Heat Flux Mapping Research Articles

Experimental description of heat transfer processes at two-phase flow in microchannels towards the development of a heat sink for PV panels

The development of new and more effective cooling technologies is required for several high thermal power dissipation applications such as in electronics cooling or high concentrated photovoltaic panels. The present paper addresses an experimental study on the development of a microchannel based heat sink to cool photovoltaic panels. Experiments focus on the test of a microchannel, with geometry and dimensions optimized from previous work. The analysis performed here emphasizes the experimental characterization of flow boiling in the microchannel under different working conditions. The results include pressure drop and heat flux maps, obtained combining pressure sensors with high-speed imaging and time resolved thermography. The analysis performed was able to identify where nucleation sites were formed. Slug flow interfacial heat transfer could be observed and accurately described in the heat flux maps. Overall, results show the high potential of combining high-speed imaging with time resolved infrared thermography to characterize complex flows. These results also show that there is a good potential for this microchannel based flow cooling in removing the required heat fluxes for the application considered here, when compared to other liquid and air-cooling technologies.

PMMA pyrolysis simulation – from micro- to real-scale

In fire spread simulations, heat transfer and pyrolysis are processes to describe the thermal degradation of solid material. In general, the necessary material parameters cannot be directly measured. They are implicitly deduced from micro- and bench-scale experiments, i.e. thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), micro-combustion (MCC) and cone calorimetry. Using a complex fire model, an inverse modelling process (IMP) is capable to find parameter sets, which are able to reproduce the experimental results. In the real-scale, however, difficulties arise predicting the fire behaviour using the deduced parameter sets. Here, we show an improved model to fit data of multiple small scale experiment types. Primarily, a gas mixture is used to model an average heat of combustion for the surrogate fuel. The pyrolysis scheme is using multiple reactions to match the mass loss (TGA), as well as the energy release (MCC). Additionally, a radiative heat flux map, based on higher resolution simulations, is used in the cone calorimeter setup. With this method, polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) micro-scale data can be reproduced well. For the bench-scale, IMP setups are used differing in cell size and targets, which all lead to similar and good results. Yet, they show significantly different performance in the real-scale parallel panel setup.

Novel high-flux indoor solar simulator for high temperature thermal processes

A novel 32 kWe high flux solar simulator compound of eight xenon arc lamps coupled with a truncated paraboloid mirror and a secondary paraboloid mirror was designed, built, and tested. Collimated rays from a set of xenon arc lamps emulating outdoor solar radiation were reflected by a secondary set of paraboloid mirrors to a common system focus. Relative irradiance measurements were performed to obtain the xenon arc lamp radiation spectrum. Thermal power delivered by each lamp was evaluated by using a heat flux gauge mounted at the system focus. Concentrated thermal power was estimated by the heat superposition method, which allowed us to quantify both the total and the concentrated peak power along with the heat flux mapping. A 10.2% energy conversion efficiency was achieved. Experimental results determined a 3.0 kW total concentrated power on a 100 mm spot diameter resulting in a 1028 kWm−2 peak flux at the center; a lamp total thermal radiant power average of 615 W was achieved, and the lamp spectrum was compared with the 6200 K blackbody radiation spectrum.

Analysis of Temperatures Generated during Conventional Laser Irradiation of Root Canals-A Finite Element Study.

The success of endodontic treatment is dependent on the removal of bacteria. A modern strategy to reduce bacterial load is laser irradiation. During this procedure, there is a local increase in temperature with possible side effects. The aim of this study was to determine the thermal behavior of a maxillary first molar when performing the conventional irradiation technique using a diode laser. For this study, a 3D virtual model of a maxillary first molar was created. The preparation of the access cavity, the rotary instrumentation of the palatal root canal and the laser irradiation protocol were simulated. The model was exported in a finite element analysis program where the temperature and heat flux were studied. Temperature and heat flux maps were obtained, and the temperature increase on the internal wall of the root canal was analyzed. The maximum temperature value exceeded 400 °C and was maintained for less than 0.5 s. The obtained temperature maps support the bactericidal effect of diode laser and the limitation of damage to surrounding tissues. On internal root walls, the temperature reached several hundred degrees Celsius, but for very short durations. Conventional laser irradiation is an adjuvant method of decontamination of the endodontic system.

