Advances in Pressurized Volumetric Solar Receivers: A Review

¹ School of Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Energy Engineering, Mapúa University, 658 Muralla St., Intramuros Manila, Philippines
² School of Graduate Studies, Mapúa University, 658 Muralla St., Intramuros Manila, Philippines

^* Corresponding author: carlbelmonte32@gmail.com

Abstract

Concentrated solar power (CSP) has the potential for hybridization with geothermal energy to improve the thermal efficiency of geothermal plants and help combat climate change by utilizing renewable energy sources. The solar receiver is an important component in any CSP system. Thus, the design of the receiver must be considered and optimized to maximize the efficiency of the system. This paper reviews pressurized volumetric solar receivers to provide an overview of the current research in PVR. A significant portion of the studies considered in this paper focused on the theoretical analysis of receivers compared to experimental testing. Receiver prototypes were tested under solar radiation or solar simulator conditions. The thermal efficiency of PVR varies from 60-90%, while the outlet air temperature varies from 700-1000 °C. Some studies also validated the theoretical models using experimental data to determine the accuracy of the results. The importance of the review findings is that they demonstrate that the advances in numerical modelling of PVR are accurate enough to be comparable to the results obtained by experimental testing. Further research is recommended to quantify the breakeven point of the computing cost of PVR modelling.