mid1980s, although what in the sector is known as the “long and dark solar thermal night” (a period of time from the eighties until 2005, approximately, during which no solar thermal power stations were built) was followed by the commissioning of 2.3 GW in Spain between 2007 and 2013. Our country, in fact, still remains a world leader in terms of installed power. This situation can be explained by three main circumstances. · On the one hand, the amount of knowledge available in our country in terms of know-how after nearly 30 years of research activities at the Solar Platform in Almería initially established as an international laboratory with nine countries involved and which, from the mid-eighties onwards, embraced research centres and companies, mainly Spanish and German, to continue developing know-how. · On the other, the initial publication in 2004 and 2007 of a number of incentives geared towards producing solar thermal electricity that had been turned down by the 1997 Electricity Sector bill. Due to a number of reasons that are very difficult to explain, there was a sharp contrast with regard to the support that was being given to wind and photovoltaic power. · And, fi nally, the fact that a number of companies, mainly Spanish and German, decided to invest in the construction of power stations and resources to improve components and systems.
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Although no more solar thermal power stations have been built in Europe since 2013, European companies, particularly Spanish fi rms, have been engaged as developers, engineering fi rms, technological partners, EPCs and even manufacturers at most of the power stations that have since the been built in the United States, Morocco, South Africa and Arab Emirates. This has allowed Spain to maintain its worldwide leadership in this technology.
Which are the main technological advances in this field of recent years and what advantages do they offer with regard to other power generation technologies? To date, the most widespread technologies used to develop components in the field of solar power such as absorption tubes, mirrors and structures for parabolic cylinder collectors, have undergone significant improvements in terms of size, improved performance and cost reductions. On the other hand, tower power stations are forcing their way into the market. Although the number of power stations that use this particular technology is much lower than the parabolic cylinder alternative, costs are very similar and they offer operating modes with greater decoupling between energy catchment and electricity generation, better performance, lower storage costs and, globally speaking, a higher competitiveness potential. Compared to other power generating technologies, the main advantage of solar thermal power is that it can deliver electricity upon demand. Although more expensive to operate, solar thermal power stations are far more competitive for the electricity system than photovoltaic facilities, regardless of sharing the same resource. Nowadays, the cost per kWh of energy produced by a solar thermal power station is much lower than the cost associated with a photovoltaic power station with identical storage capacity (six hours, for example). It has been estimated, moreover, that this trend will prevail until 2030.
© PROTERMOSO R
There are other renewables, wind or photovoltaic power, for instance, that have received significant institutional support in recent years. What is the current situation of solar thermal power? As I mentioned before, and compared to other technologies, support given in our country to solar thermal power dates back nearly ten years later. Both in Spain and worldwide, the support photovoltaic power has been given –and still receives nowadays– is enormous compared to solar thermal power. This explains why 5 GW of solar thermal power have been installed, compared to 500 GW of wind power and 300 GW of photovoltaic power worldwide. Does anybody still remember the cost of photovoltaic power when there were only 5 GW installed in the world? Nearly ten times more than what solar thermal power costs nowadays. Thanks to the enormous amount of support received, photovoltaic power has attained sufficient market volume to reduce costs. It has also benefitted from policies implemented by many countries to increase the contribution made by renewables at a minimum cost. But these policies are subject to restrictions once a certain degree of penetration of nonmanageable renewables is exceeded and new capacity practically delivers no value to the system and produces deflating effects in markets that eventually affect the rest of the system. We believe that engineers, planners and officials responsible for energy issues are now realising that this problem does exist and that they must understand the value linked to a solar thermal power station. Morocco’s an excellent example of what I’ve just said as they have established a solar programme for the year 2020 to allow solar thermal power will to play a much more outstanding role at their power stations compared to the photovoltaic option.
The solar thermal electricity sector requires sizeable R&D investments in order to compete with other alternatives. Specifically, what role will technology centres play when the time comes to injecting more added value into the sector? Over the next few years, significant of cost reductions will be achieved at solar thermal power stations due to increased competition and a reduction of margins throughout the extensive value chain of this technology. As a significant impact will brought about by technological improvements, it will be essential to intensify cooperation between technology centres and companies to achieve this goal. R&D actions in terms of materials, components and control systems, new cycles, new thermal fluids, cheaper and better performing components, cooling and cleansing systems that use less water, etc., will be crucial to enhance the competitiveness of solar thermal power stations in this new incipient stage.
