Experimental Study to Characterize the Performance of Combined Photovoltaic/Thermal Air Collectors

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Delisle ◽  
Michaël Kummert
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Back Surface ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Cell Temperature ◽  
Average Temperature

Combined photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors show great potential for reaching the objective of net-zero energy consumption in buildings, but the number of products on the market is still very limited. One of the reasons for the slow market uptake of PV/T collectors is the absence of standardized methods to characterize their performance. Performance characterization is a challenge for PV/T collectors because of the interaction between the thermal and electrical yield. This study addresses this particular issue for PV/T air collectors used in either closed-loop or open-loop configurations. In particular, it presents the potential of the equivalent cell temperature method to determine the temperature of the PV cells in a PV/T air collector and validates models to predict the thermal performance and cell temperature for this particular type of solar collector. Indoor and outdoor experimental tests were performed on two c-Si unglazed PV/T modules. The indoor part of this procedure provided the thermal diode voltage factor and the open-circuit voltage temperature coefficient, two parameters that are essential in the calculation of the equivalent cell temperature. The outdoor procedure consisted of acquiring simultaneous electrical and thermal measurements at various inlet temperatures and flowrates. For the collector used in a closed-loop configuration, thermal efficiency models using the fluid inlet, outlet, or average temperature in the calculation of the reduced temperature provided similar results. For an open-loop configuration, a thermal efficiency model as a function of the fluid outlet flowrate was found to be more appropriate. Using selection of variable methods, it was found that a multiple linear regression model using the fluid inlet temperature, the irradiance, and the fluid outlet temperature as predictive variables could be used to estimate both the PV module back surface average temperature and the equivalent cell temperature. When using the PV temperature predicted by these models in the electrical efficiency model, both PV temperatures showed similar performance. In collectors where the PV back surface temperature is not accessible for temperature sensors mounting, the equivalent cell temperature provides a valuable alternative to be used as the PV temperature. The PV/T collector thermal and electrical performance in either closed-loop or open-loop configurations was found to be encapsulated with a series of five-plots.

Thermal Aspects of Using Uranium Mononitride Fuel in a SuperCritical Water-Cooled Reactor at Maximum Heat Flux Conditions

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Milner ◽  
Caleb Pascoe ◽  
Hemal Patel ◽  
Wargha Peiman ◽  
Graham Richards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Supercritical Water ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Maximum Heat ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Maximum Heat Flux ◽  
Centerline Temperature ◽  
Uranium Mononitride

Generation IV nuclear reactor technology is increasing in popularity worldwide. One of the six Generation-IV-reactor types are SuperCritical Water-cooled Reactors (SCWRs). The main objective of SCWRs is to increase substantially thermal efficiency of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and thus, to reduce electricity costs. This reactor type is developed from concepts of both Light Water Reactors (LWRs) and supercritical fossil-fired steam generators. The SCWR is similar to a LWR, but operates at a higher pressure and temperature. The coolant used in a SCWR is light water, which has supercritical pressures and temperatures during operation. Typical light water operating parameters for SCWRs are a pressure of 25 MPa, an inlet temperature of 280–350°C, and an outlet temperature up to 625°C. Currently, NPPs have thermal efficiency about of 30–35%, whereas SCW NPPs will operate with thermal efficiencies of 45–50%. Furthermore, since SCWRs have significantly higher water parameters than current water-cooled reactors, they are able to support co-generation of hydrogen. Studies conducted on fuel-channel options for SCWRs have shown that using uranium dioxide (UO2) as a fuel at supercritical-water conditions might be questionable. The industry accepted limit for the fuel centerline temperature is 1850°C and using UO2 would exceed this limit at certain conditions. Because of this problem, there have been other fuel options considered with a higher thermal conductivity. A generic 43-element bundle for an SCWR, using uranium mononitride (UN) as the fuel, is discussed in this paper. The material for the sheath is Inconel-600, because it has a high resistance to corrosion and can adhere to the maximum sheath-temperature design limit of 850°C. For the purpose of this paper, the bundle will be analyzed at its maximum heat flux. This will verify if the fuel centerline temperature does not exceed 1850°C and that the sheath temperature remains below the limit of 850°C.

scholarly journals Sensitive Analysis for the Efficiency of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Based on Orthogonal Experiment

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Liu ◽  
Jing Huang ◽  
Qianjun Mao
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Solar Collector ◽  
Orthogonal Experiment ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Pipe Length ◽  
Climate Region ◽  
Parabolic Trough Solar Collector

