Digital design and 3D printing of innovative SiC architectures for high temperature volumetric solar receivers

In order to demonstrate that digital material engineering methodology is able address the design and optimisation of architectured ceramic materials, solar volumetric receivers employed in Solar Thermal Power Plants (STPP) have been studied. A approach for obtaining new receivers, at macroscopic structural scale, proposed. This couples virtual structure generation, ray tracing thermal simulations scale base components (microscopic scale). Then, a recently developed process manufacturing silicon carbide (SiC) parts by binder jetting used elaborate three optimised structures which are tested on-sun high temperature concentrator reproducing STPP operation conditions. The results obtained with these structures, having original shapes, promising: average experimental outlet air reaches maximum 1133 K, energy yields can reach 0.49 despite heat losses, all SiC made based on 3D printing, withstood temperatures reached, up 1500 K. Comparison between shows presented this paper paves way approach.