Future debates on energy sources and power consumption are going to be exciting. What is your forecast for the next few years? It seems clear that most countries will not build any more fossil fuelpowered stations, because nobody knows how expensive emissions will be in the next few years or if restrictions will apply to power stations that coal or gas. This also means that it will become increasingly difficult to obtain the necessary funding. It doesn’t seem logical to build nuclear power plants in countries that only think about this technology in terms of power. The commissioning of new nuclear power plant is much more expensive than the renewables option, but nobody knows how long it would take to build a nuclear plant, nor how much it will cost by the time it’s been fi nished or if its operations will be allowed to continue should there be a new unfortunate accident anywhere in the world once construction work has fi nished. New installed power, however, is going to be required in emerging countries as, in the next ten years, they will have to multiply their installed capacity by two. This will also apply to the industrialised countries, Spain included. It is due to the fact that it will be necessary to address the end of operating life cycles of conventional power stations and focus attention on electrifying applications from the residential, industrial and transport perspective. This is why the future will be mainly based on renewables. It was, in fact, two or three years ago when new renewable power overtook conventional power. In this scenario, the role played by manageable renewable power stations (solar thermal, biomass or hydraulic) must progressively grow. Some people, however, still think that we should put our stakes on generating the cheapest power and that the system should take on any costs associated with providing electricity upon demand. There are experts that believe that costly storage systems will cover production surpluses of non-manageable renewables at zero cost so they can be put back into the system once a maximum price has been reached. Bu who is going to invest in non-manageable facilities to give away surpluses? Which regulator would allow this to happen considering the dysfunctions that would eventually be fed into the system? My view is that although we know that “the chemist has aspirin… it’s better not to have a headache”. This is why future electrical systems must be planned from the point of view of “value” and not “cost of generation”. Let us quote Machado on this issue “only a fool confuses value with price”. This is why, in a future rational scenario related to designing the electricity sector, renewables, in general, and solar thermal power, in particular, will play an outstanding role in sunny countries. In fact, in certain regions of the planet, and as forecast by the International Energy Agency (AIE), this would become the main form of centralised generation to coexist with an increasingly important presence of distributed photovoltaic generation.
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IK4-TEKNIKER designs a system to optimise ship gliding in the water Materials used as coatings for hulls are constantly exposed to extremely severe conditions and deteriorate rapidly. A significant presence of salts and bacteria in seawater produces a number of microorganisms (mainly algae and tiny invertebrates) that adhere to a surface and substantially modify roughness. If surface roughness increases, the degree of friction in the water will also rise and result in more fuel consumption and higher emissions of pollutant gas (CO2).
It is along these lines of improvement that IK4-TEKNIKER has designed a piece of equipment that can evaluate friction coefficients on this type of coatings. Based on this system, the technology centre will be able to develop and optimise new, more durable, efficient and environmentally friendly anti-fouling coatings.
Antifouling coating paint prevents marine organisms from adhering to the body of a vessel (a phenomenon called fouling) and reduces friction levels between its hull and the water.
This tribometer (i.e., the instrument used to measure surface friction and wear as well as the amount of energy dissipated when a vessel glides through a fluid), called Drag Friction, represents
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More sustainable designs
NEWS
The unit designed by IK4-TEKNIKER allows for the evaluation anti-fouling coatings with lower friction coefficients in seawater and will help to develop new, more durable, efficient and environmentally friendly coatings. It will also be able to operate in different kinds of fluids and simulate the entire range of vessel sailing speeds.
a significant advance as it allows for the accurate detection of coatings with the lowest friction coefficients. A versatile solution that is suitable for different types of fluids and simulates the entire range of vessel sailing speeds. The unit allows tests to be performed according to the specific requirements of each case and takes into account features such as temperature and oxygen concentration monitoring, etc. Another improvement relative to other systems currently in use is that it isolates any influence of engine vibrations on torque measurements.
IK4-TEKNIKER is also focusing on designing new anti-fouling coatings that are more efficient and sustainable. Hence, their physical-chemical, mechanical and tribological characteristics (adherence, hardness, resistance to abrasion, scratching and shock resistance, etc.), are analysed in addition to their environmental impact (eco-toxicity and biodegradability) to reduce fuel consumption and polluting gas (CO2) emissions. Laboratories, moreover, are measuring biocide responses of the new coatings and studying their behaviours in terms of marine corrosion by means of accelerated testing in synthetic seawater and other procedures covered by Norsok M-501.
