ABSTRACT:
"This document investigates convective losses from solar receivers. The receiver of the 10 MWe solar-thermal electric plant being I built in Barstow, California is a large external cylindrical receiver which is depicted in Fig. l. The determination of the convective energy loss from this receiver is the subject of the investigation which is summarized in this report. Due to the complexity of this three dimensional, turbulent, buoyancy and wind driven flow, an experimental program was initiated. Since large or full scale tests are expensive, and since it is difficult to accurately effect an energy balance on such large, high temperature objects, a small scale, controlled laboratory investigation was under taken."