Design Optimization of a Horizontal Particle Receiver for a Modular Beam Down Receiver CSP

Abstract

CSP research is focused on increasing the economic competitiveness of this technology as compared to conventional and emerging energy generators. Higher temperature operation conditions represent a pathway toward cost reductions since they enable a relatively smaller solar field area (typically ~40-50% of the plant cost) for the same electrical output. For example, supercritical CO₂ power cycles with solid particles as the HTF could enable >600°C operations and a ~50% power bloc cycle efficiency (considerably higher than steam cycles, <40%). Additionally, small modular systems could increase competitiveness through reduced financial risk, increased system flexibility, and the value of additional services that a modular CSP could offer to the electricity grid (frequency control, peaking supply, etc.). This study investigates the Beam Down Receiver (BDR) configuration as a design that could be well-suited to meet these goals while also overcoming some of issues with particle receivers, such as particle attrition, advective losses, and operation control. In particular, this work introduces a novel horizontal particle receiver (HPR) and analyzes the main design parameters, including tower height, BDR size, radiation flux on the receiver, and receiver nominal power. The analysis shows that tower heights between 35m to 60m are ideal for high temperature receiver capacities of 8-15 MW_th, and that this configuration can achieve a minimized LCOH of ~24 USD/MW_th. These results suggest that BDRs combined with particle mediums could represent a viable high temperature, high efficiency CSP alternative.