Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments
There is great opportunity to develop power supplies for autonomous application on the small scale. For example, remote environmental sensors may be powered through the harvesting of ambient thermal energy and heating of a thermoelectric generator. This work investigates a small-scale (centimeters)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2017-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/7956879 |
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| author | Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Leland Weiss |
| author_facet | Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Leland Weiss |
| author_sort | Emmanuel Ogbonnaya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is great opportunity to develop power supplies for autonomous application on the small scale. For example, remote environmental sensors may be powered through the harvesting of ambient thermal energy and heating of a thermoelectric generator. This work investigates a small-scale (centimeters) solar thermal collector designed for this application. The absorber is coated with a unique selective coating and then studied in a low pressure environment to increase performance. A numerical model that is used to predict the performance of the collector plate is developed. This is validated based on benchtop testing of a fabricated collector plate in a low-pressure enclosure. Model results indicate that simulated solar input of about 800 W/m2 results in a collector plate temperature of 298 K in ambient conditions and up to 388 K in vacuum. The model also predicts the various losses in W/m2 K from the plate to the surroundings. Plate temperature is validated through the experimental work showing that the model is useful to the future design of these small-scale solar thermal energy collectors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5eaee8e893ef4070a30644be8536a979 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1110-662X 1687-529X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Photoenergy |
| spelling | doaj-art-5eaee8e893ef4070a30644be8536a9792025-02-03T05:48:16ZengWileyInternational Journal of Photoenergy1110-662X1687-529X2017-01-01201710.1155/2017/79568797956879Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity EnvironmentsEmmanuel Ogbonnaya0Leland Weiss1College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 10348, Ruston, LA 71272, USACollege of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 10348, Ruston, LA 71272, USAThere is great opportunity to develop power supplies for autonomous application on the small scale. For example, remote environmental sensors may be powered through the harvesting of ambient thermal energy and heating of a thermoelectric generator. This work investigates a small-scale (centimeters) solar thermal collector designed for this application. The absorber is coated with a unique selective coating and then studied in a low pressure environment to increase performance. A numerical model that is used to predict the performance of the collector plate is developed. This is validated based on benchtop testing of a fabricated collector plate in a low-pressure enclosure. Model results indicate that simulated solar input of about 800 W/m2 results in a collector plate temperature of 298 K in ambient conditions and up to 388 K in vacuum. The model also predicts the various losses in W/m2 K from the plate to the surroundings. Plate temperature is validated through the experimental work showing that the model is useful to the future design of these small-scale solar thermal energy collectors.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/7956879 |
| spellingShingle | Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Leland Weiss Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments International Journal of Photoenergy |
| title | Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments |
| title_full | Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments |
| title_fullStr | Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments |
| title_short | Small-Scale Flat Plate Collectors for Solar Thermal Scavenging in Low Conductivity Environments |
| title_sort | small scale flat plate collectors for solar thermal scavenging in low conductivity environments |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/7956879 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emmanuelogbonnaya smallscaleflatplatecollectorsforsolarthermalscavenginginlowconductivityenvironments AT lelandweiss smallscaleflatplatecollectorsforsolarthermalscavenginginlowconductivityenvironments |