We report on the field testing of a 42 m-long full-scale solar receiver prototype installed on a 9 m-aperture solar trough concentrator. The solar receiver consists of a cylindrical cavity containing a tubular absorber with air as the heat transfer fluid (HTF). Experimental results are used to validate a heat transfer model based on Monte Carlo ray-tracing and finite-volume techniques. Performance predictions obtained with the validated model yield the following results for the receiver. At summer solstice solar noon, with HTF inlet temperature of 120 °C and HTF outlet temperature in the range 250–450 °C, the receiver efficiency ranges from 45% to 29% for a solar power input of 280 kW. One third of the solar radiation incident on the receiver is lost by spillage at the aperture and reflection inside the cavity. Other heat losses are due to natural convection (9.9–9.7% of solar power input) and re-radiation (6.1–17.6%) through the cavity aperture and by natural convection from the cavity insulation (5.6–9.1%). The energy penalty associated with the HTF pumping work represents 0.6–24.4% of the power generated.
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Research Papers
Experimental and Numerical Heat Transfer Analysis of an Air-Based Cavity-Receiver for Solar Trough Concentrators
R. Bader,
R. Bader
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich,
Switzerland
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A. Pedretti,
A. Pedretti
Airlight Energy Holding SA, 6710 Biasca,
Switzerland
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A. Steinfeld
A. Steinfeld
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich,
e-mail: aldo.steinfeld@ethz.ch
Switzerland
;Solar Technology Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institute,
5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
Search for other works by this author on:
R. Bader
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich,
Switzerland
A. Pedretti
Airlight Energy Holding SA, 6710 Biasca,
Switzerland
A. Steinfeld
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich,
Switzerland
;Solar Technology Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institute,
5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
e-mail: aldo.steinfeld@ethz.ch
J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2012, 134(2): 021002 (8 pages)
Published Online: February 27, 2012
Article history
Received:
June 7, 2011
Revised:
November 3, 2011
Online:
February 27, 2012
Published:
February 27, 2012
Citation
Bader, R., Pedretti, A., and Steinfeld, A. (February 27, 2012). "Experimental and Numerical Heat Transfer Analysis of an Air-Based Cavity-Receiver for Solar Trough Concentrators." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2012; 134(2): 021002. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4005447
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