The development of materials capable to work under increasingly extreme conditions requires not only higher processing temperatures but also tight control of temperature uniformity. Aiming at developing an indirect heating receiver design to be integrated in novel concentrated solar furnace for the thermal processing of materials under controlled heating and homogeneous temperature, graphite disc heat receiver systems with varying thickness, geometry and height from the sample holder at the bottom were tested in two types of gas environments, namely dynamic vacuum and under Ar gas flow. Results acquired were quite encouraging demonstrating feasibility of realizing temperature gradient within circa 50 degrees C along the height beneath the top graphite disc and the bottom sample holder. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.