Microscale Pin Array Solar Thermal Receiver for High Flux Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solar thermal receiver technologies are insufficiently developed to achieve advanced power cycles, particularly in terms of high temperature operation and high incident flux handling, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of a microscale thermal receiver unit cell with a flux absorber plate and a receiver plate featuring a pin array or microchannels, utilizing working fluids like molten salts or supercritical carbon dioxide, which enables high heat flux capacities and thermal efficiencies through optimized pin geometry and modular design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If current solar thermal receiver technology is used, then the system can operate with existing components, but the thermal efficiency is limited and incident flux handling is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is divided into multiple unit cells, each with its own flux absorber plate and receiver plate assembly. This segmentation allows each unit to independently handle high incident flux while maintaining overall system efficiency. The modular structure enables better heat transfer management and reduces thermal losses compared to conventional monolithic receivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional macro-scale receiver designs to microscale dimensions by incorporating microchannels and pin arrays with dimensions in the micrometer range. This dimensional change dramatically increases the surface area to volume ratio, enhancing heat transfer efficiency and enabling the system to handle higher incident flux while maintaining thermal efficiency greater than 90%.
2Device complexity
If conventional receiver designs are used, then the system structure is simpler, but the device size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the receiver into standardized unit cells that can be replicated and assembled, the design achieves compactness without excessive complexity. Each unit cell is a self-contained module with integrated microchannels or pin arrays, allowing the overall receiver size to be minimized while maintaining functionality through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the characteristic length scale parameter from conventional millimeter/centimeter dimensions to micrometer-scale features in the microchannels and pin arrays. This parameter change enables dramatically reduced receiver volume while maintaining or improving heat transfer performance, directly addressing the contradiction between device size and structural simplicity.
3Power
If high incident flux is achieved, then the power cycle efficiency improves, but thermal losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The microscale dimensions of the microchannels and pin arrays create a vastly increased surface area to volume ratio, which enhances convective heat transfer coefficients. This dimensional change allows the system to absorb high incident flux while maintaining low thermal losses, as the heat is rapidly transferred to the working fluid before significant thermal loss can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the characteristic length scale to micrometer dimensions and optimizing the geometry parameters of the microchannels and pin arrays, the system achieves superior heat transfer coefficients that enable high incident flux operation with minimal thermal losses, directly supporting high power cycle efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves thermal efficiencies greater than 90%, with some embodiments reaching 95%, and allows for a significant increase in incident flux, reducing thermal losses and minimizing the size and cost of solar thermal receivers.
Implementation Method 1
a flux absorber plate for receiving impinging thermal flux, particularly a solar flux
Implementation Method 2
Heat transfer working fluid flows through the pin array and/or microchannels and adjacent the flux absorber plate for heat transfer from the flux absorber plate
Implementation Method 3
Heat transfer working fluid flows through the pin array and/or microchannels and adjacent the flux absorber plate for heat transfer from the flux absorber plate
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal receiver, such as a solar flux thermal receiver, is disclosed comprising a modular arrangement of arrayed microchannels or micropins to heat a working fluid by heat transfer. Disclosed solar receivers provide a much higher solar flux and consequently a significant reduction in thermal losses, size, and cost, relative to known receivers. Unit cell receivers can be numbered up and combined in parallel to form modules, and modules combined to form full scale receivers.