Modeling and dynamic simulation of the collector and receiver system of 1 MWe DAHAN solar thermal power tower plant

DAHAN, the pioneer 1 MWe CRS (Central Receiver System) project, is now under construction at the foot of the Great Wall of Badaling in Beijing. The coupled system-collector and solar central receiver, which plays a dominant role in the radiation-heat conversion, is the most important component in the solar tower plant. Its performance can affect directly the efficiency of the entire solar power generation system. In this paper, the models of the key parts “collector and cavity receiver” were fully developed through the modular modeling method. By adopting the area to flux matching method, the two models were coupled together based on the “STAR-90” simulation platform. The simulation results of static heat flux density distribution at equinox noon and the dynamic response curves under different disturbances were simulated. The result demonstrates it can provide good references for the operation and control system design of the entire solar thermal power tower system.

► A new collector system model of a solar tower power plant was fully developed.
► A full-working-condition mathematical model of a receiver system was proposed.
► The dynamic characteristics of the coupled system were studied in detail.