Fabrication of Solar Absorber Tube with Internal Fin Structure with IN718 and Effect of Boron with IN718 for Solar Absorber Tube Using Selective Laser Melting 3D Printing Technology

This research aimed to fabricate Solar Absorber Tubes for Solar-Thermal Power Plant with internal fin structures using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. In this study, we investigated the effect of B with IN718 in 3D printing using SLM for solar absorber tubes. The objective was to study the material-process-properties relationship with goal to identify and validate the optimal parameters for the SLM process. Material selected for this study was IN718 with 0.5% and 1% B particle mixed using a V-shape mixing machine. The flowability test was conducted using the Angle of Repose (AOR) method. 3D printed samples were fabricated with mixed powder under different energy densities using different parameter settings. The microstructure of these 3D printed samples was observed using an Optical Microscope. The goal of this study included mixing different percentages of B with In718, fabrication of 3D printed sample and optimizing its process parameters to observe the surface morphology, optical properties, and microstructure to investigate the effect of B with IN718 for the solar absorber tube