A significant part of the MinWaterCSP project will be the building of a full scale test facility on the premises of Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The requirement for a large scale test facility is two-folded. First of all it stems from the need to be able to measure the flow and water distribution through a large scale representation of the new hybrid dephlegmator concept that forms part of the MinWaterCSP project.
The hybrid dephlegmator concept has the potential of significantly improving the efficiency of air-cooled systems used in CSP plants. The second motivation for the test facility is the ability to test large scale axial flow cooling fans under different load conditions. Stellenbosch University already has access to a 1.5 m diameter fan test facility where fans can be tested according to standard fan performance codes (see picture).
Experience has however shown that some disparity exists between standard fan performance test data and installed fan performance results. The large scale test facility will therefore assist the designers of cooling systems to make more accurate assessments of fan performance and power consumption and to verify the efficiency of these fans.
Please visit our website for further details on our demo-sites: https://www.minwatercsp.eu/demo-sites/
About Stellenbosch University:
Stellenbosch University is known for its expertise in the research and analysis of large cooling systems (both wet- and dry-cooled). It already has extensive laboratory facilities available and the new full scale test facility will help to expand these capabilities. The facility is currently still in the design phase (the facility is being designed by Enexio) and significant progress has been made in obtaining the necessary university and municipal permissions for the building of the facility.
