No abstract

This manuscript presents a novel methodology for the design of Central Tower Receivers (CTR), which involves simplified models for optical and thermal calculations and evaluation of design constraints. The proposed methodology optimizes the total yearly energy production as the criterion, considering a multiparameter analysis. This design is part of the AdInCCSol (Advanced Integration of Combined Cycles in Solar thermal power plants) project, which aims to integrate advanced thermodynamic cycles in solar thermal power plants to improve efficiencies and lower LCOE. Specifically, the manuscript presents the optimization of a 100 MW CTR plant based on a conventional cylindrical receiver that operates at an outlet temperature of 565 ºC. Unlike previous studies, the proposed methodology considers yearly calculations and takes into account most of the parameters that affect thermal and optical efficiencies, including tube diameter, receiver diameter, height, and the number of faces. The aiming strategy for each design was also optimized to achieve the best balance between optical and thermal losses while meeting stress and corrosion limits. The study was conducted using two in-house codes that integrate thermal and optic performance calculations and models for estimating design constraints, providing accurate results with low running times. The findings of the study indicate the presence of an optimal receiver area that optimizes the design for a target power of concentrated radiation flux density. Moreover, certain combinations of parameters yield similar yearly energy productions, enabling the development of designs with comparable performance and reduced costs.