Optical properties of liquids for direct absorption solar thermal energy systems

Todd P. Otanicar; Patrick Phelan; Jay S. Golden

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2008.12.009

Optical properties of liquids for direct absorption solar thermal energy systems

Todd P. Otanicar, Patrick Phelan, Jay S. Golden

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

396 Scopus citations

Abstract

A method for experimentally determining the extinction index of four liquids (water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and Therminol VP-1) commonly used in solar thermal energy applications was developed. In addition to the extinction index, we report the refractive indices available within the literature for these four fluids. The final value reported is the solar-weighted absorption coefficient for the fluids demonstrating each fluid's baseline capacity for absorbing solar energy. Water is shown to be the best absorber of solar energy of the four fluids, but it is still a weak absorber, only absorbing 13% of the energy. These values represent the baseline potential for a fluid to be utilized in a direct absorption solar thermal collector.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	969-977
Number of pages	9
Journal	Solar Energy
Volume	83
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2008.12.009
State	Published - Jul 2009

Keywords

Fluids
Optical properties
Solar thermal energy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
General Materials Science

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10.1016/j.solener.2008.12.009

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title = "Optical properties of liquids for direct absorption solar thermal energy systems",

abstract = "A method for experimentally determining the extinction index of four liquids (water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and Therminol VP-1) commonly used in solar thermal energy applications was developed. In addition to the extinction index, we report the refractive indices available within the literature for these four fluids. The final value reported is the solar-weighted absorption coefficient for the fluids demonstrating each fluid's baseline capacity for absorbing solar energy. Water is shown to be the best absorber of solar energy of the four fluids, but it is still a weak absorber, only absorbing 13% of the energy. These values represent the baseline potential for a fluid to be utilized in a direct absorption solar thermal collector.",

keywords = "Fluids, Optical properties, Solar thermal energy",

author = "Otanicar, {Todd P.} and Patrick Phelan and Golden, {Jay S.}",

note = "Funding Information: This material was based in part on work supported by the National Science Foundation, while one of the authors (P.E.P.) was working at the Foundation. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. In addition a portion of this work was supported by the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations. Copyright: Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2009",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.solener.2008.12.009",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "83",

pages = "969--977",

journal = "Solar Energy",

issn = "0038-092X",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

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T1 - Optical properties of liquids for direct absorption solar thermal energy systems

AU - Otanicar, Todd P.

AU - Phelan, Patrick

AU - Golden, Jay S.

N1 - Funding Information: This material was based in part on work supported by the National Science Foundation, while one of the authors (P.E.P.) was working at the Foundation. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. In addition a portion of this work was supported by the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations. Copyright: Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2009/7

Y1 - 2009/7

N2 - A method for experimentally determining the extinction index of four liquids (water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and Therminol VP-1) commonly used in solar thermal energy applications was developed. In addition to the extinction index, we report the refractive indices available within the literature for these four fluids. The final value reported is the solar-weighted absorption coefficient for the fluids demonstrating each fluid's baseline capacity for absorbing solar energy. Water is shown to be the best absorber of solar energy of the four fluids, but it is still a weak absorber, only absorbing 13% of the energy. These values represent the baseline potential for a fluid to be utilized in a direct absorption solar thermal collector.

AB - A method for experimentally determining the extinction index of four liquids (water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and Therminol VP-1) commonly used in solar thermal energy applications was developed. In addition to the extinction index, we report the refractive indices available within the literature for these four fluids. The final value reported is the solar-weighted absorption coefficient for the fluids demonstrating each fluid's baseline capacity for absorbing solar energy. Water is shown to be the best absorber of solar energy of the four fluids, but it is still a weak absorber, only absorbing 13% of the energy. These values represent the baseline potential for a fluid to be utilized in a direct absorption solar thermal collector.

KW - Fluids

KW - Optical properties

KW - Solar thermal energy

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DO - 10.1016/j.solener.2008.12.009

M3 - Article

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SN - 0038-092X

VL - 83

SP - 969

EP - 977

JO - Solar Energy

JF - Solar Energy

IS - 7

ER -

Optical properties of liquids for direct absorption solar thermal energy systems

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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