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NEWS
IK4-TEKNIKER produces 11 patents in the renewables sector Intellectual property rights provide instruments that allow persons and legal entities to assert their rights in terms of new developments, designs, inventions, etc. These rights can be protected in different ways by means of industrial designs, brands, industrial secrets or patents. By using these procedures, IK4-TEKNIKER intends to formalise, in its capacity as a research centre at the service of companies, all the knowledge arising from its research activities. On the one hand, this formula makes it possible to recognise the level of excellence of the developments carried out and, on the other, adds value and licences third parties to make use of these results to improve competitiveness in terms of processes and new products. As far as the energy sector is concerned, IK4-TEKNIKER has produced several patents. Depending on the circumstances, these patents may eventually be owned by a customer or be subject to a shared ownership formula. Individual ownership, moreover, would apply to all other the patents. In the last two cases, however, IK4-TEKNIKER is focused on setting up partnerships with companies interested in working with them.
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IK4-TEKNIKER also addresses other developments protected by industrial secrecy related to the renewables sector. > A SINGLE FACET HELIOSTAT. Designed to improve currently available solutions by reducing their cost, automating serial manufacturing, facilitating assemblage and ďŹ ne-tuning.
> COATINGS FOR OPTICAL PURPOSES. Geared towards improving emissivity and absorptivity features on receiver tubes. > WIND TURBINE CONTROL ALGORITHMS.
LISTED HEREUNDER ARE THE DIFFERENT PATENTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE IK4-TEKNIKER CONTRIBUTION:
A calibration method for heliostats that addresses a somewhat neglected technique, although in an innovative manner, so that the sun’s reflection can be properly operly aimed ai at the tower’s receptor.
Method and device for ultrasonic cleaning.
A dirt sensor and a procedure to detect surface dirt.
A dry cleaning system based on ultrasounds.
Online monitoring can be performed to detect how much dirt has accumulated on the surface of solar reflectors. ors.
1 3 4 6 7 9 10
Coated glass for solar reflectors.
An anti-soiling coating used to enhance the efficiency of solar reflectors over time. e.
Improved heat-transfer fluids.
A formulation for heat-transfer 350 C. fluids ranging up to 350ºC.
A sealed mechanical connection between glass and metal for receiver tubes used in solar plants. vides a A system that provides aling of glass solution for the sealing and metal on receiver iver tubes.
A light catchment device featuring absorptivity regulation.
m that allows you to A system multaneously regulate the simultaneously ightness of lights inside a brightness ng and the energy stored building hermal solar collector by a thermal nto a facade. built into
A mirror for a solar reflector and mounting procedure that substantially enhances the functionality of solar reflecting mirrors.
2 5 8 11
A checking device and methods for reflecting surfaces and a calibration method.
n optical A solution based on owards systems geared towards ensuring quality in the th production of mirrors rrors and checking of heliostat ostat modules during assembly.
A solar thermal collector device.
A method that delivers an innovative solar receiver solution for low and medium temperature applications. pplications.
A fluid monitoring system using a nearby infrared fluid monitoring system based on spectroscopy and a Fluid Monitoring ring System. d on monitoring oil Focused ne when in use. status on-line
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PROJECT
Validating the
measuring principle Transforming research into a high performance sensoring system
It is essential to correctly validate the measuring principle so that theoretical formulations developed process may p in a research p y materialise and eventually become sensors with a high technological value. v Research centres and universities carry out theoretical formulations that later appear in publications or patents. Work can either fi nish at this point in time or continue by searching for a real application that will transform an idea into a market product. The path between theory and practice is covered in close cooperation with companies and starts by validating the measuring principle, a process that consists in identifying the scientific base of a measurement and discovering any factors that might influence the outcomes of a future experiment. Temperature, humidity and vibrations are amongst the most frequently studied factors in the industrial environment. It is important, in this context, to take into consideration the real working environment in which the measuring principle is to be applied in order to determine maximum and minimum values to be allocated to the factors studied and to correctly defi ne the conditions under which trials are going to be run. Once these features have been identified, they must be replicated in the laboratory and checks must be performed to ascertain whether the factor studied has a significant effect on the measuring principle.
