Description and Characterization of a 114-kWe High-Flux Solar Simulator

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunzhou Chu ◽  
Fengwu Bai ◽  
Fuliang Nie ◽  
Zhifeng Wang

Abstract A high-flux solar simulator is essential for evaluating solar thermal components under controlled and adjustable flux input conditions. This study presents a newly built high-flux solar simulator composed of 19 individual units. Each unit includes a xenon short-arc lamp (each consuming up to 6 kW electricity power) coupled with a truncated ellipsoidal reflector, a cooling blower, and a power module. The power module yields a current in the range of 50–160 A. The number of lamps in use is flexible, which allows for a wide range of radiation flux (10%–100%) on the focal plane. The radiation power, peak value, flux distribution on the circular target plane, and conversion efficiency are evaluated based on a flux mapping method. The results indicate that the proposed solar simulator is capable of achieving thermal power of 23.3 kW, peak flux in excess of 1.78 MW/m2, a stagnation temperature exceeding 2360 °C, and average irradiance of 773.4 kW/m2 on the focal plane (diameter of 260 mm). The electro-thermal conversion efficiency of the simulator is 35.7%. A ray-tracing method was employed, and the simulation results were found to be in good agreement with those in the experiments. An experimental test of a volumetric ceramic receiver was conducted, and the results indicate the availability and applicability of the high-flux solar simulator when carrying out studies about solar receivers.

Author(s):  
Katherine R. Krueger ◽  
Jane H. Davidson ◽  
Wojciech Lipin´ski

In this paper, we present a systematic procedure to design a solar simulator for high-temperature concentrated solar thermal and thermo-chemical research. The 45 kWe simulator consists of seven identical radiation units of common focus, each comprised of a 6.5 kWe xenon arc lamp close-coupled to a precision reflector in the shape of a truncated ellipsoid. The size and shape of each reflector is optimized by a Monte Carlo ray tracing analysis to achieve multiple design objectives, including high transfer efficiency of radiation from the lamps to the common focal plane and desired flux distribution. Based on the numerical results, the final optimized design will deliver 7.5 kW over a 6-cm diameter circular disc located in the focal plane, with a peak flux approaching 3.7 MW/m2.


Author(s):  
Katherine R. Krueger ◽  
Wojciech Lipiński ◽  
Jane H. Davidson

This paper presents measured performance of the University of Minnesota’s 45 kWe indoor high-flux solar simulator. The simulator consists of seven radiation units, each comprised of a 6.5 kWe xenon short arc lamp coupled to a reflector in the shape of a truncated ellipsoid of revolution. Data include flux distribution at the focal plane for all seven radiation units operating in tandem and for individual radiation units. The flux distribution is measured optically by acquiring the image of radiation reflected from a Lambertian target with a CCD camera equipped with neutral density optical filters. The CCD camera output is calibrated to irradiation using a circular foil heat flux gage. It is shown that accurate calibration of the heat flux gage must account for its response to the spectral characteristics of the radiation source. The simulator delivers radiative power of approximately 9.2 kW over a 60-mm diameter circular area located in the focal plane, corresponding to an average flux of 3.2 MW m−2, with a peak flux of 7.3 MW m−2.


2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine R. Krueger ◽  
Wojciech Lipiński ◽  
Jane H. Davidson

The University of Minnesota's high flux simulator delivers radiative power of approximately 9.2 kW over a Ø60 mm circular area located in the focal plane, corresponding to an average flux of 3200 kW m−2, with a peak flux of 7300 kW m−2.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Krueger ◽  
J. H. Davidson ◽  
W. Lipiński

In this paper, we present a systematic procedure to design a solar simulator for high-temperature concentrated solar thermal and thermochemical research. The 45 kWe simulator consists of seven identical radiation units of common focus, each comprised of a 6.5 kWe xenon arc lamp close-coupled to a precision reflector in the shape of a truncated ellipsoid. The size and shape of each reflector is optimized by a Monte Carlo ray tracing analysis to achieve multiple design objectives, including high transfer efficiency of radiation from the lamps to the common focal plane and desired flux distribution. Based on the numerical results, the final optimized design will deliver 7.5 kW over a 6 cm diameter circular disk located in the focal plane, with a peak flux approaching 3.7 MW/m2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Abuseada ◽  
Nesrin Ozalp

