Thermal Performance Optimization of Helically Baffled Conical Cavity Receivers for Solar Dish Concentrators

Cavity receivers are crucial components of solar dish concentrators, as their design significantly influences thermal efficiency. This paper presents an optimized design for conical cavity receivers incorporating helically baffled paths to enhance thermal performance. Through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, three groups of models were studied to maximize outlet temperature and minimize pressure drop. Group A conducted a parametric study on key design variables, including conical length, baffle pitch, and inclination. Group B introduced fined paths based on the optimal configuration from Group A, while Group C further refined these designs with multi-staged helically baffled paths. The optimized design achieved a peak outlet temperature of 301.97 K and a minimal pressure drop of 145.835 Pa at a water flow rate of 2 L/min. These results demonstrate the potential of helically baffled conical cavity receivers to significantly improve the thermal efficiency of solar dish concentrators, offering a novel contribution to the field of solar thermal energy systems.