Optimisation of Central Receivers for Advanced Power Cycles

closed

The Optimisation of Central Receivers for Advanced Power Cycles examines if concentrating solar power (CSP) technology is to be widely adopted for electricity production its costs must be substantially reduced, similar to the cost reduction achieved by solar photovoltaic technology in recent years.Project innovationThe key solar components that will drive down cost are heliostats and receivers, which together operate to provide temperatures in the 600-8000 Celsius range, as this allies with high efficiency turbine technologies such as supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles. To date the solar towers built commercially have been for operating temperatures quite a bit lower.The Optimisation of Central Receivers for Advanced Power Cycles project investigated the new family of solar components needed for this higher temperature range.The project’s initial priority established a program of accelerated life-cycle testing to understand the full life-cycle costs of the heliostats (or mirrors) that make up the solar field and reflect concentrated sunlight onto a receiver (which converts the solar energy to heat that is used to run a turbine). In parallel, new receiver geometries were developed for this temperature range to reduce radiation and convective losses.This information was used to develop a detailed model that optimises the heliostat field layout based on different operating temperatures and heliostat performance.

High