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Prototype fabrication and experimental investigation of a conjugate refractive reflective homogeniser in a cassegrain concentrator

Shanks, Katie; Baig, Hasan; Singh, N. Premjit; Senthilarasu, S.; Reddy, K.S.; Mallick, Tapas K.

Authors

Katie Shanks

Hasan Baig

N. Premjit Singh

K.S. Reddy

Tapas K. Mallick



Abstract

The conjugate refractive reflective homogeniser (CRRH) is experimentally tested within a cassegrain concentrator of geometrical concentration ratio 500× and its power output compared to the theoretical predictions of a 7.76% increase. I–V traces are taken at various angles of incidence and experimental results showed a maximum of 4.5% increase in power output using the CRRH instead of its purely refractive counterpart. The CRRH utilises both total internal reflection (TIR) within its core refractive medium (sylguard) and an outer reflective film (with an air gap between) to direct more rays towards the receiver. The reflective film captures scattered refracted light which is caused by non-ideal surface finishes of the refractive medium. The CRRH prototype utilises a 3D printed support which is thermally tested, withstanding temperatures of up to 60 °C but deforming at >100 °C. A maximum temperature of 226.3 °C was reached within the closed system at the focal spot of the concentrated light. The material properties are presented, in particular the transmittance of sylguard 184 is shown to be dependent on thickness but not significantly on temperature.

Utilising both TIR and standard reflection can be applied to other geometries other than the homogeniser presented here. This could be a simple but effective method to increase the power of many concentrator photovoltaics.

Citation

Shanks, K., Baig, H., Singh, N. P., Senthilarasu, S., Reddy, K., & Mallick, T. K. (2017). Prototype fabrication and experimental investigation of a conjugate refractive reflective homogeniser in a cassegrain concentrator. Solar Energy, 142, 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.11.038

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 22, 2016
Online Publication Date Dec 22, 2016
Publication Date Jan 15, 2017
Deposit Date Mar 14, 2023
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Print ISSN 0038-092X
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 142
Pages 97-108
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.11.038
Keywords Concentrator photovoltaics, Cassegrain, Optical loss, Materials, Temperature, Homogeniser

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