CFD Study of a Sodium High-Flux Receiver Designed for Additive Manufacturing
Minimizing Overheating of the Fluid at High Heat Flux Conditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2499Keywords:
Solar, Receiver, Sodium, HTM, Inconel, Additive Manufacturing, AM, Concentrated Solar Power, CSP, CST, Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFDAbstract
It has been demonstrated that heat fluxes greater than 4 MW/m2 can occur at high-flux concentrated solar power (CSP) receivers. In the present paper, a receiver design for additive manufacturing processing is proposed using sodium as heat transfer medium. The proposed design incorporates helical structures within the ducts, which facilitate the swirling motion of the sodium and promote the transportation of the colder coolant towards the heated wall. The objective of this configuration is twofold: first, to enhance heat transfer, and second, to mitigate local overheating at the liquid-solid interface of the receiver. The effectiveness of design variations is substantiated by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) investigations.
Downloads
References
[1] C. Turchi, S. Gage, J. Martinek S. Jape, K. Armijo, J. Coventry et al. 2021. CSP Gen3: Liquid-Phase Pathway to SunShot. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL/TP-5700-79323, https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/79323.pdf
[2] F. Müller-Trefzer, K. Niedermeier, F. Fellmoser, J. Flesch, J. Pacio, T. Wetzel, “Experi-mental results from a high heat flux solar furnace with a molten metal-cooled receiver SOMMER”, Solar Energy, Volume 221, Pages 176-184, 2021,
[3] A. Heinzel, W. Hering, J. Konys, L. Marocco, K. Litfin, G. Müller, J. Pacio, C. Schroer, R. Stieglitz, L. Stoppel, A. Weisenburger, Th. Wetzel, Liquid Metals as Efficient High Tempera-ture Heat Transport Fluids, www.entechnol.de (2017) Energy Technol. 10.1002/ente.201600721, https://doi.org/10.1002/ente.201600721
[4] J. Pacio, Cs. Singer, Th. Wetzel, R. Uhlig, „Thermodynamic evaluation of liquid metals as heat transfer fluids in concentrated solar power plants”, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2013.07.010
[5] N. Bartos, K. Drewes, A. Curtis, “A novel low-stress tower solar receiver design for use with liquid sodium”, AIP Conference Proceedings 2303, 020002, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0028889
[6] J. Fuchs, F. Arbeiter, M. Böttcher, et al., “Advanced high temperature sodium cooled re-ceiver design, AIP Conference Proceedings, 2815, 020002, 2023; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0149630
[7] H. Neuberger, J. Rey M. Hees, E. Materna-Morris, D. Bolich, Daniel; J. Aktaa et al., “Se-lective Laser Sintering as Manufacturing Process for the Realization of Complex Nuclear Fusion and High Heat Flux Components”, Fusion Science and Technology 72,4, pp. 667–672, 2017, DOI: 10.1080/15361055.2017.1350521.
[8] www.specialmetals.com/documents/technical-bulletins/inconel/inconel-alloy-690.pdf (2024).
[9] V. Sobolev, Database of Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Metals Coolants for GEN-IV, Scientific Report SCK-CEN-BLG-1069, ISSN 1379-2407, 2011.
[10] Private communication by Vast Solar, Australia (2023)
[11] M. Böttcher, R. Krüßmann, CFD simulation of liquid metal flow in a 19 rod wrapped wire assembly with focus on turbulent and conjugate heat transfer, CFD4NRS-7, Shanghai (2019), DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000124411, https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000084029.
Published
How to Cite
Conference Proceedings Volume
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Joachim Fuchs, Alexandru Onea, Michael Böttcher
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-05-06
Published 2026-01-26