Tunable high-flux solar simulator with enhanced uniformity for concentrated solar energy applications

Zhenyu Tian, Jiahui Lou, Lingzhi Yang, Yu Shao, Yunyun Wu, Xiao Li and Yong Hao

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 369, issue C, No S0306261924005816

Abstract: High-flux solar simulator (HFSS) represents a vital category of controllable platforms designed to provide artificial solar radiation for reproducible studies on concentrated solar energy utilization. To simulate the performance of outdoor solar concentrators, two key metrics, namely, the range and uniformity of the deliverable energy flux, are critical for assessing the potential of HFSS for diverse solar applications. In this study, a 70-kWe HFSS is constructed to meet these requirements. The HFSS consists of seven high-performance and high-precision focusing radiation modules. In addition, by improving installation precision using the building-block method, a peak energy flux of 27.3 MW·m−2 is achieved. Moreover, an average energy flux of 9.4 MW·m−2 is obtained within a heat collection diameter of 50 mm, marking the highest reported value for HFSS with the same collection diameter to date. At the focal plane of the HFSS, the total deliverable energy flux is up to 26.7 kW, corresponding to a power-to-light efficiency of 40.11% (based on the 66% power-to-light efficiency of a xenon lamp). Notably, the energy-flux uniformity of heat collection area at the focal plane reaches 29.8%, which significantly surpasses the levels reported for conventional HFSS (approximately 10%). This improvement broadens the applicability of the HFSS and effectively mitigates hot spots and thermal stresses in the solar thermal collection process. Furthermore, a record-breaking maximum heat collection temperature of 3534 °C and a peak heating rate of 2097 °C·s−1 are also achieved. The application potential of the HFSS in solar thermochemical fuel production, melting of refractory materials, and thermal protection under high heat flux is also discussed.

Keywords: High-flux solar simulator; Active defocus strategy; Heat collection temperature; Material processing; Thermal protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123198

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