Performance Optimisation of Solar Receivers That Use Oil as a Heat Transfer Fluid
Abstract
This article presents the use of a wire mesh in optimising the performance of two volumetric solar receivers that use oil as a heat transfer fluid. Computational fluid dynamics models have been used to optimise the receivers. Varies parameters (including the use of a wire mesh) of the receiver models were changed in the optimisation process. Based on the models, prototype receivers were developed and tested. After that, the models were validated against experiments and the results compare well. The results indicate that the use of a wire mesh placed inside a receiver improves its performance. An optimal wire mesh porosity was found as :: 0.95 mainly because the efficiency is increased without inducing an adverse pressure drop inside the receiver.