Particle residence time distributions in a vortex-based solar particle receiver-reactor: The influence of receiver tilt angle

Abstract

We present the first experimental assessment of the influence of receiver tilt angle on the particle residence time distribution (RTD) of a two-phase solar particle receiver. The tracer pulse response method is used to measure the particle RTD within a laboratory-scale vortex-based solar particle receiver, with the particle phase itself used as the tracer. The experimental parameters of particle size, transporting gas inlet velocity and a range of receiver tilt angles – spanning 180° from vertically upward to downward facing – were systematically varied to determine the influence of key controlling parameters on the particle RTD within the receiver. It was found that the Stokes number of the..