A multitude of the researches focus on the factors of the thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough solar collector, that is, the optical-thermal efficiency. However, it is limited to a single or double factors for available system. The aim of this paper is to investigate the multifactors effect on the system’s efficiency in cold climate region. Taking climatic performance into account, an average outlet temperature of LS-2 collector has been simulated successfully by coupling SolTrace software with CFD software. Effects of different factors on instantaneous efficiency have been determined by orthogonal experiment and single factor experiment. After that, the influence degree of different factors on the collector instantaneous efficiency is obtained clearly. The results show that the order of effect extent for average maximal deviation of each factor is inlet temperature, solar radiation intensity, diameter, flow rate, condensation area, pipe length, and ambient temperature. The encouraging results will provide a reference for the exploitation and utilization of parabolic trough solar collector in cold climate region.

Disappearing Thermo-Economic Sanity in Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Ratings: A Critique

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Can Gülen
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Product Line ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Turbine Inlet ◽  
Steam Turbine Condenser

Abstract There is very little doubt that there has been a noticeable advance in heavy-duty industrial gas turbine technology for utility scale electric power generation in the last decade. In keeping with the first six decades of the technology (roughly 1950 through 2010), the main drivers in increasing thermal efficiency and megawatt ratings have been increasing turbine inlet temperature and airflow. In accordance with the basic thermodynamic principles governing the underlying Brayton cycle, compressor pressure ratio kept pace with them. It is hard to quibble about the 40+ percent in rated thermal efficiency in simple cycle. If projected turbine inlet temperatures and cycle pressure ratios can be sustained in the field, current state-of-the-art in turbine hot gas path metallurgy, coatings and advanced film cooling techniques indeed support published ratings. Unfortunately, published combined cycle ratings are an altogether different matter. It is one thing to set the product line rating performance at an aggressive level with well-understood albeit optimistic assumptions such as very low water-cooled steam turbine condenser pressure with open-loop cooling. It is yet another thing to blatantly disregard fundamental laws of thermodynamics with outlandish performance ratings, which are unlikely to materialize even in the next decade or two cost-effectively (unless an unforeseen transformative step-change in technology materializes). In this paper, using fundamental thermodynamic arguments and detailed heat and mass balance simulations, it will be shown that some, if not all, OEM ratings are losing touch with reality.

scholarly journals Thermal Evaluation of a Double-Pass Unglazed Solar Air Heater with Perforated Plate and Wire Mesh Layers

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3619
Author(s):  
Afaq Jasim Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Solar Air Heater ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Air Flow Rate ◽  
Double Pass ◽  
Air Heater

In this study, an experimental outdoor investigation of the thermal efficiency and outlet air temperature was conducted on an unglazed, double-pass, solar air heater with a perforated absorber plate and packing wire mesh layers as a supplemental absorbent area. This was done to observe their effects on the thermal performance of the solar air heater. The double-pass collector was constructed with a bed height of 0.05 m, and a collection area of 1.5 m2. The height of the upper channel was fixed at 0.015 m to improve the thermal efficiency, and the outlet temperature at air flow rates between 0.003 and 0.018 kg/s. The collector was mounted with a slope of 42° facing south, to maximize the intensity of solar irradiance during winter. The effects of the air flow rate, ambient temperature, inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and solar intensity were experimentally investigated. The results showed that thermal efficiency could be improved by increasing the air flow rate, where the highest thermal efficiency achieved was 86% at 0.018 kg/s. However, the temperature difference was increased to a maximum value of 38.6 °C, when the air flow rate was decreased to 0.003 kg/s. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a significant improvement in the thermal efficiency and outlet temperature; and when compared with previous research, the experimental results and the predictions for the outlet temperature using the theoretical model agreed.

