Abstract
This paper discusses about the design and analysis of a novel multi-cavity tubular receiver developed for small- and medium-scale concentrated solar power applications from the existing basic baffle-plated volumetric receiver model which is used in large-scale applications. The design and analysis work has been completed to enhance the thermal performance of cavity receivers for the average solar power input of 12 kW with a dish concentrator of 15 m2 aperture area. This was carried out by replacing the baffle plates from the conventional basic volumetric receiver with multi-cavity tubes, keeping the heat transfer area as constant. The tubular arrangement improves the flow and heat transfer characteristics through minimized pressure drop. The receiver models with aluminum, copper, and silicon carbide materials have been analyzed using commercially available CFD software ANSYS-FLUENT for different flow rates of air and water. The computational analysis reveals that the thermal performance of a modified multi-cavity tubular receiver model made up of SiC material is better than receiver model with aluminum and copper materials. The maximum energy efficiency of 21.11% and 75.81% are achieved by the heat transfer fluids air and water, respectively. The maximum efficiency is achieved at the flow rate of 1.35 l/min and 0.9 l/min for the heat transfer fluids air and water, respectively. The study concludes that the multi-cavity tubular configurations may be well suited for small-scale CSP applications than the volumetric receivers with foams, rods, honeycomb, and baffle-plated structures.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- A ref :
-
area of the reflector (m2)
- A R eff :
-
effective area of the receiver (m2)
- CFD:
-
computation fluid dynamics
- C av :
-
specific heat capacity (J kg−1 K−1)
- DNI:
-
direct normal irradiation (W m−2)
- ui, uj :
-
velocity components (m s−1)
- x, y :
-
rectangular coordinates components (m)
- λ :
-
thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)
- μ :
-
dynamic viscosity (kg m−1 s−1)
- ρ :
-
density of the fluid (kg m−3)
- σ :
-
turbulent Prandtl number
- τ :
-
wall shear stress (kg m−1)
- i, j :
-
components
- t :
-
turbulent
- E a :
-
energy rate on the receiver (kW)
- E R :
-
energy rate gained by HTFs (kW)
- E S :
-
power on the reflector from sun (kJ)
- E x :
-
exergy rate (kW)
- E xs-D :
-
exergy rate from sun to dish (kW)
- HTF:
-
heat transfer fluid
- K B :
-
Boltzmann constant (1.381 × 10−23 J/K)
- ṁ :
-
mass flow rate of HTFs (lpm)
- Nu:
-
Nusselt number
- Re:
-
Reynolds number
- T atm :
-
atmospheric temperature (K)
- T avg :
-
average wall temperature (K)
- T in :
-
fluid inlet temperature (°C)
- T out :
-
fluid outlet temperature (°C)
- η EnR :
-
receiver energy efficiency
- η ExR :
-
receiver exergy efficiency
References
Agrafiotis CC, Mavroidis I, Konstandopoulos AG, Hoffschmidt B, Stobbe P, Romero M, Fernandez-Quero V (2007) Evaluation of porous silicon carbide monolithic honeycombs as volumetric receivers / collectors of concentrated solar radiation. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 91:474–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2006.10.021
Akbarzadeh M, Rashidi S, Masoodi R, Samimi-Abianeh O (2018) Effect of transverse twisted baffles on performance and irreversibilities in a Duct. J Thermophys Heat Transf 33(1). https://doi.org/10.2514/1.T5373
Daabo AM, Mahmoud S, Al-Dadah RK (2016) The effect of receiver geometry on the optical performance of a small scale solar cavity receiver for parabolic dish applications. Energy 114:513–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.08.025
Fend T, Hoffschmidt B, Pitz-Paal R, Reutter O, Rietbrock P (2004) Porous materials as open volumetric solar receivers: experimental determination of thermo physical and heat transfer properties. Energy 29:823–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-5442(03)00188-9
Fend T, Völker W, Miebach R, Smirnova O, Gonsior D, Schöllgen D, Rietbrock P (2011) Experimental investigation of compact silicon carbide heat exchangers for high temperatures. Int J Heat Mass Transf 54:4175–4181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2011.05.028
Javadi P, Rashidi S, Esfahani JA (2018) Effects of rib shapes on the entropy generation in a ribbed duct. J Thermophys Heat Transf 32(3). https://doi.org/10.2514/1.T5298
Kanatani K, Yamamoto T, Tamaura Y, Kikura H (2017) A model of a solar cavity receiver with coiled tubes. Sol Energy 153:249–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2017.05.061
