Heat flux and temperature prediction on a volumetric receiver installed in a solar furnace

• Heat-flux measurements at several focal planes of a solar furnace have been analysed.
• An irradiance-distribution prediction model has been obtained for any focal position.
• The model predicts the irradiance distribution under different operating conditions.
• The thermal profile on a solar receiver can be predicted with the model developed.

This paper presents a prediction procedure of the solar irradiance distribution on a plane parallel to the focal one of the Plataforma Solar de Almería’s Solar Furnace, within defined limits, as well as its application to test a sample of a volumetric solar receiver exposed to concentrated solar radiation. From initial heat-flux measurements at different focal planes of the Solar Furnace, this procedure is able to reliably predict the irradiance distribution on any plane and under different operating conditions, such as direct normal irradiance, shutter aperture, and mirror reflectance. As a result, this study allowed predicting the heat flux distribution at different Furnace axis positions selected for testing a sample of a volumetric solar receiver. Furthermore, the temperature reached on the sample surface, which receives the concentrated solar radiation, could be obtained from the flux features previously analysed. It makes possible to preserve the absorber material from overheating areas modifying the operating variables.