Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: Solar energy
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Creators: Phelan, Patrick
Description
Evacuated tube solar thermal collector arrays have a wide range of applications. While most of these applications are limited in performance due to relatively low maximum operating temperatures, these collectors can still be useful in low grade thermal systems. An array of fifteen Apricus AP-30 evacuated tube collectors was designed, assembled, and tested on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, AZ. An existing system model was reprogrammed and updated for increased flexibility and ease of use. The model predicts the outlet temperature of the collector array based on the specified environmental conditions. The model was verified through a comparative analysis to the data collected during a three-month test period. The accuracy of this model was then compared against data calculated from the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) efficiency curve to determine the relative performance. It was found that both the original and updated models were able to generate reasonable predictions of the performance of the collector array with overall average percentage errors of 1.0% and 1.8%, respectively.
ContributorsStonebraker, Matthew (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Reddy, Agami (Committee member) / Bryan, Harvey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Concentrating solar thermal power systems gained a wide interest for a long time to serve as a renewable and sustainable alternate source of energy. While the optimization and modification are ongoing, focused generally on solar power systems to provide solar-electrical energy or solar-thermal energy, the production process of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) has not changed over the past century. A linear refractive Fresnel lens application in cement production process is investigated in this research to provide the thermal power required to raise the temperature of lime up to 623 K (350C) with zero carbon emissions for stage two in a new proposed two-stage production process. The location is considered to be Phoenix, Arizona, with a linear refractive Fresnel lens facing south, tilted 33.45 equaling the location latitude, and concentrating solar beam radiation on an evacuated tube collector with tracking system continuously rotating about the north-south axis. The mathematical analysis showed promising results based on averaged monthly values representing an average hourly useful thermal power and receiver temperature during day-light hours for each month throughout the year. The maximum average hourly useful thermal power throughout the year was obtained for June as 33 kWth m-2 with a maximum receiver temperature achieved of 786 K (513C), and the minimum useful thermal power obtained during the month of December with 27 kWth m-2 and a minimum receiver temperature of 701 K (428C).
ContributorsAlkhuwaiteem, Mohammad (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Shuaib, Abdelrahman (Committee member) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This work describes an approach for distance computation between agents in a
multi-agent swarm. Unlike other approaches, this work relies solely on signal Angleof-
Arrival (AoA) data and local trajectory data. Each agent in the swarm is able
to discretely determine distance and bearing to every other neighbor agent in the
swarm. From this information, I propose a lightweight method for sensor coverage
of an unknown area based on the work of Sameera Poduri. I also show that this
technique performs well with limited calibration distances.
multi-agent swarm. Unlike other approaches, this work relies solely on signal Angleof-
Arrival (AoA) data and local trajectory data. Each agent in the swarm is able
to discretely determine distance and bearing to every other neighbor agent in the
swarm. From this information, I propose a lightweight method for sensor coverage
of an unknown area based on the work of Sameera Poduri. I also show that this
technique performs well with limited calibration distances.
ContributorsMulford, Philip (Author) / Das, Jnaneshwar (Thesis advisor) / Takahashi, Timothy (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020