A Novel Lens-Walled Compound Parabolic Concentrator for Photovoltaic Applications

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuehong Su ◽  
Gang Pei ◽  
Saffa B. Riffat ◽  
Hulin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Concentrate Solar Radiation ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Photovoltaic Applications ◽  
The Common

A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is a nonimaging concentrator that can concentrate solar radiation coming within its acceptance angle. A low concentration CPC photovoltaic system has the advantages of reduced Photovoltaics (PVs) cell size, increased efficiency and stationary operation. The acceptance angle of a CPC is associated with its geometrical concentration ratio, by which the size of PV cell could be reduced. Truncation is a way to increase the actual acceptance angle of a mirror CPC, but it also reduces the geometrical concentration ratio. On the other hand, a solid dielectric CPC can have a much larger acceptance angle, but it has a larger weight. To overcome these drawbacks, this study presents a novel lens-walled CPC that has a thin lens attached to the inside of a common mirror CPC or has the lens to be mirror coated on its outside surface. The shape of the lens is formed by rotating the parabolic curves of a CPC by a small degree internally around the top end points of the curves. The refraction of the lens allows the lens-walled CPC to concentrate light from wider incidence angle. The commercial optical analysis software PHOTOPIA is used to verify the principle of the presented lens-walled CPC and examine its optical performance against the common CPCs. As an example, the simulation is aimed to evaluate whether a lens-walled CPC with a geometrical concentration ratio of 4 has any advantage over a common CPC with a geometrical concentration ratio of 2.5 in terms of actual acceptance angle, optical efficiency and optical concentration ratio.

scholarly journals A New Approach for Design Optimization and Parametric Analysis of Symmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrator for Photovoltaic Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4606
Author(s):  
Faisal Masood ◽  
Perumal Nallagownden ◽  
Irraivan Elamvazuthi ◽  
Javed Akhter ◽  
Mohammad Azad Alam
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Analysis ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Geometric Optimization ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Imaging Device ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Photovoltaic Applications ◽  
Half Angle ◽  
The Impact

A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is a non-imaging device generally used in PV, thermal, or PV/thermal hybrid systems for the concentration of solar radiation on the target surface. This paper presents the geometric design, statistical modeling, parametric analysis, and geometric optimization of a two-dimensional low concentration symmetric compound parabolic concentrator for potential use in building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaic applications. The CPC was initially designed for a concentration ratio of “2×” and an acceptance half-angle of 30°. A MATLAB code was developed in house to provoke the CPC reflector’s profile. The height, aperture width, and concentration ratios were computed for different acceptance half-angles and receiver widths. The interdependence of optical concentration ratio and acceptance half-angle was demonstrated for a wide span of acceptance half-angles. The impact of the truncation ratio on the geometric parameters was investigated to identify the optimum truncation position. The profile of truncated CPC for different truncation positions was compared with full CPC. A detailed statistical analysis was performed to analyze the synergistic effects of independent design parameters on the responses using the response surface modeling approach. A set of optimized design parameters was obtained by establishing specified optimization criteria. A 50% truncated CPC with an acceptance half-angle of 21.58° and receiver width of 193.98 mm resulted in optimum geometric dimensions.

scholarly journals Design and Fabrication of Absorptive/Reflective Crossed CPC PV/T System

Designs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Muhsin Aykapadathu ◽  
Mehdi Nazarinia ◽  
Nazmi Sellami
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Control ◽  
Solar Concentrator ◽  
Cnc Milling ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Building Integrated Photovoltaic ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Experimental Rig ◽  
T System

A crossed compound parabolic concentrator (CCPC) is a non-imaging concentrator which is a modified form of a circular 3D compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) obtained by orthogonal intersection of two 2D CPCs that have an optical efficiency in line with that of 3D CPC. The present work is about the design and fabrication of a new generation of solar concentrator: the hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/thermal absorptive/reflective CCPC module. The module has a 4× CCPC structure truncated to have a concentration of 3.6× with a half acceptance angle of 30°. Furthermore, an experimental rig was also fabricated to test the performance of the module and its feasibility in real applications such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV). 3D printing and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling technologies were utilized to manufacture the absorber and reflective parts of the module.

scholarly journals Experimental Comparison between Spherical and Refractive Optics in a Concentrating Photovoltaic System

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4603
Author(s):  
Carlo Renno
Keyword(s):  
Physical Phenomenon ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Fresnel Lens ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Spherical Mirror ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Solar Tracking