A Three-Dimensional Comprehensive Numerical Investigation of Different Operating Parameters on the Performance of a Photovoltaic Thermal System With Pancake Collector

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afroza Nahar ◽  
M. Hasanuzzaman ◽  
N. A. Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Cooling System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Channel ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Cell Temperature ◽  
Thermal Paste ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Effective Removal ◽  
Irradiation Level

Performance of photovoltaic (PV) module decreases significantly with increasing cell temperature due to its overheating. Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) is an optimized technology that facilitates effective removal and utilization of this excess heat leading to enhanced electrical performance. In this article, a 3D numerical model has been developed and analyzed to investigate the PVT performance with a new pancake-shaped flow channel design. This flow channel is attached directly to the backside of PV module by using thermal paste. The governing equations are solved numerically by using Galerkin's weighted residual finite-element method (FEM), which has been developed using COMSOL Multiphysics® software. The numerical results show that the cell temperature reduces on an average 42 °C, and the electrical efficiency and output power increase by 2% and 20 W, respectively, for both aluminum and copper channels with an increase in inlet velocity from 0.0009 to 0.05 m/s. On the other hand, overall efficiency of the PVT system drops about 13% in both cases as the inlet temperature increases from 20 °C to 40 °C. Cell temperature is found to increase approximately by 5.4 °C and 9.2 °C for every 100 W/m2 increase in irradiation level of the PV module with and without cooling system, respectively. Regarding flow channel material, it has been observed that use of either copper or aluminum produces almost similar performance of the PVT module.

scholarly journals Cycle-Tempo Simulation of Ultra-Micro Gas Turbine Fueled by Producer Gas Resulting from Leaf Waste Gasification

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Fajri Vidian ◽  
◽  
Putra Anugrah Peranginangin ◽  
Muhamad Yulianto ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Producer Gas ◽  
Turbine Inlet Temperature ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Fuel Ratio ◽  
Waste Gasification

Leaf waste has the potential to be converted into energy because of its high availability both in the world and Indonesia. Gasification is a conversion technology that can be used to convert leaves into producer gas. This gas can be used for various applications, one of which is using it as fuel for gas turbines, including ultra-micro gas ones, which are among the most popular micro generators of electric power at the time. To minimize the risk of failure in the experiment and cost, simulation is used. To simulate the performance of gas turbines, the thermodynamic analysis tool called Cycle-Tempo is used. In this study, Cycle-Tempo was used for the zero-dimensional thermodynamic simulation of an ultra-micro gas turbine operated using producer gas as fuel. Our research contributions are the simulation of an ultra-micro gas turbine at a lower power output of about 1 kWe and the use of producer gas from leaf waste gasification as fuel in a gas turbine. The aim of the simulation is to determine the influence of air-fuel ratio on compressor power, turbine power, generator power, thermal efficiency, turbine inlet temperature and turbine outlet temperature. The simulation was carried out on condition that the fuel flow rate of 0.005 kg/s is constant, the maximum air flow rate is 0.02705 kg/s, and the air-fuel ratio is in the range of 1.55 to 5.41. The leaf waste gasification was simulated before, by using an equilibrium constant to get the composition of producer gas. The producer gas that was used as fuel had the following molar fractions: about 22.62% of CO, 18.98% of H2, 3.28% of CH4, 10.67% of CO2 and 44.4% of N2. The simulation results show that an increase in air-fuel ratio resulted in turbine power increase from 1.23 kW to 1.94 kW. The generator power, thermal efficiency, turbine inlet temperature and turbine outlet temperature decreased respectively from 0.89 kWe to 0.77 kWe; 3.17% to 2.76%; 782 °C to 379 °C and 705°C to 304 °C. The maximums of the generator power and thermal efficiency of 0.89 kWe and 3.17%, respectively, were obtained at the 1.55 air-fuel ratio. The generator power and thermal efficiency are 0.8 kWe and 2.88%, respectively, with the 4.64 air-fuel ratio or 200% excess air. The result of the simulation matches that of the experiment described in the literature.

Optimization of Organic Rankine Cycles for Off-Shore Applications

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Pierobon ◽  
Ulrik Larsen ◽  
Tuong Van Nguyen ◽  
Fredrik Haglind
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Optimization Procedure ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Maximum Pressure ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Turbine Inlet ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycles

