On the Accuracy and Computational Load of Fast 1D Models for Solar Receiver Parametric Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2355Keywords:
Solar Receivers, 1D Models, Fast Solution, Parametric Studies, Heat TransferAbstract
A big challenge consists in maximizing the thermal efficiency of volumetric solar receivers that are used to collect solar energy and heat-up a heat transfer fluid in renewable energy systems. Parametric studies provide an undisputed aid in early design stages and fast computational models are important to rapidly test novel configurations. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis to assess the accuracy and the computational load of 1D and 3D models compared to relevant literature data is presented. A 1D finite volume model and a 1D explicit model based upon the thermal resistance network are built by solving the solid and fluid energy balances and results are compared to accurate 3D CFD simulations of a solar receiver consisting of a silicon-carbide absorbing structure. The calculated air and solid temperatures are compared to literature findings on a receiver test geometry for different heat transfer fluid velocities. Results show that fast 1D models provide very accurate results with a maximum error of 2%-5% with respect to the reference in a computational time of few seconds, two order of magnitude lower than the one needed by accurate 3D CFD simulations.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Carmine Sabia, Simone Zavattoni, Maurizio C. Barbato
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-05-07
Published 2025-11-24