Design of a Calorimetric Facility to Assess Volumetric Receivers Employing a 42 KW High Flux Solar Simulator
Abstract
This paper presents the design of a new calorimetric facility for the experimental aerothermal assessment of volumetric receivers. The facility employs a 42 kWe high flux solar simulator composed of 7 Xenon-arc lamps associated to as many ellipsoidal reflectors. An incident concentrated radiative power in excess of 14 kWth is achieved at its focal point, with peak fluxes in excess of 3600 suns. A radiation homogenizer of square cross section is utilized upstream of the working section to uniformly heat the receiver aperture. Measured irradiance levels are discussed, and it is shown that the flow field non-dimensional governing parameters are highly representative of on-sun experiments at larger scales. The facility allows for the acquisition of comprehensive measurements to validate the design point operation of volumetric solar receivers, including absorber wall temperatures, air inlet and outlet temperatures, pressure drop, incident heat flux and thermal efficiency.