Abstract The numerical characterization of a 10 kWe xenon arc high flux solar simulator is thoroughly presented and performed using two approaches: a forward Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT) method and an inverse ray tracing method. Experimental characterization was previously performed for the solar simulator using an indirect flux mapping technique, where the experimental heat flux distribution was obtained at the focal plane and additional 12 planes away from the simulator. For the first numerical characterization method, an in-house MCRT code was used to determine the shape of the xenon arc to best model the simulator. It was determined that an isotropic volumetric source consisting of a hemisphere of 1 mm radius that is attached to a cylinder of 1 mm in radius and 10 mm in length well described the experimental results obtained. The in-house code was then used to generate heat flux maps similar to that obtained experimentally and determine the intensity at the focal plane to be used by the inverse ray tracing method presented for its validation. For the inverse method, intensity interpolation schemes of zeroth and first-order were examined in addition to different solution strategies. It is shown that a first-order interpolation scheme unnecessary complicates the inverse problem, leading to larger errors. In addition, a new approach of constraining the formulated system of equations with an equality constraint that works by eliminating intensity values not tracing back to the ellipsoidal reflector is proposed. This new approach provided intensity values with reduced percentage errors.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1267
Author(s):  
David Längauer ◽  
Vladimír Čablík ◽  
Slavomír Hredzák ◽  
Anton Zubrik ◽  
Marek Matik ◽  
...  

Large amounts of coal combustion products (as solid products of thermal power plants) with different chemical and physical properties cause serious environmental problems. Even though coal fly ash is a coal combustion product, it has a wide range of applications (e.g., in construction, metallurgy, chemical production, reclamation etc.). One of its potential uses is in zeolitization to obtain a higher added value of the product. The aim of this paper is to produce a material with sufficient textural properties used, for example, for environmental purposes (an adsorbent) and/or storage material. In practice, the coal fly ash (No. 1 and No. 2) from Czech power plants was firstly characterized in detail (X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), particle size measurement, and textural analysis), and then it was hydrothermally treated to synthetize zeolites. Different concentrations of NaOH, LiCl, Al2O3, and aqueous glass; different temperature effects (90–120 °C); and different process lengths (6–48 h) were studied. Furthermore, most of the experiments were supplemented with a crystallization phase that was run for 16 h at 50 °C. After qualitative product analysis (SEM-EDX, XRD, and textural analytics), quantitative XRD evaluation with an internal standard was used for zeolitization process evaluation. Sodalite (SOD), phillipsite (PHI), chabazite (CHA), faujasite-Na (FAU-Na), and faujasite-Ca (FAU-Ca) were obtained as the zeolite phases. The content of these zeolite phases ranged from 2.09 to 43.79%. The best conditions for the zeolite phase formation were as follows: 4 M NaOH, 4 mL 10% LiCl, liquid/solid ratio of 30:1, silica/alumina ratio change from 2:1 to 1:1, temperature of 120 °C, process time of 24 h, and a crystallization phase for 16 h at 50 °C.


1995 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Burkhard Beckhoff ◽  
Birgit Kanngießer

X-ray focusing based on Bragg reflection at curved crystals allows collection of a large solid angle of incident radiation, monochromatization of this radiation, and condensation of the beam reflected at the crystal into a small spatial cross-section in a pre-selected focal plane. Thus, for the Bragg reflected radiation, one can achieve higher intensities than for the radiation passing directly to the same small area in the focal plane. In that case one can profit considerably from X-ray focusing in an EDXRF arrangement. The 00 2 reflection at Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) crystals offers a very high intensity of the Bragg reflected beam for a wide range of photon energies. Furthermore, curvature radii smaller than 10 mm can be achieved for HOPG crystals ensuring efficient X-ray focusing in EDXRF applications. For the trace analysis of very small amounts of specimen material deposited on small areas of thin-filter backings, HOPG based X-ray focusing may be used to achieve a very high intensity of monochromatic excitation radiation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 397-400 ◽  
pp. 451-456
Author(s):  
Qing Chao Yang ◽  
Li Hua Yang ◽  
Yan Ping Chen ◽  
Hao Kai Lai

According to the characteristics of the quasi zero stiffness (QZS) system, a dynamics approximation model is established. The effect of excitation force amplitude, frequency and stiffness on the dynamic characteristics of the system is studied by continuation algorithm. The global bifurcation diagram with a wide range of parameters is achieved by using Poincaré mapping method. Results show that when the exciting force amplitude increases to a certain extent, the system will come into multi-cycle and chaos motion state. When exciting force frequency is lower, the system dynamic behavior is complicated, which is helpful for the engineering optimization design.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Lin ◽  
Xu Wei ◽  
Xie Fei

Abstract For over 60 years, research reactors have provided the world with a versatile tool to test materials and promote irradiation research, as well as to produce radioisotopes for medical treatments. The High Flux Reactor (HFR), as a water moderated and cooled, beryllium-reflected reactor has awarded more attention in recent years. There is a wide range of designs and applications for HFRs that based on their own situation to meet research requirements. For the purpose of reducing the volume and mass of the reactor, as well as ensuring the safety operation, it is necessary to determine the most effective reactivity control scheme, and analyze the corresponding reactivity insertion accidents. This paper is going to investigate typical high flux reactors within the same type with HFETR, summarize general description and characteristics, the uses of the high flux reactor, and reactivity control mechanisms. In addition, the associated reactivity insertion accidents were presented and analyzed. The analysis result will provide some references to further design and construction of high flux reactor.


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