5-megawatt solar-thermal test facility: statement of capabilities

Technical Report · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1975

OSTI ID:6168539

The 5-MW Solar Thermal Test Facility will have the capability of evaluating the performance of subsystems in a central receiver solar-electric generating system. The receiver subsystem may be of the exposed-surface or cavity-type, receive solar flux from a heliostat array varying from a 30- to 360-degree field, and operate a water-steam Rankine cycle under a variety of conditions. Expansion of the facility would permit testing advanced receiver concepts using the Brayton or combined Brayton and Rankine cycles and heat transfer fluids, such as air, helium, liquid metals, and molten eutectic salts. Heliostats subsystem tests include determinations of image size, shape, and brightness as functions of distance, time, and environmental conditions. The thermal storage subsystems may be tested as individual modules or as a combined and complete subsystem interfacing with the receiver and the steam turbine-generator unit. The test facility will have the capability of operating all subsystems simultaneously under all anticipated environmental and non-design conditions.

• Research Organization: McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach, CA (USA); Black and Veatch, Kansas City, MO (USA); Honeywell, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (USA); Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-79SF10499
• OSTI ID: 6168539
• Report Number(s): DOE/SF/10499-T42; ON: DE81026886
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140702* -- Solar Thermal Power Systems-- Central Receiver
CENTRAL RECEIVER TEST FACILITY
CENTRAL RECEIVERS
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
HEAT ENGINES
HELIOSTATS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
RANKINE CYCLE ENGINES
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR RECEIVERS
SPECIFICATIONS
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT