Session: 05-06 Other CSP Technologies

Paper Number: 117004

117004 - Design, Fabrication, and Initial Characterization of a 13 Kwe Metal-Halide and Xenon Short-Arc Lamp High-Flux Solar Simulator With Adjustable Concentration Profiles Using a Horizontally-Translating Central Lamp 

Recent studies have demonstrated that low-cost, high-flux solar simulators can be developed using metal-halide lamps with off-the-shelf truncated ellipsoidal reflectors. However, these simulator designs often suffer from low-concentration ratios due to longer lamp arcs and non-optimized reflector designs. Recent studies have also demonstrated that high-flux solar simulators based on xenon short-arc lamps with paraboloidal reflectors and custom Fresnel-lens secondary concentrators can achieve significantly higher concentration ratios. To combine elements of both simulator designs, a 13 kW_e metal-halide and xenon arc-lamp high-flux solar simulator was designed, fabricated, and characterized with adjustable concentration profiles using a horizontally-translating central lamp. The proposed high-flux solar simulator design is composed of four, 2.5 kWe metal halide lamps mounted within truncated ellipsoidal reflectors (813 mm focal length). An additional, low-profile central 3 kWe xenon short-arc lamp mounted within a truncated paraboloidal reflector with a secondary N-BK7 concentrating lens (800 mm focal length). The reflectors and secondary concentrating lens were selected from available off-the-shelf components via production of an optical database to minimize system cost and to maximize intercepted radiation from the respective bulbs. The outer metal halide lamp modules are adjustable via a three-axis gimbal to achieve rim angles ranging from 42° to 45° to facilitate integration of the central, translating xenon short-arc lamp module. Detailed Monte-Carlo ray trace modeling was performed to finalize lamp module design and predict both the four-lamp and five-lamp simulator operation based on predicted average concentration flux, concentration flux profiles, and total delivered radiative power within a 60 mm diameter aperture. Experimentally validated arc models were implemented in the modeling for the metal halide lamps. However, a parametric study was performed to evaluate the influence of common arc models for Xenon short-arc lamps upon the simulator performance. The predicted, influence of the translating central lamp on an adjustable concentration profiles was further investigated using the developed model. Initial high-flux solar simulator characterization and model validation of the spatial radiative heat flux distributions for individual lamp modules was performed using a heat-flux gage coupled with CCD camera imaging of a water-cooled Lambertian surface mounted in the focal plane.

Presenting Author: Alexander Ferreira University of Dayton

Presenting Author Biography: Alex Ferreira is a graduate research and teaching assistant pursuing a Master's in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton with a focus on applied thermal sciences. His research with the Dayton Thermal Applications Laboratory focuses on the development of low-cost lamp modules for high-flux solar simulators. He is heavily involved in chapters of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Alpha Psi Lambda at the University of Dayton.