Thermal Investigation and Optimized Design of a Novel Solar Self-Driven Thermomechanical Actuator

Ibrahim Sufian Osman and Nasir Ghazi Hariri
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Ibrahim Sufian Osman: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Nasir Ghazi Hariri: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: As the world moves toward cleaner and greener sources of energy, the use of solar energy appeals the most for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, since they have an abundant amount of solar radiation throughout the year. This paper offers a novel design for a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator that uses solar energy to trigger thermomechanical behavior. Additionally, the proposed design of the thermomechanical actuator aims to be a piston-based linear actuator covered by a solar heat collector (SHC). Furthermore, the thermal behavior of the actuator has been studied in detail using a simulation-based study under the real-time weather conditions of Dammam city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The thermal study proves that the optimized design of the thermomechanical actuator has achieved a minimum daily temperature variation of 10 °C, which enables the SMA-based thermomechanical actuator to operate in a daily manner throughout the year. Moreover, the presented numerical results show that the proposed thermomechanical actuator requires a twice-maintenance routine yearly. Additionally, it has been observed that the SHC, which is the central part of the designed thermomechanical actuator, can increase the temperature inside the actuator by about 15 °C more than ambient temperature. The proposed study adds to the body of knowledge a design for a passive, solar-driven, and self-actuating smart thermomechanical SMA actuator that is capable of integration with various solar applications, such as the cleaning and tracking of photovoltaic systems.

Keywords: actuator; solar-driven; piston-based; shape memory alloy; SMA; solar energy; thermomechanical (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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