• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.277-284
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• 2012

In this study, a heat-transfer performance analysis is carried out for a multi-channel volumetric air receiver for a solar power tower. On the basis of a series of reviews regarding the relevant literature, a calculation process is proposed for the prediction of the wall- and air- temperature distributions of a single channel at given geometric and input conditions. Furthermore, a unique mathematical model of the receiver effectiveness is presented through analysis of the temperature profile. The receiver is made of silicon carbide. A total of 225 square straight channels per module are molded to induce the air flow, and each channel has the dimensions of $2mm(W){\times}2mm(H){\times}0.2mm(t){\times}320mm(L)$. The heat-transfer rate, temperature distribution and effectiveness are presented according to the variation of the channel and module number under uniform irradiation and mass flow rate. The available air outlet temperature applied to the solar power tower should be over $700^{\circ}C$. This numerical model was actually used in the design of a 200 kW-level commercial solar air receiver, and the required number of modules satisfying the thermal performance could be obtained for the specified geometric and input conditions.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.274-279
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• 2012

Daegu Solar Power Tower Plant of 200 kW thermal capacity was developed for the first time in Korea, 2011. Measurement of the heat flux distribution is essential to evaluate the solar energy concentrated by reflectors and to design a suitable receiver. The flux mapping technique, which uses a radiometer and a diffuse plate, is common for measurement of the heat flux distribution. Because the solar power tower plant has a wide concentration area, the flux mapping technique using a fixed diffuse plate is difficult to apply. Therefore, the flux distribution in the solar power tower plant should be measured by the flux mapping technique using a small moving bar. In this study, we measured flux distributions with the moving-bar system developed at the KIER solar furnace and evaluated its applicability for the solar power tower plant.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.676-679
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• 2007

This paper describes an experiment facility to measure the circulation characteristics of a water/steam receiver at various heat fluxes. The natural circulation type receiver was considered in this study. The experiment facility was designed to satisfy circulation balance with an appropriate scale down. As a result, riser tube inner diameter was 7.4 mm and water circulation was 0.319 kg/s. Downcomer tube inner diameter by circulation balance was 9.52 mm and the quality was from 0 to 0.23.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.658-661
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• 2007

KIER have been developing high-temperature solar technology, especially the solar thermal power generation system, since the early of 1990s. In 1994, the first research on high temperature solar technology started with PTC technology. At the moment the most advanced 10kW dish system is under demonstration for 10kW solar thermal power generation. Test results showed about 19.2% solar to electricity average efficiency. Another research activities of KIER is hybrid power generation. For hybridization, solar and LFG(landfill gas) are used. Another hybrid solar system is with solar chemical reaction. In this system, power unit is gas turbine, and the heat content of fuel(like natual gas) is upgraded by solar energy through chemical reaction. The latest project on solar thermal power generation is for 1 MW power tower system. This is the Korea-China Joint project.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.157-160
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• 2008

Solar receiver in the solar power tower system has a similarity to a boiler of the thermal power plant in many aspects. However Boiler is operated long time without stopping while solar receiver repeats start and stop every day. The objective of this study is to investigate start-up characteristics of solar receiver. The experimental device was constructed in a bench scale. Basic experimental condition of water/steam was set by 25 bar and $223^{\circ}C$. Initially, the heat was added into risers only, then another experiment with input into drum additionally was done. When the heat flux was valid only risers, it took about 300 minutes until the water temperature in drum reached $223^{\circ}C$. Water temperature of drum was increased by $44^{\circ}C$/hr with 91.14 g/s of water circulation. With additional heat input into drum, 200 minutes was required to reach $223^{\circ}C$. In this case temperature was increased $66^{\circ}C$/hr with 96.5 g/s of water circulation.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

This paper describes water circulation characteristics of a water/steam receiver at various heat fluxes. The water/steam receiver for a solar tower power system is a natural circulation type. Experimental conditions of water and steam were set at a pressure of 5 bar and temperature of $151.8^{\circ}C$. The experimental device for the water/steam receiver consisted of a steam drum, upper/lower header, riser tubes, and downcomer tube. The experiments were conducted by varying heat fluxes in terms of mass flow rate in each riser tube. However, the total mass flow rate on the riser tubes was fixed at 217.4 g/s. For the uniform heat flux, while the water temperature of the steam drum and upper header were kept at steady state, the temperature of the lower header was fluctuated. For the non-uniform heat flux, while the temperature of the steam drum was kept steady state, the temperature difference increased in the right and left side of the upper header, and the temperature of the lower header was fluctuated.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.120-125
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• 2012

Daegu Solar Power Tower Plant of a 200 kW thermal capacity uses an open air receiver. An air receiver is generally based on the volumetric receiver concept with porous ceramic absorbers. Because absorber material is important in the volumetric receiver, ceramic materials with excellent thermal conductivity, high solar absorptivity and good thermal stability have been researched. KIER also developed SiC honeycomb absorber modules and evaluated performance of the modules at the KIER solar furnace. For performance evaluation, we made an open volumetric receiver containing the modules and measured the outlet temperature and the efficiency. It is demonstrated that performance of the KIER absorber is comparable to that of a reference absorber developed by DLR.