CMI and Abengoa develop solar receivers for the generation of superheated steam

CMI (Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie) and Abengoa have developed a full design «ready for construction» for receivers to equip solar power tower plants of 50 MW or more.

The receiver takes into account the accumulated experiences of Abengoa’s PS10 and PS20, the first and second commercial solar power towers worldwide, successfully operating since 2007 and 2009 respectively. Both tower plants produce saturated steam, injected in a steam turbine. The essential improvement of the new design is the integration of a specific receiver, dedicated to superheat the steam, up to temperatures of 530°C at a pressure of 120 bar. The receiver design has been patented.

This joint development of CMI and Abengoa allows for an optimized match of tower cavities and solar receivers and takes into account the typical conditions and requirement of a CSP-plant, such as fluctuating solar exposure, daily cycling, and a fast start up.

This development opens the way for solar power tower plants with an enhanced efficiency, decreasing plant capital cost per megawatt installed. Abengoa and CMI, encouraged by this joint development, will continue their common effort to improve receiver designs, for efficient, reliable and cost effective solar power generation.