Since there are not standard configurations of the Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) systems, several types of optics are designed and analyzed. In this paper, the optical performances of a spherical mirror and a commonly used Fresnel lens of the same diameter are compared, highlighting their impact on the CPV system energy performance. First, the absolute and percentual variation trends of optical concentration factor and optical efficiency as function of the distance between each optical system and receiver are analyzed. The concentration levels obtained by means of the spherical mirror are much higher than the Fresnel lens, with maximum values of optical efficiency equal to 72.8% and 24.1%, respectively. The analysis of the concentration reduction due to a solar-tracking failure has also allowed the estimation of the acceptance angle, thus observing that the spherical mirror requires a less accurate solar tracker with respect to the Fresnel lens, especially if a secondary optics is adopted. As for the energy comparison, the spherical mirror allows increase of the Triple-Junction (TJ) cell temperature up to about 65 °C higher than the environmental temperature and to reach an electrical power of about 15 W in correspondence of a concentrated solar radiation of 470 kW/m2. Finally, the deviation between the cumulative electric energy produced by the TJ cell in the cases of correct and incorrect solar tracking and for the configurations with and without secondary optics has been also evaluated for both the optics. The equations experimentally obtained in this paper represent a more accurate tool to describe the physical phenomenon in comparison with the equations theoretically obtained for similar CPV systems. The results can be used to design a real CPV system that adopts a Fresnel lens or a spherical mirror. The equations experimentally obtained in this paper represent a more accurate tool to describe the physical phenomenon in comparison with the equations theoretically obtained for similar CPV systems. The results can be used to design a real CPV system that adopts a Fresnel lens or a spherical mirror.

An Outdoor Experiment of a Lens-Walled Compound Parabolic Concentrator Photovoltaic Module on a Sunny Day in Nottingham

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiqiang Li ◽  
Yuehong Su ◽  
Gang Pei ◽  
Hang Zhou ◽  
Xu Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Good Choice ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Photovoltaic Module ◽  
Solar Concentrator ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Outdoor Experiment ◽  
East West

A lens-walled compound parabolic concentrator (lens-walled CPC) has a larger half acceptance angle than a mirror CPC for the same geometrical concentration ratio of 2.5X, so it would be more suitable for the building-integrated application as a stationary solar concentrator. Based on our previous work, an outdoor experimental study of a sample trough lens-walled CPC PV module under sunny condition in Nottingham is described. The experimental results provide the verification of actual larger half acceptance angle obtained by the lens-walled CPC in comparison with a mirror CPC of the same size. Along with the analysis of the projected incidence angles, the experimental results also indicate that the lens-walled CPC of 2.5X orientated east–west may be a good choice for high latitude area as a stationary solar concentrator to give a satisfactory whole year performance.

scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of Polygonal Trough Solar Concentrator

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-16
Author(s):  
Yasser Yassin Khudair ◽  
Alaa Badr Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Angle Of Incidence ◽  
Solar Concentrator ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Cylindrical Mirror ◽  
Design For All ◽  
Reflecting Surfaces ◽  
Reflecting Surface ◽  
To Receive

     In this paper, a solar concentrator is designed in the form of a concave half-cylindrical mirror consisting of polygonal reflective surface plates. The plates are arranged to give a hemispherical shape to the design. These surfaces work to receive solar radiation and focusing by reflecting it to the receiver that is placed in front of the reflecting surfaces. The results are compared with a system consisting of a concave reflecting surface of the same dimensions to obtain a good criterion for evaluating the design performance. The results showed a low acceptance angle for the design for all the samples used due to the geometrical design nature. The optical efficiency affected by the angle of incidence greatly by all the samples used, which differ in the concentration ratio, width and location of the receiver.

scholarly journals Characterization of Core-Shell Spherical Lens for Microtracking Concentrator Photovoltaic System

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 3517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masakazu Nakatani ◽  
Noboru Yamada
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Optical Characteristics ◽  
Core Shell ◽  
Spherical Lens ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Module Efficiency ◽  
Outdoor Experiments

The optical characteristics of a radially symmetrical core-shell spherical (CSSP) lens is analyzed for its suitability to application in microtracking concentrator photovoltaic systems (MTCPVs). The CSSP lens is compared to a conventional homogenous spherical lens through both ray-tracing simulations and outdoor experiments. Simulation results show that the CSSP lens is superior to the conventional homogenous spherical lens in terms of its optical efficiency for long focal lengths, for which the CSSP lens exhibits less spherical and chromatic aberrations. Outdoor experiments are conducted using test concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules with prototype CSSP and homogenous spherical lenses; the trend of the measured short circuit current agrees with the that of the simulated optical efficiency for both lenses. Furthermore, compared to the homogenous lens, the CSSP lens significantly increases module efficiency because of its better illumination uniformity at the solar cell surface. The optical characteristics of the CSSP lens are preferable for MTCPVs with a spherical lens array to achieve a higher module efficiency for a wider incidence angle although further studies on more practical system configurations are needed.

