Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

The facility is an advanced testing and analysis center for concentrated solar power technology, enabling a variety of research activities. Specifically, it can test high-temperature thermochemical cycles, such as those for solar hydrogen production, characterize the behavior of materials subjected to high luminous flux and high temperatures, such as components and systems for CPV plants, and verify the operation and effectiveness of high-temperature energy storage systems.

Description

The solar furnace consists of a 120m2 heliostat with flat mirrors that reflect the sun's rays always in the same direction (North-South) towards an array of fixed concave and hexagonal mirrors that concentrate the radiation in a point where a secondary concentration system and finally a solar receiver are located. The system can concentrate a thermal power of about 35kW on an area with a diameter of less than 30cm, reaching concentration levels of the order of 2000 suns. Inside the receiver, a flow of air is heated to a temperature of about 850°C, which is used inside a thermal circuit. The system is currently used to test high-temperature thermal energy storage systems, but work is underway to enable the production of hydrogen through the steam reforming process of biogas powered by solar sources.

Research group involved