Steam-circuit Model for the Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector Prototype

The Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) is a linear-concentrating solar thermal energy system currently in the prototype stage at the Liddell power station in the Hunter Valley, NSW. A system-level thermo-fluidic model for the CLFR has been developed in order to predict steady-state operating conditions, required pumping power and pressure, mass transfer around the system and likely startup, shutdown and cloud transient effects. Flow regimes within the absorber at different irradiance level are found. The interaction of the absorber pressure, irradiance and pump speed is discussed. A simple model for steady-state system pressure is presented, built around an assumed controller that maintains the absorber steam exit quality as 80%. Finally, a more complex steady-state model, in which the total mass of fluid in the system is used to drive fluctuations in system pressure, is presented.