Design Optimization of a Horizontal Particle Receiver for a Modular Beam Down Receiver CSP

CSP research is focused on increasing the economic competitiveness of this technology as compared to conventional and emerging energy generators. Higher temperature operation conditions represent a pathway toward cost reductions since they enable a relatively smaller solar field area (typically ~40-50% of the plant cost) for the same electrical output. For example, supercritical CO2 power cycles with solid particles as the HTF could enable >600°C operations and a ~50% power bloc cycle efficiency (considerably higher than steam cycles,