Intrinsic spectral selectivity in ultra-high temperature ceramics for solar applications
Different concepts for solar receiver systems have been developed, and each collector architecture (linear parabolic systems, solar dishes, solar tower plants, etc) demands peculiar system solutions [1]. It is a general rule that the efficiency of solar thermal systems rapidly increases with increasing working temperature. In solar tower plants, a critical parameter for temperature increasing is the receiver, where the whole heliostat field concentrates the collected sunlight. The family of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) can be interesting for this application because of its unique combination of properties. In fact UHTCs are characterized by some of the highest melting points of any known material (>3900°C for the monocarbides of Ta and Hf), high hardness, good wear resistance, good chemical stability and mechanical strength at high temperatures and high thermal conductivities. Up to now, UHTCs are employed mainly in the aerospace industry for hypersonic vehicles, rocket motor nozzles or atmospheric entry probes capable of the most extreme entry conditions. The ultra-high melting point of UHTCs, together with the unique combination of good thermal conductivity and chemical stability appear intriguing for employing them in high temperature solar furnaces [2].
Recent advances on nanofluids for low to medium temperature solar collectors: energy, exergy, economic analysis and environmental impact
Abstract The efficient exploitation of solar irradiation is one of the most encouraging ways of handling numerous environmental concerns. Solar collectors are suitable devices that capture solar irradiation and convert it into thermal energy and electricity. In the last years, the nanofluids used in solar thermal systems have been studied as a useful technique for enhancing the solar collectors’ performance and establishing them as viable and highly efficient systems. The present review paper aims to summarize and discuss the most important numerical and experimental studies in nanofluid-based solar systems for application at low and medium temperature levels, while the emphasis on the fundamental physical phenomena that occur. In the first part, numerous numerical models and the principal physical phenomena affecting the heat transfer rate in the nanofluid have been analyzed. More specifically, the importance of different forces in nanofluid flows that exist in particulate flows such as drag, lift (Magnus and Saffman), Brownian, thermophoretic, Van der Waals, electrostatic double-layer forces are considered. Moreover, an overview of the thermophysical properties, physical models, heat transfer models, and evaluation criteria of nanofluids are included in this work. In the second part, which is the main part of this work, a comprehensive review is performed to gather and discuss the new advantages in the nanofluid-based solar collectors that operate at low and medium temperatures. More specifically, the examined solar systems are the flat plate collectors, the evacuated tube collectors, the direct absorption collectors, and the thermal photovoltaic systems, while the investigated applications are space-heating, space-cooling, household hot water production, desalination, industrial activities, and power generation. The aforementioned collectors and applications are the most usual in the real systems, indicating the importance of the present work. Moreover, the emphasis is given in the thermal, exergy, economic, and environmental evaluation of the studied systems, as well as in the discussion of the possible limitations of the use of nanofluids like the lack of long-term stability, the agglomeration of nanoparticles, and the increased pumping work due to the increased pressure drop. Finally, it is found that the nanofluid utilization usually enhances the collector efficiency up to 5%, while higher enhancements can be found in thermal photovoltaics. Moreover, it is concluded that there is a need to emphasize issues such as stability and the use of eco-friendly solar systems. Lastly, the field's future trends are highlighted, and a clear image of the present situation and the next steps in the field are given.
Spectroscopy of high rate events during active interrogation
Abstract Pulsed accelerators are being used for radiographic inspections in homeland security applications. Adding spectroscopic detection capability enables additional information to be extracted but challenges signal processing hardware. This work compares two approaches to cost-effective digital spectroscopy systems designed to handle these high rate scenarios. In the first system, the signal from a PMT is directly digitized and then deconvolved on a PC using standard techniques. Bypassing the preamplifier, this system can handle high count rates (>10 6  cps) from an LaCl 3 detector with no dead time and an energy resolution of 5% at 1.33 MeV. Spectra acquired from fission product gamma rays between interrogation pulses are shown. At higher rates, this approach is limited by the DAQ transfer rate to the PC. Instead, we tested a fast ADC (125 MSPS) and an FPGA that performed onboard, real-time digital signal processing (DSP). The energy spectrum is generated on the FPGA board during the measurement and transferred later. This system was tested in nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments. Resonance peaks from NRF reactions are shown.