An evaluation of the gel pond performance

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5330661

Wilkins, E; El-Genk, M; El-Husseini, K; Thakur, D

The gel pond concept replaces the stratified non-convective zone of the traditional salt gradient pond by a transparent layer of viscous or near-solid polymer gel. As part of the continuing development of this technology, the effect of gel thickness upon the performance of the gel solar pond is being studied. A simplified steady state model describing the physics of the pond has been constructed and tested. Preliminary comparison between the surface heat losses from the gel pond and a nearby salt gradient pond have been made. The measured values of insolation were used in the model to compute the temperature profiles in the gel layer, and in the non-convective layer of the salt gradient pond. The model was used to calculate collection, retention, and effective retention efficiencies for the gel pond for different gel thicknesses and estimate the surface heat losses for both the gel pond and the salt gradient pond. The calculated temperature profiles, for both the gel layer and the non-convective layer in the two ponds compared well with experimental data. It was found that a minimum gel thickness of 0.15 m was adequate on the basis of the effective retention efficiency. The surface heat losses from the 0.25 m gel pond were approximately half those from the salt gradient pond with 1 m stratified zone under the same conditions. Based on the preliminary work, the gel pond concept appears to be superior to the classic salt gradient pond, for solar collection and storage.

• Research Organization: The University of New Mexico, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• OSTI ID: 5330661
• Report Number(s): CONF-821101-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States) Journal Volume: 82-WA/SOL-29
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
141000* -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
COLLOIDS
DIMENSIONS
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY LOSSES
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
GELS
HEAT LOSSES
HEAT STORAGE
INSOLATION
LAYERS
LOSSES
OPACITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLYMERS
PONDS
SALINITY GRADIENTS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR PONDS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
STORAGE
SURFACE WATERS
SURFACES
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
THICKNESS
VISCOSITY