Concentrated solar power is a rapidly growing industry evolving to meet current energy demands in an environmentally conscious manner.With CSP it is possible to meet our world’s rising energy demands using the sun and not through burning fossil fuels. The advantage of concentrated solar power (CSP) compared with other renewables is that power is generated in a conventional manner using a steam turbine and with the development of storage technologies, renewable base load power can be provided.

Key components in all CSP plants are the pumps used to circulate the heat transfer fluid (HTF) around the solar field. Without the reliable operation of these pumps the energy from the sun cannot be collected and useable kilowatts cannot be produced.

Initially traditional pumps using mechanical seals were used on these types of applications. The mechanical seals had high failure rates due to the pressures and temperatures of these solar applications. These failures caused;

  • Cost impact – seal repair/replacement, HTF replacement
  • Health, safety and environment issues – including fires, oil to ground
  • Downtime loss of power production

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After these problems and their expense, the solar industry sought an alternative.This was found using sealless pumps. Most notably Hermetic canned motor pumps have become widely used now with reference sites in Spain, Egypt and Thailand. It is important that for this burgeoning industry in Australia that industry best practice be used to ensure reliable operation of these plants.