On-sun testing of an advanced falling particle receiver system
Publication Date
2016
Description
A 1 MWth high-temperature falling particle receiver was constructed and tested at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The continuously recirculating system included a particle elevator, top and bottom hoppers, and a cavity receiver that comprised a staggered array of porous chevron-shaped mesh structures that slowed the particle flow through the concentrated solar flux. Initial tests were performed with a peak irradiance of ~300 kW/m2 and a particle mass flow rate of 3.3 kg/s. Peak particle temperatures reached over 700 °C near the center of the receiver, but the particle temperature increase near the sides was lower due to a non-uniform irradiance distribution. At a particle inlet temperature of ~440 °C, the particle temperature increase was 27 °C per meter of drop length, and the thermal efficiency was ~60% for an average irradiance of 110 kW/m2 . At an average irradiance of 211 kW/m2 , the particle temperature increase was 57.1 °C per meter of drop length, and the thermal efficiency was ~65%. Tests with higher irradiances are being performed and are expected to yield greater particle temperature increases and efficiencies.
Journal
AIP Conference Proceedings
Volume
1734
First Page
30022
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Link to Published Version
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.4949074
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4949074
Recommended Citation
Ho, Clifford K.; Christian, Joshua M.; Yellowhair, Julius; Siegel, Nathan P.; Jeter, Sheldon; Golob, Matthew; Abdel-Khalik, Said I.; Nguyen, Clayton; and Al-Ansary, Hany. "On-sun testing of an advanced falling particle receiver system." AIP Conference Proceedings (2016) : 30022.