Optimization of Lamps Configuration for a Large-scale Indoor Solar Simulator for PV Panels and Solar Collectors

Authors

  • Al Yaqdhan Al Umairi Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman
  • Khalid Al Sultani Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman
  • Abdullah Al Shuaili Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman
  • Aisha Al Adawi Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman
  • Afzal Husain Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman
  • Mohd Zahid Ansari MEMS and Microfluidics Lab, Mechanical Engineering Department, PDPM-Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, India
  • Mohd Zunaid Department of Mechanical Engineering, Delhi Technological University, Bawana Road, Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37934/aram.123.1.195205

Keywords:

Solar simulator, tungsten halogen lamp, solar spectrum, spectral uniformity, temporal uniformity

Abstract

The current study presents investigations of a solar simulator design, development, and performance characterization for the application of photovoltaic (PV), thermal collector, and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) indoor experiments. The study highlights the research outcomes of the lamp configurations and numbers in the simulator to achieve an acceptable radiation distribution in the targeted area as per the ASTM standards. Tungsten Halogen lamps were used to mimic solar radiation due to their proximity to the solar spectrum of the visible and infrared band and relatively low cost. The results indicate that a solar simulator of Class-C for spatial uniformity and Class-A for temporal uniformity can be achieved with the application of Tungsten Halogen lamps if arranged properly and a range of radiation flux can be obtained to replicate the variation of solar flux during the daytime. It was observed that three to six lamps of 1kW arranged in specific configurations can provide solar radiation varying from 378 to 969 W/m2 mimicking the daytime solar flux variation on an experimental area of 1200 × 520 mm2.

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Author Biographies

Al Yaqdhan Al Umairi, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman

s126569@student.squ.edu.om

Khalid Al Sultani, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman

s123121@student.squ.edu.om

Abdullah Al Shuaili, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman

s126321@student.squ.edu.om

Aisha Al Adawi, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman

s127186@student.squ.edu.om

Afzal Husain, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, PC-123, Oman

afzal19@squ.edu.om

Mohd Zahid Ansari, MEMS and Microfluidics Lab, Mechanical Engineering Department, PDPM-Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, India

zahid@iiitdmj.ac.in

Mohd Zunaid, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Delhi Technological University, Bawana Road, Delhi, India

mzunaid@dce.ac.in

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Published

2024-08-30

How to Cite

Al Umairi, A. Y. ., Al Sultani, K., Al Shuaili, A., Al Adawi, A., Husain, A. ., Ansari, M. Z. ., & Zunaid, M. . (2024). Optimization of Lamps Configuration for a Large-scale Indoor Solar Simulator for PV Panels and Solar Collectors. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Mechanics, 123(1), 195–205. https://doi.org/10.37934/aram.123.1.195205

Issue

Vol. 123 No. 1: November (2024)

Section

Articles