Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Peter Krenzke
College
Engineering
Discipline(s)
Solar Energy
ORCID Identifier(s)
0000-0002-7059-6108, 0009-0004-7446-6054, 0009-0002-7297-507X, 0009-0002-1193-0206, 0009-0006-4853-488X, 0009-0002-7736-8201
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 2024
Abstract
Heat pipes were evaluated as an approach to distribute concentrated solar process heat in a solar receiver application. The ability of a plain 304 stainless steel (304SS) plate to absorb and distribute concentrated solar thermal irradiation was compared to a thermally enhanced board, outfitted with constant conductance sodium heat pies (CCHP TEB). Temperatures on the 304SS and CCHP TEB were measured using thermocouples and corroborated using an infrared camera. The 304SS plate was found to have a temperature range from 423℃ from minimum to peak, compared to a temperature range of 185℃ for the CCHP TEB. The result confirmed the enhanced capacity of the board enhanced by sodium heat pipes to convey heat across the entire plate relative to the plain plate, which had drastic hot and cold spots. Further, the power input of the solar furnace was calculated using a calorimeter and measured heat fluxes. The required solar power to reach a maximum temperature of 719℃ was 0.93 kW for the 304SS, while 1.57 kW was required for the CCHP TEB to reach a comparable maximum temperature. The broader impacts of this technology are two-fold. First, it can enable higher thermal efficiency in solar-electric power plants by facilitating higher solar receiver temperatures. Second, improved efficiency reduces both the land area and cost required to support the U.S. and greater global electricity demand.
Recommended Citation
Kagay, Alex; D'Arcangelo, Micah; Mangnall, Joshua; Ramos, Mario; Duff, Ethan; Fisher, Noah; Van Den Berg, Max; Krenzke, Dr. Peter T.; and Venstrom, Dr. Luke J., "Efficient Solar Thermal Electricity Unlocked: Sodium Heat Pipes in the Solar Furnace" (2024). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1278.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1278
Biographical Information about Author(s)
Alex, Micah, Joshua, Mario, Ethan, Noah, and Max are undergraduate students studying mechanical engineering at Valparaiso University. Having worked on various other projects in the solar furnace, all are excited to contribute to the future of solar energy and a more sustainable future. Some plan to advance their education in graduate school, while others plan to go straight into industry and apply their newfound knowledge. They became interested in the topic by having close proximity to the unique lab of the James S. Markiewicz solar furnace research facility.