Optical optimization of beam down receiver geometry for high temperature heat processes using the MCRT method.

Beam Down Receivers (BDR) are a promising alterative for small-to-medium tower-based Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) plants. A novel particle receiver Solar Expanding Vortex Receiver (SEVR), that has been proposed to be configurated into a BDR for solarization of high temperature industrial applications, such as calcination process. This type of receiver might benefit from beam down optics via a ground-based receiver, a simplified tower, and key operational advantages (e.g., reduced pumping requirements, co-located receiver-storage, reduced particle egress). This study lays the groundwork for such a design via an optimization tool which uses the Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) method. It was found that for a 50 MWth, system the optimal tower height is 75m and that this system can provide a LCOH of ∼34 USD/MWh. The radiation flux distribution on receiver aperture and the optical efficiency throughout the year were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]