Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd

The University of Adelaide

Graham Jerrold Nathan

Aldo Steinfeld

Bassam Dally

Alfonso Chinnici

Maziar Arjomandi

Zhao Tian

Peter Ashman

A solar receiver for exposing heat absorbing particles to concentrated solar radiation. The solar receiver includes a chamber having an aperture through which concentrated solar radiation can be received within the chamber. An inlet means provides for introducing an inflow including solar absorbing particles into the chamber. An outlet means provides for discharge of an outflow from the chamber. The inlet means communicates with the chamber for introduction of the inflow into a first section of the chamber in opposed relation the aperture. The outlet means communicates with a second section of the chamber disposed between the first section and the aperture, wherein fluid flow from the inlet means to the outlet means is exposed to concentrated solar radiation received within the chamber. The first section diverges in a direction towards the aperture, and the inlet means is configured to introduce the inflow tangentially into the divergent first section.

Solar receiver

A hybrid receiver-combustor () for capturing heat energy from a solar source and a fuel source. The hybrid receiver-combustor () includes a vessel () for acting both as a combustion furnace and as a solar receiver, and a plurality of burners () for combusting an oxidant stream, such as an air stream, and a fuel stream. The vessel () includes a casing () defining a cavity () having an aperture () for receiving the concentrated solar radiation from the solar source. The cavity () provides a chamber defining a zone () which can function as a combustion zone for production of heat energy through a combustion process using the fuel and into which concentrated solar radiation can be received from the solar source through the aperture (). A heat energy absorber () configured as a heat exchanger is provided to receive heat energy from concentrated solar radiation entering the cavity () through the aperture () and from combustion within the cavity. A fluidic seal system () is associated with the aperture () and is operable to establish a fluidic seal to restrict fluid flow through the aperture () during the combustion process. The fluidic seal comprises exhaust gas from the combustion process within the cavity ().

Hybrid receiver-combustor

Growing community of inventors

Ironbank, Australia

Graham Jerrold Nathan