Previous successful tests and promising results of a Centrifugal Particle Receiver (CentRec) for high temperature solar applications has been achieved in a lab scale prototype with 7.5 kWth [1, 2, 3]. In a next step this receiver technology is scaled up to higher thermal power for a future pilot plant.
This paper presents the optimization methodology of the design and technical solutions. It describes the manufacturing and assembly of the prototype and first tests and results of the commissioning including cold particle tests and prototype costs. Finally the paper gives an outlook on the planned further steps regarding hot lab tests and solar tests.
Particle receivers achieve significantly higher temperatures than state of the art molten salt solar towers. The centrifugal particle receiver is a direct absorption receiver with a simple control of the residence time of the particles in the receiver. The paper describes the cold testing including mechanics of the particle film and first hot testing using a 100 kW el infrared heater.
A complete set of innovations are combined to a new heliostat of minimum cost. The main improvements are a monolithic sandwich-cantilever-arm concentrator of low material and fabrication cost, a lay down of the panels during storms to reduce the maximum wind loading of the structure, and a closed loop control to reduce the accuracy requirements on the mechanical components of the tracker. The design of the main heliostat components is described. The dimensioning of the heliostat is based on wind loads determined by wind tunnel tests. The resulting cost reduction and an outlook on possible modifications for further cost reduction is given.
The first lay-down heliostat with monolithic concentrator was erected at the Solar Tower Jülich. The main components and their main features are described: azimuth and elevation drive, concentrator, control, and the cleaning system concept. The dimensions of the elevation drive and the carriage already match the requirements of a 50 m² heliostat that shall be developed in a follow-up project.SolarPACES 2018 AIP Conf.
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