Abstract

Solar Heat for industrial processes has been a topic addressed in two previous Tasks of the Solar Heating and Cooling Program. Despite the huge advances achieved regarding the new knowledge, the number of SHIP installations worldwide is still far from the expectations. Task 64/IV aims to address part of the persisting entry barriers for SHIP systems. In the frame of Subtask C, it has been proposed to conduct a comparison campaign between the available simulation tools for yield assessment, allowing to identify the sources of differences between the simulation approaches. Therefore, four case studies based on the configuration of actual plants have been defined. In this study 12 different simulation tools were evaluated. Significant differences were observed between the tools' output, reaching deviations up to 49% for one configuration. The deviations also depend on the time resolution and the control volume considered for the analysis. This assessment could represent an important contribution for the industry towards an unification of the simulation approaches, reducing the perceived risk by the stakeholders.