Li S, Xu G, Luo X, Quan Y, Ge Y (2016) Optical performance of a solar dish concentrator/receiver system: influence of geometrical and surface properties of cavity receiver. Energy 113:95–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.06.143
Loni R, Askari Asli-Ardeha E, Ghobadian B, Bellos EA, Le Roux WG (2018) Numerical investigation of a solar dish concentrator with different cavity receivers and working fluids. J Clean Prod 108:1013–1030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.075
Mahian O, Kolsi L, Amani M, Estelle P, Ahmadi G, Kleinstreuer C, Marshall JS, Taylor RA, Abu-Nada E, Rashidi S, Niazmand H, Wongwises S, Hayat T, Kasaeian A, Pop I (2019a) Recent advances in modeling and simulation of nanofluid flows-part I: fundamental and theory. Phys Rep 790:1–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2018.11.004
Mahian O, Kolsi L, Amani M, Estelle P, Ahmadi G, Kleinstreuer C, Marshall JS, Taylor RA, Abu-Nada E, Rashidi S, Niazmand H, Wongwises S, Hayat T, Kasaeian A, Pop I (2019b) Recent advances in modeling and simulation of nanofluid flows-part II: Applications. Phys Rep 790:1–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2018.11.003
Michailidis N, Stergioudi E, Omar H, Missirlis D, Vlahostergios Z, Tsipas S, Albanakis C, Granier B (2013) Flow, thermal and structural application of Ni-foam as volumetric solar receiver. Sol Energy Mater Sol 109:185–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2012.10.021
Neber M, Lee H (2012) Design of a high temperature cavity receiver for residential scale concentrated solar power. Energy 47(1):481–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2012.09.005
Pavlovic SR, Bellows EA, Stefanovic VP, Tzivanidis C, Stamenkovic ZM (2016) Design, simulation and optimization of a solar dish collector with spiral - coil thermal absorber. Therm Sci 20(4):1387–1397. https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI160213104P
Prakash M, Kedare SB, Nayak JK (2012) Numerical study of natural convection loss from open cavities. Int J Therm Sci 51(1):23–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2011.08.012
Rashidi S, Kashefi MH, Hormozi F (2018) Potential applications of inserts in solar thermal energy systems–a review to identify the gaps and frontier challenges. Sol Energy 171:929–952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.07.017
Rashidi S, Eskandarian M, Mahian O, Poncet (2019a) Combination of nanofluid and inserts for heat transfer enhancement. J Therm Anal Calorim 135(1):437–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7070-9
Rashidi S, Hormozi F, Sundén B, Mahian O (2019b) Energy saving in thermal energy systems using dimpled surface technology–a review on mechanisms and applications. Appl Energy 250:1491–1547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.168
Rashidi S, Javadi P, Esfahani AJ (2019c) Second law of thermodynamics analysis for nano fluid turbulent flow inside a solar heater with the ribbed absorber plate. J Therm Anal Calorim 35(1):551–563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7164-4
Roldán MI, Cañadas I, Casas JL, Zarza E (2013) Thermal analysis and design of a solar prototype for high-temperature processes. Int J Heat Mass Transf 56(1-2):309–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2012.09.063
Shamsabadi H, Rashidi S, Esfahani JA (2019) Entropy generation analysis for nanofluid flow inside a duct equipped with porous baffles. J Therm Anal Calorim 135(2):1009–1019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7350-4
Zhu ZY (2016) CFD simulation in helical coiled tubing. J Appli Sci Eng 19(3):267–272. https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.2016.19.3.04
Zhu J, Wang K, Li G, Wu H, Jiang Z, Lin F, Li Y (2015) Experimental investigation on the energy and exergy performance of a coiled tube solar receiver. Appl Energy 156:519–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.07.013
Acknowledgments
The author thanks the Easwari Engineering College for the rendered design and analysis software facilities and further support from B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, where the remaining part of this work has been completed.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Duraisamy Ramalingam, R., Esakkimuthu, G.S., Paulraj, J. et al. Inferences on the effects of geometries and heat transfer fluids in multi-cavity solar receivers by using CFD. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 32205–32217 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06829-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06829-w