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Sometimes, the conditions under which trials are performed are defi ned by international standards, such as those set forth by ASTM. On other occasions, however, these standards do not apply and the researcher must establish the conditions according to which an experiment is to be carried out.
Validating sensoring systems based on Infrared spectroscopy (IR) Consisting in performing real-time monitoring of a specific type of analyte (a relevant analytical component of a sample) related to production and quality parameters with regard to solid and liquid substances. This measuring principle usually applies to industrial lubricants (oils and HTF fluids) and food (milk, cider, wine, kiwis and tomatoes), amongst others.
Validating electrochemical measuring technologies Electrochemical detection techniques for biomarkers stand out in terms of sensitivity, simplicity, low cost and portability. Moreover, only small sample quantities are required. As regards electrochemical detection techniques, IK4TEKNIKER uses amperometry. This technique continuously monitors current resulting either from and
Validating the measuring principle is a process that consists in identifying the scientific base of a measurement and discovering any factors that might influence the outcomes of a future experiment.
oxidation reaction or from the reduction of an elec electroacitve species under a constant potential. On most occasions, the latter will be the redox reaction catalysing the HRP enzyme. This enzyme is used as a marker for the antigen-antibody reaction, which is what actually confers specificity to a detection process.
Validating biosensors based on optical phenomena In theory, and due to the properties found in a metal such as gold, whenever light impinges on a thin layer of this material, a plasmonic excitation effect is produced emitting a light on the surface of the metal whose spectrum is characteristic of the light source with which it has been illuminated, of the metal and of the medium in contact with the above mentioned layer of metal. This is how said spectrum for a light source, a metal and a given medium is known. If the medium is changed, a change of spectrum will follow. IK4-TEKNIKER has addressed the possibility of applying this physical principle to develop a biological sensor.
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PROJECT
Simultaneous heliostat calibration A method that optimises operations at solar thermo electric plants
CENER and IK4-TEKNIKER have jointly developed a solution to calibrate heliostats simultaneously for the purpose of simplifying adjustment tasks and optimising solar thermal electric power plant operations.
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The activity of a solar power plant equipped with a central receptor depends on the efficiency of its field of heliostats and on the degree to which sunlight is reflected with a maximum level of accuracy. It is therefore essential to adjust its orientation during the construction stages of a plant and subsequently repeat this action on a regular basis throughout its life cycle. A heliostat is a solar collector equipped with one or several mirrors that run alongside a lens to follow the path covered by the sun and reflect sunlight on a given point. Up until now, most plants had solar fields made up of a small number of these devices, so that whenever calibration was performed it was done sequentially, i.e., only one device at a time. The strong need, however, to reduce solar power generation costs has given rise to larger plants equipped, in some cases, with smaller heliostats. For instance, the world’s fi rst industrial PS10 solar electric thermal power station (10 MWe) situated in Sanlúcar la Mayor (Seville - Spain) has 624 heliostats, whilst the world’s most recently built power plant (377 MWe) located in Ivanpah in the Mojave desert (United States) has 173,500 in operation. In this scenario, sequential calibration solutions are not feasible and the sector is looking into new, more agile adjustment methods. A faster recalibration solution, moreover, would make it possible to reduce heliostat stability requirements and would also lessen production costs.
A faster recalibration solution would make it possible to reduce heliostat stability requirements and would also lessen production costs.
The calibration procedure developed by CENER (the National Centre for Renewables) and IK4-TEKNIKER allows the entire field of heliostats to be adjusted simultaneously and on the same day. Calibration can also be performed without interfering with any of plant’s operations as it could be done at night or during shutdowns. To this end, the new system has been equipped with low-cost cameras mounted on each device and several targets scattered throughout the field. The degree of accuracy of a heliostat greatly depends on knowing its position and, above all, its kinematics. Although these details are clear in terms of design, they may undergo variations arising from manufacturing constraints, assemblage, fi ne-tuning and lack of stability. In view of the problem, the solution developed by both organisations addresses a measuring and processing procedure that identifies any parameters influencing heliostat kinematics.
The solution has been tested successfully at the Solar Platform in (PSA) and has been protected via the following patent application: “A calibration method for heliostats”. An innovative approach to an unmanned technique that ensures proper sunlight reflection on a tower’s receptor.
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