Novel fractal-textured solar absorber surfaces for concentrated solar power

Kant, K.; Sibin, K. P.; Pitchumani, R.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2022.112010

Novel fractal-textured solar absorber surfaces for concentrated solar power

Journal Article · Wed Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2022.112010· OSTI ID:2406856

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[2]

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

The solar absorptance of a thermal receiver surface significantly affects the photothermal conversion efficiency of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. The development of low-cost Gen3 CSP systems calls for increasing the solar absorptance of the thermal receivers at operating temperatures above 750 °C. This study presents an innovative approach to the fractal, multiscale texturing of absorber surfaces to significantly enhance solar energy absorption for Gen3 CSP applications. The absorber surface is described in terms of its fractal parameters that are uniquely determined from surface profile measurements. The interaction of solar radiation with the fractal surface is numerically simulated by solving the governing Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetic wave propagation to investigate the effect of texturing on the absorptance of the surfaces. It is shown that absorption of the solar spectrum increases with an increase in the fractal dimension and the multiscale asperity height of the surface texturing. Here, the theoretical model is demonstrated to be in close agreement with experimental measurements of spectral absorptance of electrodeposited copper (Cu), copper mono-oxide (CuO), and copper-manganese oxide (CuMnO) surfaces that are textured to produce a range of fractal parameters by tailoring the deposition parameters. Fractal surface texturing is shown to reduce reflectance by over one order of magnitude, yielding an absorptance of greater than 0.985 for CuMnO. For the first time, the study presents a significant effective means of increasing solar absorptance and a fundamental theoretical description of the underlying physics.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008537

OSTI ID:: 2406856

Journal Information:: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Journal Name: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Vol. 248; ISSN 0927-0248

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (36)

