Incomac in Montebelluna (Treviso) has developed a solar concentrator that “supports” other energy sources in the wood drying processes.
During Xylexpo their booth was certainly one of the most visited. After all, a mirror-clear solar concentrator (let me say it…) for our industry is a brand new application. And curious people did not miss it, because the idea of facing a high energy consumption process such as drying operations with the support of the sun is very, very attractive…
“A project that has ancient roots and that we have finally implemented”, told us Paolo Pesente, owner of Incomac, a renowned brand for the production of drying systems. “Ancient not only because the original idea was by Archimedes of Syracuse, who leveraged the reflection principles for his burning mirrors to burn Roman ships, but also because some thirty years ago the customers of particularly hot countries asked me to find some solutions to exploit all the heat available at no cost.
Times, at the end, have matured: we have had a good idea, we have developed a project – also thanks to an architect from Bozen who helped us define the design of our parabolic concentrator – and developed the first prototypes. After some tests, we have immediately realized it could work, we could leverage the principles of so-called “concentrating solar power” also in the world of drying solutions”.
That is how the “Archimede” solar concentrator was developed…
“We chose the name to honor the scientist and mathematician who gave us the idea… in a way, he was the first to collect sun energy. And we are talking about important values: by concentrating sun rays, you can generate temperatures higher than one thousand degrees!
What have we done? We have simply covered the parabolic concentrator with many little mirrors that receive the sunlight and concentrate it into one single point, a boiler in which we have installed a copper serpentine where water flows. We are talking about a circuit that can be open or closed, the important thing is that there is an exchange stage with air, water or with other heat-conducting fluids, in order to transfer heat where you want it to be, where it is needed. With this system, thus, it is possible to heat water for any usage, defining the plant to achieve a specific goal such as heating a wood drying oven or thinking about house heating, making a swimming pool more comfortable or serving a hospital, a block of flats, a school, offices or factories…
Needless to say– considering our history, our business – the first application has been drying, we have connected “Archimede” to our ovens as an additional energy source”.
Columbus’ egg…
“From a certain point of view it is, even if the principle must be attentively studied and regulated according to the specific needs of each process. In our case, we have created a system allowing us to increase water temperature up to 110 degrees, more than enough for drying requirements. But you can go far beyond: during Xylexpo days, we talked with a press manufacturer who currently uses diathermic oil at a temperature of eight hundred degrees, an encouragement to develop a new application, a circuit, a suitable exchanger that allows us to transfer very high temperatures for a totally different use than drying”.
Does the size of the parabolic concentrator have a direct relationship with the heat that can be concentrated in the boiler?
“Sure it does. We can produce different sizes, always adjusted according to the operations they have to carry out, arriving up to a mirror surface of over 40 square meters. An important structure, withstanding winds up to 120 kilometers per hour, thanks to specific sensors which, in case of bad weather conditions, send a signal to the rotation system so that the parabolic concentrator can be positioned in order to minimize its resistance”.
How have you solved the problem of “sun chasing”?
“Very simply: instead of relying on more or less effective sensors, we have installed a software in the parabolic concentrator which, according to the longitude and latitude of the installation area, accurately defines the position of the sun in every moment of the day, in all seasons, and it adjusts the equipment position accordingly. This means that also with a cloudy or partially cloudy sky, our mirrors are ready to catch even the weakest sunray”.
Can you give us an idea of the investment?
“Of course: solutions range from the smallest parabolic concentrator, with a cost around 14 thousand Euro, up to 26 thousand Euro for the biggest one, an investment that does not include the construction of the system to bring water to our concentrator.
Let me point out that we are talking about a co-generation system, a solution that can be added to traditional systems used to generate heat for drying purposes. You cannot certainly risk that a season with bad weather stops your business. Thus, it’s a system that can be used for integration, offering energy at an absolutely competitive cost!
The mirrors that we use, besides, are built to last at least thirty years, with panels made of anodized and polished aluminum, mounted on a multi-layer support, which ensure a mirroring value slightly higher than a traditional mirror. You just need some rain to keep them clean and they require very few maintenance operations.
Tests, trials and installations already implemented confirm the efficiency and the value of our “Archimede” solution which, among other things, can be easily integrated in existing drying and already operating plants.
The first reactions were excellent and not only from an image point of view; there is a level of interest that, I must admit, I had not seen for years, and that brings great satisfaction for a solution for which we have worked very hard”.
“I do not conceal – concluded Paolo Pesente – that we are just at the beginning and that we are evaluating other and different applications: in a period like this, when the world of wood seems to be less generous, we need to look far.
Today more than ever, we need new ideas, we have to consider known problems is a new way, keeping in mind that it is vital to leverage renewable energy sources, less energy-hungry methods”. (l.r.)