scholarly journals Theoretical and Experimental Optical Evaluation and Comparison of Symmetric 2D CPC and V-Trough Collector for Photovoltaic Applications

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damasen Ikwaba Paul
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Photovoltaic Applications ◽  
Ray Trace ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Solar Energy Flux ◽  
Isolated Cell ◽  
Outdoor Experiments

This paper presents theoretical and experimental optical evaluation and comparison of symmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) and V-trough collector. For direct optical properties comparison, both concentrators were deliberately designed to have the same geometrical concentration ratio (1.96), aperture area, absorber area, and maximum concentrator length. The theoretical optical evaluation of the CPC and V-trough collector was carried out using a ray-trace technique while the experimental optical efficiency and solar energy flux distributions were analysed using an isolated cell PV module method. Results by simulation analysis showed that for the CPC, the highest optical efficiency was 95% achieved in the interval range of 0° to ±20° whereas the highest outdoor experimental optical efficiency was 94% in the interval range of 0° to ±20°. For the V-tough collector, the highest optical efficiency for simulation and outdoor experiments was about 96% and 93%, respectively, both in the interval range of 0° to ±5°. Simulation results also showed that the CPC and V-trough exhibit higher variation in non-illumination intensity distributions over the PV module surface for larger incidence angles than lower incidence angles. On the other hand, the maximum power output for the cells with concentrators varied depending on the location of the cell in the PV module.

The Effect of Concentrated Light Intensity on Temperature Coefficient of the InGaP/InGaAs/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cell

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zilong Wang ◽  
Hua Zhang ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
Zhigang Zhou ◽  
Mengxun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Light Intensity ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Temperature Coefficient ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Junction Solar Cell

Research on automatic tracking solar concentrator photovoltaic systems has gained increasing attention in developing the solar PV technology. A paraboloidal concentrator with secondary optic is developed for a three-junction GaInP/GalnAs/Ge solar cell. The concentration ratio of this system is 200 and the photovoltaic cell is cooled by the heat pipe. A detailed analysis on the temperature coefficient influence factors of triple-junction solar cell under different high concentrations (75X, 100X, 125X, 150X, 175X and 200X) has been conducted based on the dish-style concentration photovoltaic system. The results show that under high concentrated light intensity, the temperature coefficient of Voc of triple-junction solar cell is increasing as the concentration ratio increases, from -10.84 mV/°C @ 75X growth to -4.73mV/°C @ 200X. At low concentration, the temperature coefficient of Voc increases rapidly, and then increases slowly as the concentration ratio increases. The temperature dependence of η increased from -0.346%/°C @ 75X growth to - 0.103%/°C @ 200X and the temperature dependence of Pmm and FF increased from -0.125 W/°C, -0.35%/°C @ 75X growth to -0.048W/°C, -0.076%/°C @ 200X respectively. It indicated that the temperature coefficient of three-junction GaInP/GalnAs/Ge solar cell is better than that of crystalline silicon cell array under concentrating light intensity.

A New Troughlike Nonimaging Solar Concentrator

2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo A. Rinco´n ◽  
Fidel A. Osorio
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Glass Tube ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Solar Concentrator ◽  
Steam Generation ◽  
Acceptance Angle ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Optimal Shapes ◽  
Heating Steam ◽  
East West

A new two-dimensional concentrator for solar energy collection has been developed. The concentrator has the following advantages, when compared with the classic Compound Parabolic Concentrators invented by Roland Winston, W. T. Welford, A. Rabl, Baranov, and other researchers: 1) It allows the use of parabolic mirrors, which have a reflecting area much smaller for a given concentration ratio and acceptance angle. 2) Between the mirror and the absorber, there is a large gap so that conduction losses are reduced. Convection losses can be reduced, too, if the absorber is enclosed within a glass tube. 3) It can be easily manufactured. Instead of seeking the shape of the mirrors for a given shape of the absorber, we have made the inverse statement of the problem, and we have obtained the optimal shapes of the absorbers with a prescribed acceptance angle, for parabolic mirrors, assuming that the intercept factor is unity, the mirrors are perfect, and the absorber surfaces are convex. The concentrator should be east-west oriented, and could be seasonal or monthly tilt adjusted. This concentrator could have many practical applications, such as fluid heating, steam generation, etc.

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