Construction of a spatially gridded heat flux map based on airborne flux Measurements using remote sensing and machine learning methods

Acquiring the relative truth values of land surface sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes at the regional scale is important for monitoring and simulating evapotranspiration at a global scale using satellite data or process-based models. However, it is difficult to directly obtain these values with fine spatial representation at regional scales using conventional ground-based measurement methods. Therefore, airborne measurements of turbulent flux are highly advantageous. By leveraging airborne measurements of H and LE fluxes collected in the Netherlands in August 2008, in this study we evaluated five machine learning methods for the construction of a regional gridded heat flux map, including artificial neural networks, boosted regression trees, random forest regression, deep neural networks, and support vector regression. The models were trained and tested using a dataset compiled from observations of H and LE, the digital elevation model, MODIS land surface temperature, enhanced vegetation index, and albedo data for each flux footprint. The best performing model was used to construct a regional gridded heat flux map over a case region located in the center of the Netherlands. The results shown that the support vector regression performed better than other models, with R2=0.91,RMSE=9.6W/m2 for H, and R2=0.89,RMSE=26.32W/m2 for LE. The constructed heat flux maps achieved a relative prediction error of ≤32.8% (R2>0.71) for H and ≤43.5% (R2>0.53) for LE compared to aircraft measurements. The constructed heat flux maps were then aggregated for each land cover type, providing individual estimates of source strength (52< H< 66 W/m2 and 108< LE< 218 W/m2) and spatial variability (52< σH< 66 W/m2 and 108< σLE< 218 W/m2) with an ensemble precision of < 6% (1σ). Finally, the limitations and future prospects of the current study were summarized and discussed.

Dry sliding wear and heat flux mapping of closed-cell Mg-2Zn-2Ca foam fabricated by stir casting route

Dry sliding wear mechanisms and of closed-cell Mg-2Zn-2Ca foam fabricated by stir-casting were investigated using pin-on-disc tribometer. Wear tests were conducted in wide range of varying load of 5–100 N and sliding velocities of 2,3 and 4 m/s at constant sliding distance of 1000 m to develop wear and heat flux mapping plots. Transition of mild to severe wear by establishing different wear mechanisms, its comparative study with solid alloy and microstructure characterization were carried out for potential sustainability of Mg-alloy foam in automotive and biomedical applications. Wear rate was reduced while increasing the effects of work hardening and decreasing the effects of thermal softening occurred during frictional heat flux generation due to competition between work hardening and thermal softening. The results were concluded that Mg-2Zn-2Ca foam exhibited good wear resistance at load up to 25 N, sliding velocity up to 2 m/s and recommended for low load bearing light-weight tribological applications.

Regional thermal anomalies derived from magnetic spectral analysis and 3D gravity inversion: Implications for potential geothermal sites in Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the several countries intersected by the East African Rift System (EARS) endowed by a geothermal potential that has been explored only to a limited extent. Here we present the first heat flux map over the region based on the Curie point depth (CPD) estimation from aeromagnetic data. We have estimated the base of magnetic sources as a proxy for the CPD from the radially average power spectra of the total magnetic field using the centroid and the de-fractal methods. Our results show that the CPDs range ca. 11 to 43 km and are comparable to, but more detailed than global CPD estimates. The heat flow has then been computed assuming a constant thermal conductivity. In order to evaluate the results against crustal thickness, we have inverted the gravimetric regional field data constrained by the existing Moho depth from seismic receiver functions. Our analysis has revealed high heat flow values (over 100 mW/m2) along the EARS and at the Proterozoic collision boundaries that have been reactivated by the EARS. In general, the high heat flow anomalies coincide with known surface geothermal manifestations and shallow Moho depth in the range ca. 30 to 35 km. A high heat flow anomaly is also found in the central part of the Tanzanian craton, likely related to the mantle plume imaged by seismic tomography. The most interesting areas for geothermal exploration in Tanzania, according to our results, are the EARS triple junction in the Rungwe volcanic province, the north Tanzania divergent zone and the areas of the Proterozoic collision boundaries reactivated by the EARS.

Thermal-hydraulic performance analysis of a hybrid micro pin–fin, jet impingement heat sink with non-uniform heat flow

• We present a novel concept for hotspot-targeted, energy efficient HT-JIHS for electronic chips. • The optimized jet hole arrangement and target plate can efficiently alter the flow distribution. • The total pressure drop will be dramatically reduced by enlarging the inlet diameter. • Optimized design is suitable for highly non-uniform heat flux maps. • The pumping power consumption for optimized design is less than 0.1%. Jet impingement as a highly efficient cooling method has been broadly used in the field of heat dissipation for high heat flow electronics. Well-designed structures including jet hole and pin–fin arrangement can significantly alter flow fields to provide a favorable trade between increased heat transfer performance and total pressure loss. In order to solve the imbalance problem of temperature uniformity and power consumption caused by non-uniform heat flux distribution in multi-core integrated circuits, a novel jet impingement cooling concept, for hotspot-targeted, energy efficient cooling of non-uniform heat generation electronics, was proposed in this paper. A three-dimensional numerical simulation was carried out to investigate the effects of jet hole diameter and distribution, heat transfer plate type and inlet area on heat transfer and resistance performance. The heat transfer coefficient, total pressure drop, maximum temperature rise and temperature non-uniformity were selected as the performance parameters. Compared with the traditional jet impingement heat sink, the well-designed heat sink in this work achieves an improvement of 58% in temperature non-uniformity while the total pressure drop is reduced by 68.7% at the same mass flow rate. In addition, the pumping power consumption is only 0.093% and 0.061% of the total heating power for 150 W/cm 2 and 300 W/cm 2 hotspot heat flux respectively while ensuring the acceptable temperature non-uniformity.

