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A thermal analysis for a solar volumetric receiver filled with a dual-structured porous medium

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  • Yi, Yuan
  • Nakayama, Akira

Abstract

A three-energy-equation model for individual phases in porous media was developed to analyze forced convective heat transfer in a solar volumetric receiver composed of dual-structured porous media. The model comprises three energy equations: one for air and two for heat conduction in the small- and large-scale solid structures. These equations were fully coupled to derive exact analytical solutions for the axial temperature distributions within the volumetric receiver. The model was used to investigate the influence of key parameters, such as the volume fraction of the filler (small rods), the diameter ratio of small to large rods, and the thermal conductivity ratio of solids for dual-structured porous media consisting of large and small rod bundles. Results showed that increasing the filler fraction or decreasing the diameter ratio (e.g., from 1.0 to 0.25) significantly reduced the thermal entrance length, promoting faster thermal equilibrium among the phases. The thermal conductivity ratio primarily influenced the temperature of the small rods, with minimal effect on entrance length. While receiver efficiency was found to be relatively insensitive to geometric parameters, it was highly dependent on mass flux, especially in the low range. A practical approximate formula was developed to estimate the threshold mass flux, providing a guideline for optimizing the receiver's operational performance.

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  • Yi, Yuan & Nakayama, Akira, 2026. "A thermal analysis for a solar volumetric receiver filled with a dual-structured porous medium," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PG).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pg:s0960148125021093
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124445
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fend, Thomas & Hoffschmidt, Bernhard & Pitz-Paal, Robert & Reutter, Oliver & Rietbrock, Peter, 2004. "Porous materials as open volumetric solar receivers: Experimental determination of thermophysical and heat transfer properties," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 823-833.
    2. Yi, Yuan & Nakayama, Akira, 2024. "A three-energy equation model and estimation of effective thermal properties for transient analysis of bi-disperse packed bed thermocline storage system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    3. Alexopoulos, Spiros & Hoffschmidt, Bernhard, 2010. "Solar tower power plant in Germany and future perspectives of the development of the technology in Greece and Cyprus," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1352-1356.
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