In off-shore oil and gas platform efficiency, the reliability and fuel flexibility are the major concerns when selecting the gas turbine to support the electrical and mechanical demand on the platform. In order to fulfill these requirements, turbine inlet temperature and pressure ratio are not increased up to the optimal values and one or more redundant gas turbines may be employed. With increasing incentives for reducing the CO2 emissions off-shore, improving the thermal efficiency has become a focus area. Due to the peculiar low turbine outlet temperature and due to space and weight constraints, a steam bottoming cycle is not a convenient solution. On the contrary, organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) present the benefits of high simplicity and compactness. Furthermore, the working fluid can be selected considering the temperature profile at which the heat is supplied; hence the heat transfer process and the thermal efficiency of the cycle can be maximized. This paper is aimed at finding the most optimal ORC tailored for off-shore applications using an optimization procedure based on the genetic algorithm. Numerous working fluids are screened through, considering mainly thermal efficiency, but also other characteristics of the fluids, e.g. stability, environmental and human health impacts, and safety issues. Both supercritical and subcritical ORCs are included in the analysis. The optimization procedure is first applied to a conservative ORC where the maximum pressure is limited to 20 bar. Subsequently the optimal working fluid is identified by removing the restriction on the maximum pressure. Different limits on hazards and global warming potential (GWP) are also set. The study is focused on the SGT-500 gas turbine installed on the Draugen platform in the Norwegian Sea. The simulations suggest that, when a high hazard is accepted, cyclohexane is the best solution. With a turbine inlet pressure limit of 20 bar, the combined gas turbine-ORC system presents an efficiency of 43.7%, corresponding to an improvement of 11.9%-points with respect to the gas turbine efficiency. With no upper pressure boundary, cyclohexane at 55.5 bar is the preferable working fluid with a combined thermal efficiency of 44.3%. The supercritical CO2 cycle with a maximum pressure of 192.9 bar is found to be the best alternative if an extremely low hazard is required.

scholarly journals Conceptual Approach to Combustor Nozzle and Reformer Characteristics for Micro-Gas Turbine with an On-Board Reforming System: A Novel Thermal and Low Emission Cycle

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10558
Author(s):  
Jonghyun Kim ◽  
Jungsoo Park
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Mild Combustion ◽  
Heavy Duty Gas Turbine

In order to implement moderate or intensive low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion, it is necessary to extend the flame stability and operating range. In the present study, the conceptual designs of a combustor single nozzle and reformer were numerically suggested for a micro-gas turbine with an on-board reformer. The target micro-gas turbine achieved a thermal power of 150 kW and a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1200 K. Studies on a nozzle and reformer applying an open-loop concept have been separately conducted. For the nozzle concept, a single down-scaled nozzle was applied based on a reference nozzle for a heavy-duty gas turbine. The nozzle can achieve a good mixture with a high swirl with a splined swirl curve lower NOx emissions and smaller pressure drop in the combustor. The concept of the non-catalytic partial-oxidation reforming reformate was designed using the combustor outlet temperature (COT) of the exhaust gas. Feasible hydrogen yields were mapped through the reformer. Based on the hydrogen yields from the reformer, hydrogen was added to the nozzle to investigate its combustion behavior. By increasing the hydrogen addition and decreasing the O2 fraction, the OH concentrations were decreased and widely distributed similar to the fundamental characteristics of MILD combustion.

On closed-loop equilibrium strategies for mean-field stochastic linear quadratic problems

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Tianxiao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Control ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Optimal Control Problems ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Time Inconsistency ◽  
Control Problems ◽  
Linear Quadratic ◽  
Linear Quadratic Optimal Control ◽  
Equilibrium Strategies

This article is concerned with linear quadratic optimal control problems of mean-field stochastic differential equations (MF-SDE) with deterministic coefficients. To treat the time inconsistency of the optimal control problems, linear closed-loop equilibrium strategies are introduced and characterized by variational approach. Our developed methodology drops the delicate convergence procedures in Yong [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 369 (2017) 5467–5523]. When the MF-SDE reduces to SDE, our Riccati system coincides with the analogue in Yong [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 369 (2017) 5467–5523]. However, these two systems are in general different from each other due to the conditional mean-field terms in the MF-SDE. Eventually, the comparisons with pre-committed optimal strategies, open-loop equilibrium strategies are given in details.

Comparison of Dc-Dc SEPIC, CUK and Flyback Converters Based LED Drivers

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-107
Author(s):  
Erdal Sehirli
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Input Voltage ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Current Sensor ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Led Driver ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Led Drivers ◽  
Conduction Mode

This paper presents the comparison of LED driver topologies that include SEPIC, CUK and FLYBACK DC-DC converters. Both topologies are designed for 8W power and operated in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) with 88 kHz switching frequency. Furthermore, inductors of SEPIC and CUK converters are wounded as coupled. Applications are realized by using SG3524 integrated circuit for open loop and PIC16F877 microcontroller for closed loop. Besides, ACS712 current sensor used to limit maximum LED current for closed loop applications. Finally, SEPIC, CUK and FLYBACK DC-DC LED drivers are compared with respect to LED current, LED voltage, input voltage and current. Also, advantages and disadvantages of all topologies are concluded.

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