Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S20/00—Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments
  • F24S20/20—Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers

Definitions

• the invention relates to a central solar radiation receiver that is associated with an optical concentration system.
• a central solar radiation receiver admits concentrated light at extremely high temperatures, commonly about 700°-1500°C, so that a solar absorber mounted therein, preferably a volumetric solar absorber, absorbs the incident concentrated light, converts it into heat and the so-generated heat is transferred to a heat carrier fluid, or is used to perform a thermochemical process.
• Volumetric solar receivers generally have a tubular housing accommodating a volumetric solar absorber shielded by transparent window so as to form a sealed absorber chamber capable of holding a working fluid or a chemical reaction mixture in direct contact with the absorber.
• the working fluid or reaction mixture is caused to flow across the absorber chamber whereby heat is withdrawn from the absorber and is either utilized for the chemical reaction or is transported outside the receiver.
• Typical solar receivers with volumetric absorber are disclosed, for example, in U.S. 5,245,986 and U.S. 5,323,764.
• the transparent window that shields the volumetric solar absorber in a solar receiver must be capable of sustaining the extreme conditions of high solar flux, high temperature and pressures associated with the conditions of operation.
• conical windows that are placed inside the receiver to shield the absorber and form the sealed absorber chamber so that the axis of propaga- tion of the solar light is along the axis of the conical window, perform extremely well under severe conditions of heat and pressure. Since the concentrated solar light is approaching the window at a wide angular distribution, it penetrates the window whenever it intersects therewith.
• the design of the window can be such that a small amount of light which is reflected in a single interaction between the light and the window will eventually penetrate the window after successive interactions.
• a solar radiation receiver assembly comprising a housing having an aperture and holding a volumetric solar absorber, a transparent window capable of withstanding high temperature mounted in said aperture for the admission of incident concentrated solar radiation, shielding the volumetric solar absorber so as to form a sealed absorber chamber capable of holding a fluid medium, and means for the ingress and egress of said fluid medium, characterized in that the window consists of a plurality of discrete transpar- ent window segments set in a common matrix capable of withstanding high temperature.
• a window for a solar radiation receiver assembly capable of withstanding high temperature and adapted for admission of incident concentrated solar radiation, characterized in that the window consists of a plurality of discrete transparent window segments set in a common matrix capable of withstanding high temperature.
• the matrix that holds the window segments may be a suitably shaped prefabricated body with apertures for receiving and holding the window fragments.
• the matrix may be made ad hoc from a ready-made frame in which the window segments are mounted with the aid of suitably shaped connecting members.
• the window segments may have different dimensions, e.g. for the purpose of maximizing the window segment holding capacity of a circular matrix and, as a result, the transparency of the window.
• the window segments may also have different shapes such as flat, cylindrical, globular and conical.
• the fluid medium inside the absorber chamber may be liquid or gaseous and may be a heat carrier or a chemical reaction mixture.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a solar radiation receiving assembly according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of a window used in the solar radiation receiver assembly according to the present invention.
• Fig 1 shows a central solar receiver with a volumetric absorber of the kind described in U.S. 5,245,986.
• the solar receiver 1 comprises a solar receiver housing 2 having an aperture 3 holding a transparent window 4 for the admission of incident concentrated solar radiation of the kind shown in Fig. 2 herein.
• Housing 2 accommodates a solar absorber 5 having a frame 6 secured to the housing, and a plurality of absorber elements 7 held in frame 6.
• the housing comprises an intake pipe 8 serving for the ingress of a working fluid surrounding the absorber 5 and an opening 9 for the egress of heated-up working fluid.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of the window 4 made in accordance with the present invention.
• the window 4 comprises a matrix 10 made of a high temperature resistant material holding a plurality of large diameter widow segments 11 and small diameter window segments 12, all made of quartz glass. Due to the different sizes of window segments 11 and 12, the transparency of window 4 is maximized so that about 80% of the aperture 3 admits concentrated solar radiation.
• the window according to the invention may also be used with other configurations of central solar receivers with volumetric solar absorbers, for example, of the kind shown in Fig. 1 of U.S. 5,323,764 and described in description thereof, which Fig. 1 and description are incorpo- rated herein by reference.
• the solar receiver comprises an aperture and a frusto conical window with cylindrical rim portions and designed to withstand high pressure and temperature, shielding the solar absorber so as to form a sealed absorber chamber.
• the frusto conical window is replaced by a circular window of the kind of window 4 in Fig. 1 herein, to be mounted in aperture.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Securing Of Glass Panes Or The Like (AREA)
• Light Receiving Elements (AREA)
• Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11066681

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (6)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1994
  • 1994-10-23 IL IL11136894A patent/IL111368A0/xx unknown
• 1995
  • 1995-10-20 WO PCT/US1995/013629 patent/WO1996012918A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1995-10-20 IL IL115706A patent/IL115706A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1995-10-20 AU AU41950/96A patent/AU4195096A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-10-20 RU RU97107849/06A patent/RU2158885C2/ru active
  • 1995-10-20 EP EP95940535A patent/EP0783657A4/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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