Новая методика расчета теплового стока рек при отсутствии данных наблюдений

In the paper, a comparative analysis of previously developed methods for calculating the heat flux of rivers in the absence of gauging-station data are given, and a new method for such calculations is proposed. It is based on the Maps of specific annual heat flux of zonal rivers and empirical dependencies of heat flux on the average height of the catchment area. An example of such a map is the “Map of specific annual heat flux (MT, 109× kJ/km2) of rivers in the northeast of the Asian part of Russia” plotted on the data for the period from 1950/1955 to 2018 and on the basis of data from 112 gauging stations. General recommendations for calculating the annual heat flux of medium-sized rivers that do not have posts, the intra-annual distribution of heat flux, the values of heat flux at the mouths of large rivers are set out in the paper. The values of heat flux calculated for the marine mouths of region large rivers and the sections of seacoasts between these mouths are given as an example of the implementation of the new recommendations. The list of new materials that help calculations includes new maps of average monthly water temperatures (May-October), the dependence of water temperature and heat flux on the average height of the catchment area, the division of the territory of the Northeast Asian part of Russia into 10 altitude-thermal zones, the relationship between heat flux and water runoff, the catchment area of the river and other materials. In total, data from 34 weather stations, 231 posts with water temperatures and 145 posts with water discharges were used in the research.

Downscaling Building Energy Consumption Carbon Emissions by Machine Learning

The rapid rate of urbanization is causing increasing annual urban energy usage, drastic energy shortages, and pollution. Building operational energy consumption carbon emissions (BECCE) account for a substantial proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, crucially influencing global warming and the sustainability of urban socioeconomic development. As a foundation of building energy conservation, determination of refined statistics of BECCE is attracting increasing attention. However, reliable and accurate representation of BECCE remains lacking. This study proposed an innovative downscaling method to generate a gridded BECCE intensity benchmark dataset with 1 km2 spatial resolution. First, we calculated BECCE at the provincial level by energy balance table application. Second, on the basis of building climate demarcation, partial least squares regression models were used to establish the BECCE behavior equations for three climate regions. Third, Cubist regression models were built, retrieving down scale at the prefecture level to 1 km2 BECCE, which well-captured the complex relationships between BECCE and multisource covariates (i.e., gross domestic product, population, ground surface temperature, heating degree days, and cooling degree days). The downscaled product was verified using anthropogenic heat flux mapping at the same resolution. In comparison with other published pixel-based datasets of building energy usage, the gridded BECCE intensity map produced in this study showed good agreement and high spatial heterogeneity. This new BECCE intensity dataset could serve as a fundamental database for studies on building energy conservation and forecast carbon emissions, and could support decision makers in developing strategies for realizing the CO2 emission peak and carbon neutralization.

A Geothermal Heat Flux Map of Antarctica Empirically Constrained by Seismic Structure

AbstractThe geothermal heat flux (GHF) is an important boundary condition for modeling the movement of the Antarctic ice sheet but is difficult to measure systematically at a continental scale. Earlier GHF maps suffer from low resolution and possibly biased assumptions in tectonism and crustal heat generation, resulting in significant uncertainty. We present a new GHF map for Antarctica constructed by empirically relating the upper mantle structure to known GHF in the continental United States. The new map, compared with previously seismologically determined one, has improved resolution and lower uncertainties. New features in this map include high GHF in the southern Transantarctic Mountains where warmer uppermost mantle is introduced by lithospheric removal and in the Thwaites Glacier region. Additionally, a modest GHF in the central West Antarctic Rift system near the Siple Coast and an absence of large‐scale regions with GHF greater than 90 mW/m2 are found.

