Variable aperture mechanisms are being used in many fields including medicine, electronics, fluid mechanics, and optics. The main design characteristics of these aperture concepts are the use of multiple blades regulating aperture area and consequently the incoming medium flow. Manufacturing complexities primarily depend on the concept geometry, material, and the process application requirements. Design of a variable aperture demands meticulous methodology and careful consideration of the application field. This paper provides an in-depth methodology on the design of a novel iris mechanism for temperature control in high temperature solar thermal receivers and solar reactors. Such methodology can be used as a guideline for iris mechanisms implemented in other applications as well as in design of different apparatuses exposed to high temperature. Optical simulations in present study have been performed to demonstrate enhanced performance of the iris mechanism over conventional Venetian blind shutter serving as optical attenuators in concentrating solar power systems. Results showed that optical absorption efficiency is improved by 14% while reradiation loss through the aperture is reduced by 2.3% when the iris mechanism is used. Correlation for adaptive control of aperture area was found through computational surface area measurement. Experimental testing with a 7 kW solar simulator at different power levels demonstrated the performance of the mechanism to maintain stable temperature under variable flux.
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December 2017
Research-Article
A Novel Iris Mechanism for Solar Thermal Receivers
Cédric Ophoff,
Cédric Ophoff
Mechanical Engineering Department,
KU Leuven,
Leuven 3001, Belgium
KU Leuven,
Leuven 3001, Belgium
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Nesrin Ozalp
Nesrin Ozalp
ASME Fellow
Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering Department,
University of Minnesota Duluth,
Duluth, MN 55812
e-mail: nozalp@d.umn.edu
Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering Department,
University of Minnesota Duluth,
Duluth, MN 55812
e-mail: nozalp@d.umn.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Cédric Ophoff
Mechanical Engineering Department,
KU Leuven,
Leuven 3001, Belgium
KU Leuven,
Leuven 3001, Belgium
Nesrin Ozalp
ASME Fellow
Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering Department,
University of Minnesota Duluth,
Duluth, MN 55812
e-mail: nozalp@d.umn.edu
Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering Department,
University of Minnesota Duluth,
Duluth, MN 55812
e-mail: nozalp@d.umn.edu
1Present address: Visiting Student at University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812.
2Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING: INCLUDING WIND ENERGY AND BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION. Manuscript received December 8, 2016; final manuscript received August 4, 2017; published online September 12, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Marc Röger.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Dec 2017, 139(6): 061004 (10 pages)
Published Online: September 12, 2017
Article history
Received:
December 8, 2016
Revised:
August 4, 2017
Citation
Ophoff, C., and Ozalp, N. (September 12, 2017). "A Novel Iris Mechanism for Solar Thermal Receivers." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. December 2017; 139(6): 061004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037745
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