Thermo-structural analysis of a honeycomb type volumetric absorber for CSP applications

摘要

Volumetric solar receivers are submitted to an intense radiation flux, as it serves for heat and/or power generation. This radiation causes a high temperature and a high level of stress in the receiver. Due to the variable nature of the solar radiation, this issue causes thermal stresses, which ultimately could cause a failure, or shorten the useful life of the system. In this work, an appropriate design process is considered for absorber and its holder by considering a multi-channel discrete model to investigate the conjugate heat transfer, and the thermo-mechanical stress level for the steady-state condition. In addition, the system configuration has been checked in transient operating states that might represent cloud-passing event, considering a continuum approach. The results constitute a promising finding to operate the system in desired airflow temperature, that is 700 °C. Also we have identified the regions with high temperature and high-stress values. These critical values are then compared to material properties, allowing to check the limits for operating condition.