NREL’s High Flux Solar Furnace

The power generated at NREL’s High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) can be used to expose, test, and evaluate many components—such as receivers, collectors, and reflector materials—used in concentrating solar power systems.

The 10-kilowatt HFSF consists of a tracking heliostat and 25 hexagonal mirrors to concentrate solar radiation. The solar furnace can nominally provide flux at 2,500 suns, but, when required, can use specialized secondary optics to generate significantly higher concentrations (greater than 20,000 suns). Flux levels and distributions can also be tailored to the needs of a particular research activity.

The operational characteristics and size of the facility make it ideal for testing over a wide range of technologies with a diverse set of experimental requirements. The high heating rates make the HFSF an ideal tool for testing high-temperature materials, coatings on metals and ceramics, and other materials-related applications. Perhaps the most exciting use of the facility is to provide a platform for testing prototype advanced converters and chemical reactors for solar electric and solar chemistry applications. Researchers can also use the HFSF to evaluate and develop state-of-the-art measurement systems for the extreme solar environment.

The HFSF test building comes equipped with:

• Computers and data acquisition tools
• Video monitors of the outside equipment
• Sophisticated instruments to monitor solar radiation and other atmospheric data
• Automated devices that enable researchers to control the heliostat, primary concentrator, focal point, and the power of the concentrated sunlight.