A high-temperature pressurized air-based receiver is considered as a module for power generation via solar-driven gas turbines. A set of silicon carbide cavity-receivers attached to a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) are tested on a solar tower at stagnation conditions for 35 kW solar radiative power input under mean solar concentration ratios of 2000 suns and nominal temperatures up to 1600 K. A heat transfer model coupling radiation, conduction, and convection is formulated by Monte Carlo ray-tracing, finite volume, and finite element techniques, and validated in terms of experimentally measured temperatures. The model is applied to elucidate the effect of material properties, geometry, and reflective coatings on the cavity’s thermal and structural performances.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
coatings, convection, finite element analysis, finite volume methods, gas turbines, heat conduction, Monte Carlo methods, ray tracing, solar power
Topics:
Cavities, Coatings, Convection, High temperature, Materials properties, Solar energy, Temperature, Ceramics, Heat conduction, Radiation (Physics), Finite element analysis, Gas turbines, Ray tracing, Temperature distribution, Heat transfer, Silicon

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