Direct Capture, Storage and Conversion of Solar Thermal Energy
Lead Research Organisation:
Heriot-Watt University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering and Physical Science
Abstract
See main application document
People |
ORCID iD |
| Tadhg O'Donovan (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Amber I
(2018)
Natural convection induced by the absorption of solar radiation: A review
in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Amber I
(2017)
Heat transfer in a molten salt filled enclosure absorbing concentrated solar radiation
in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Amber I
(2017)
A numerical simulation of heat transfer in an enclosure with a nonlinear heat source
in Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications
| Description | We have developed a solar concentrator that tracks the sun to focus on a single point. This was a key development as it is fundamentally different from the state-of-the-art where the focal point moved with the concentrator. It is believed that this approach will significantly reduce the cost of solar energy by removing complicated auxiliary components |
| Exploitation Route | The next step would be to develop a prototype for small scale testing. It is believed that this would be feasible for a 5kWe system that could be used to power a small off-grid community |
| Sectors | Energy |
| Description | Solar Tracking Collaboration |
| Organisation | UK Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our research team has a background in heat transfer and thermodynamics. We developed a thermal model of a directly heated molten salt thermal store using a concentrated solar source in this project, with the objective of working with a fixed focus solar concentrator. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators in the UKATC brought expertise in ray-trace analysis and solar tracking to develop a fixed focus solar concentrator. This could then be used to directly charge a molten salt thermal store. |
| Impact | A research paper has been produced and one PhD student successfully defended his thesis on this topic; more journal papers are planned. While the collaboration is not active currently, researchers from both parties are keen to take the work forward and looking for opportunities to facilitate this. |
| Start Year | 2012 |