Solar production of industrial process steam at Ore-Ida frozen-fried-potato plant

Abstract
TRW is designing a system for the demonstration of the Solar Production of Industrial Process Steam. Included, besides the Conceptual Design, is an Environmental Impact Assessment and a System Safety Analysis report. The system as proposed and conceptualized consists of an array of 9520 square feet of parabolic trough concentrating solar energy collectors which generate pressurized hot water. The pressurized water is allowed to flash to steam at 300 psi (417/sup 0/F) and fed directly into the high pressure steam lines of the Ore-Ida Foods, Inc., processing plant in Ontario, Oregon. Steam is normally generated in the factory by fossil-fired boilers and is used by means of a steam-to-oil heat exchanger for the process of frying potatoes in their frozen food processing line. The high pressure steam is also cascaded down to 125 psi for use in other food processing operations. This solar system will generate 2 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr during peak periods of insolation. Steam requirements in the plant for frying potatoes are: 43 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at 300 psi and 52 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at the lower temperatures and pressures. The Ontario plant operates on a 24 hr/day schedule six days a week during themore » potato processing campaigns and five days a week for the remainder of the year. The seventh day and sixth day, respectively, use steam for cleanup operations. An analysis of the steam generated, based on available annual insolation data and energy utilized in the plant, is included. « less