A new volumetric (directly irradiated) solar absorber, nicknamed Porcupine, is presented. It was tested over several hundreds of hours at the Weizmann Institute’s Solar Furnace, using several flow and geometric configurations, at various irradiation conditions. The experiments, which were conducted at a power level of about 10 kW, showed that the new absorber can accommodate different working conditions and provide a convective cooling pattern to match various irradiation flux distributions. The capability of the Porcupine to endure a concentrated solar flux of up to about 4 MW/m2, while producing working gas exit temperatures of up to 940°C, was demonstrated. In comparative tests, the Porcupine sustained an irradiation solar flux level about four times higher than that sustained by other volumetric absorbers (foam and honeycomb matrices). Due to its ability to sustain and transport a much higher energy fluxes, the Porcupine yielded twice the power output of the other absorbers while its exit gas temperature was 300–350°C higher. The Porcupine design is highly resistant to thermal stresses development; none of the Porcupine absorbers tested showed any sign of deterioration after hundreds of operating hours, although temperature gradients of several hundreds °C/cm developed in some experiments. The basic Porcupine structure provides convective and radiative energy transport between the matrix elements, therefore alleviating the development of flow instabilities; this phenomenon causes local overheating and restricts the operation of other volumetric matrices. A Porcupine absorber was subsequently incorporated into the directly irradiated annular pressurized receiver (DIAPR), where it has been operating flawlessly at an incident flux of several MW/m2 and temperatures of up to 1,700°C.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
May 1998
Research Papers
The “Porcupine”: A Novel High-Flux Absorber for Volumetric Solar Receivers
J. Karni,
J. Karni
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Search for other works by this author on:
A. Kribus,
A. Kribus
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Search for other works by this author on:
R. Rubin,
R. Rubin
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Search for other works by this author on:
P. Doron
P. Doron
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Karni
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
A. Kribus
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
R. Rubin
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
P. Doron
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 1998, 120(2): 85-95 (11 pages)
Published Online: May 1, 1998
Article history
Received:
April 1, 1997
Revised:
November 1, 1997
Online:
February 14, 2008
Citation
Karni, J., Kribus, A., Rubin, R., and Doron, P. (May 1, 1998). "The “Porcupine”: A Novel High-Flux Absorber for Volumetric Solar Receivers." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 1998; 120(2): 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2888060
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Techno-Economic Analysis of Using Reversible Turbomachinery for Pumped Thermal Energy Storage Systems
J. Sol. Energy Eng (October 2024)
Effects of an Annular Baffle on Heat Transfer to an Immersed Coil Heat Exchanger in Thermally Stratified Tanks
J. Sol. Energy Eng (October 2024)
Related Articles
Structural Analysis of an LMFBR Shield Assembly Duct Under Thermo-Mechanical and Seismic Loads
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (May,1986)
Solar Thermochemical Generation of Hydrogen: Development of a Receiver Reactor for the Decomposition of Sulfuric Acid
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,2009)
Hydrodynamic Instability of Solar Thermosyphon Water Heaters
J. Sol. Energy Eng (February,1994)
Novel Design of a Miniature Loop Heat Pipe Evaporator for Electronic Cooling
J. Heat Transfer (October,2007)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
The Impact of Plant Economics on the Design of Industrial Energy Systems
Industrial Energy Systems
Integration of Solar Energy Systems
Handbook of Integrated and Sustainable Buildings Equipment and Systems, Volume I: Energy Systems
Effect of Temperature and Irradiation on the Hardness of δ-Zr Hydride
Zirconium in the Nuclear Industry: 20th International Symposium