Combined optics and heat transfer numerical model of a solar conical receiver with built-in helical pipe

The performance of a solar conical receiver greatly influences the concentrated solar power (CSP) system. It is worthy to devote efforts on performance optimization for a solar conical receiver with a built-in helical pipe. A comprehensive investigation on the whole solar-heat conversion process is significant. Using a combined optics and heat transfer model, this study simulated the influence of the conical angle, loop number, and insulation thickness on cavity receiver performances. The combination consists of two parts: an optical simulation using the optics software TracePro 7.3.4 and a heat-transfer simulation using the CFD software ANSYS 17.0. Model validation is performed by comparing the simulation results to the published experiment data. Good agreement is achieved. The results indicate that the optimal value of conical angle is 5 degrees, the overall efficiency in this case is 63.6%. From 4 to 15, both thermal efficiency and overall efficiency increase as the loop number increases; however, optical efficiency shows a different trend. The optimal value of insulation thickness ranging from 25 mm to 200 mm is 175 mm, achieving 70.4% overall efficiency. This study provides an effective method of performance optimization for a conical cavity receiver. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.