Interlaminar contact development during thermoplastic fusion bonding Yang, F.; Pitchumani, R. Polymer Engineering & Science, Vol. 42, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.10960	journal	February 2002
Study of structural and optical properties of cupric oxide nanoparticles Dhineshbabu, N. R.; Rajendran, V.; Nithyavathy, N. Applied Nanoscience, Vol. 6, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-015-0499-2	journal	September 2015
Fractal roughness in contact problems Borodich, F. M.; Mosolov, A. B. Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Vol. 56, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-8928(92)90054-C	journal	January 1992
Structure and optical properties of electrochromic copper oxide films prepared by reactive and conventional evaporation techniques Özer, Nilgün; Tepehan, Fatma Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 30, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-0248(93)90027-Z	journal	June 1993
The effect of substrate surface preparation on the optical properties of a black chrome solar absorber coating Axelbaum, R. L.; Brandt, H. Solar Energy, Vol. 39, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-092X(87)80032-4	journal	January 1987
Computations of the optical properties of metal/insulator-composites for solar selective absorbers Farooq, M.; Lee, Z. H. Renewable Energy, Vol. 28, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-1481(02)00033-2	journal	July 2003
Correlation of optical properties with the fractal microstructure of black molybdenum coatings Barrera, Enrique; Gonzalez, Federico; Rodriguez, Eduardo Applied Surface Science, Vol. 256, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2009.09.108	journal	January 2010
Electrochromic performance, wettability and optical study of copper manganese oxide thin films: Effect of annealing temperature Falahatgar, S. S.; Ghodsi, F. E.; Tepehan, F. Z. Applied Surface Science, Vol. 289 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.10.153	journal	January 2014
Study of the Stability of a Selective Solar Absorber Coating under Air and High Temperature Conditions Raccurt, O.; Disdier, A.; Bourdon, D. Energy Procedia, Vol. 69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.107	journal	May 2015
Fractal textured glass surface for enhanced performance and self-cleaning characteristics of photovoltaic panels Kant, K.; Pitchumani, R. Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 270 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116240	journal	October 2022
Cost and performance analysis of concentrating solar power systems with integrated latent thermal energy storage Nithyanandam, K.; Pitchumani, R. Energy, Vol. 64 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.10.095	journal	January 2014
Experimental investigation of cost-effective ZnO nanofluid based spectral splitting CPV/T system Huaxu, Liang; Fuqiang, Wang; Dong, Zhang Energy, Vol. 194 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.116913	journal	March 2020
A review of high-temperature selective absorbing coatings for solar thermal applications Xu, Ke; Du, Miao; Hao, Lei Journal of Materiomics, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmat.2019.12.012	journal	March 2020
Tandem structured spectrally selective coating layer of copper oxide nanowires combined with cobalt oxide nanoparticles Kim, Tae Kyoung; VanSaders, Bryan; Moon, Jaeyun Nano Energy, Vol. 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2014.10.018	journal	January 2015
Stability of W-Al2O3 cermet based solar coating for receiver tube operating at high temperature Antonaia, A.; Castaldo, A.; Addonizio, M. L. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 94, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2010.04.080	journal	October 2010
Electrochemically grown cobalt-alumina composite layer for solar thermal selective absorbers Cuevas, A.; Martínez, L.; Romero, R. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 130 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2014.07.041	journal	November 2014
Fabrication and characterization of multiscale, fractal textured solar selective coatings Jain, R.; Pitchumani, R. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 172 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.009	journal	December 2017
Recent advances in thermophysical properties enhancement of phase change materials for thermal energy storage Kant, K.; Biwole, P. H.; Shamseddine, I. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 231 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111309	journal	October 2021
Structural and optical properties of copper-coated substrates for solar thermal absorbers Pratesi, Stefano; De Lucia, Maurizio; Meucci, Marco Superlattices and Microstructures, Vol. 98 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spmi.2016.08.031	journal	October 2016
Fractal dimension analysis of machined surface depending on coated tool wear Kang, Myung Chang; Kim, Jeong Suk; Kim, Kwang Ho Surface and Coatings Technology, Vol. 193, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2004.07.020	journal	April 2005
Fractal Model for Drag Reduction on Multiscale Nonwetting Rough Surfaces Hatte, S.; Pitchumani, R. Langmuir, Vol. 36, Issue 47 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02790	journal	November 2020
Fractal Model for Wettability of Rough Surfaces Jain, R.; Pitchumani, R. Langmuir, Vol. 33, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b01524	journal	July 2017
Fabricating Superhydrophobic Surfaces via a Two-Step Electrodeposition Technique Haghdoost, A.; Pitchumani, R. Langmuir, Vol. 30, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1021/la403509d	journal	October 2013
Concentrating solar power: Still small but learning fast Pitz-Paal, Robert Nature Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.95	journal	June 2017
Ceramic–metal composites for heat exchangers in concentrated solar power plants Caccia, M.; Tabandeh-Khorshid, M.; Itskos, G. Nature, Vol. 562, Issue 7727 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0593-1	journal	October 2018
Highly efficient and durable solar thermal energy harvesting via scalable hierarchical coatings inspired by stony corals Torres, Juan F.; Tsuda, Kaoru; Murakami, Yasushi Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 15, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EE03028K	journal	January 2022
Optical Properties of Copper Oxide Films Wieder, Harold; Czanderna, A. W. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 37, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1707803	journal	January 1966
The Value of Concentrating Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Vol. 1, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1109/TSTE.2010.2052078	journal	October 2010
Role of Fractal Geometry in Roughness Characterization and Contact Mechanics of Surfaces Majumdar, A.; Bhushan, B. Journal of Tribology, Vol. 112, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2920243	journal	April 1990
Fractal Model of Elastic-Plastic Contact Between Rough Surfaces Majumdar, A.; Bhushan, B. Journal of Tribology, Vol. 113, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2920588	journal	January 1991
Characterization of Pyromark 2500 Paint for High-Temperature Solar Receivers Ho, Clifford K.; Mahoney, A. Roderick; Ambrosini, Andrea Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Vol. 136, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4024031	journal	July 2013
Influence of Surface Morphology on Absorptivity of Light-Absorbing Materials Niu, Chunhui; Zhu, Ting; Lv, Yong International Journal of Photoenergy, Vol. 2019 https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1476217	journal	September 2019
Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices Rakić, Aleksandar D.; Djurišić, Aleksandra B.; Elazar, Jovan M. Applied Optics, Vol. 37, Issue 22, p. 5271-5283 https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.37.005271	journal	January 1998
Optical constants of Inconel alloy films Goodell, W. V.; Coulter, J. K.; Johnson, P. B. Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 63, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSA.63.000185	journal	February 1973
Engineering Gaussian disorder at rough interfaces for light trapping in thin-film solar cells Kowalczewski, Piotr; Liscidini, Marco; Andreani, Lucio Claudio Optics Letters, Vol. 37, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.37.004868	journal	November 2012
Design and preparation of black-nickel film on the radiometer chip No authors listed Acta Physica Sinica, Vol. 59, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.7498/aps.59.4530	journal	January 2010