Spicule Jets in the Solar Atmosphere Modeled with Resistive MHD and Thermal Conduction

Abstract Using numerical simulations, we study the effects of magnetic resistivity and thermal conductivity in the dynamics and properties of solar jets with characteristics of Type II spicules and cool coronal jets. The dynamic evolution of the jets is governed by the resistive MHD equations with thermal conduction along the magnetic field lines on a 2.5D slice. The magnetic field configuration consists of two symmetric neighboring loops with opposite polarity, used to support reconnection and followed by the plasma jet formation. In total, 10 simulations were carried out with different values of resistivity and thermal conductivity that produce jets with different morphological and thermal properties we quantify. We find that an increase in magnetic resistivity does not produce significant effects on the morphology, velocity, and temperature of the jets. However, thermal conductivity affects both temperature and morphology of the jets. In particular, thermal conductivity causes jets to reach greater heights and increases the temperature of the jet-apex. Also, heat flux maps indicate the jet-apex and corona interchange energy more efficiently than the body of the jet. These results could potentially open a new avenue for plasma diagnostics in the Sun’s atmosphere.

Bare and limiter DEMO single module segment concept first Wall misalignment study by 3D field line tracing

Within the framework of EUROfusion DEMO First Wall and limiter design activities, the protection of the First Wall against power deposition peaks is being considered. During steady-state operation, the radiative power from the plasma could be considered more uniformly spread on plasma-facing components than the charged particle power deposition. The presence of openings (i.e. gaps between segments and ports) and the introduction of limiters breaks the continuity of the wall and opens the possibility of localized high heat flux values on toroidal-facing gaps due to charged particles striking the wall. The heat flux pattern is likely to be altered by misalignments between components due to manufacturing, assembly or non-uniform/non-symmetrical operational conditions in the segments.In this paper, the 3D field line tracing code SMARDDA is used for studying the impact of misalignment on the heat load distribution for a periodically segmented DEMO First Wall, specifically the Single Module Segment Concept. The present work does not address any study on limiter misalignments, which will be treated separately. The work covers normal operation conditions (ramp-up and steady-state), considering both the cases of bare First Wall (without limiters, as reference) and First Wall protected by limiters. The main aim of the work is understanding how the power deposition on the First Wall (due to charged particles) is affected by the presence of a radial or vertical misalignment between segments and starting a workflow to be applied later to all the possible plasma scenarios and First Wall layout. Heat flux penalty factor maps have been created to identify the worst cases among the ones analyzed. The related heat flux maps are relevant for thermal assessments of a simplified DEMO model to be performed later on, particularly in terms of maximum temperature values for the current DEMO design.

Transient Vibro-Thermography and Nonlinear Resonant Modes

Abstract Transient vibro-thermography for nondestructive evaluation and super-resolution imaging of material defects invariably employs nonlinear contact dynamics involving the ultrasonic actuator (horn) and the surface of the target structure. It produces nonlinear resonant modes of vibration in the target structural component. Vibration-induced heat generation is one phenomenon involved here. However, the contribution of nonlinear vibration on the thermal signature is poorly understood. In this study, we consider a metallic component with a thin-walled cavity as a representative sharp feature tuned to the main excitation frequency of the ultrasonic actuator. We have developed a mathematical model to simulate transient thermal signature of structural discontinuity/cavity/defect. The model incorporates a coupled thermo-viscoelastic heat generation process in the bulk material based on the Helmholtz free energy formulation. To capture the source of nonlinear resonant modes, we incorporate the stick-separation contact dynamics due to the ultrasonic horn and the target structural component. Commercial finite element simulation (comsol multiphysics) is used to quantitatively understand the nonlinear vibration response and the thermal transport behavior of the target structure with the cavity. The proposed model accounts for the effects of both the normal and the shear components of deformation contributing on heat generation and captures the nonlinear modal contribution on the heat flux map. The study shows how the geometric feature and material parameters produce an evolution of the nonlinear subsuper harmonics along with the primary harmonics tuned to the excitation frequency. Results obtained from numerical simulations are compared with the experimental results.

Integrated optical-thermal-mechanical model for investigations into high temperature sodium receiver operation

An integrated optical-thermal-mechanical model is used to simulate the interaction between a heliostat field and sodium-cooled receiver through diurnal CSP plant operation. The cumulative heat flux on the receiver is controlled using a heliostat aiming strategy. A semi-empirical heat transfer model returns the receiver thermal profile based on the incident heat flux map, with aiming strategy solutions regulated by allowable flux density (AFD) data. A number of tube materials and inlet-outlet temperature combinations are investigated, with receiver thermal power output indicating suitable constructions for the delivery of elevated temperatures required for advanced power cycles. The selection of tube material is critical in maximising the heat absorption capabilities. The excellent creep-fatigue strength of Inconel 617 and Haynes 230 at high temperature yields a potential improvement in daily power output of up to 18% over more conventional heat exchanger materials. For these more traditional alloys, the aiming strategy requires a greater spillage allowance in order to generate a heat flux profile that satisfies lower mechanical reliability limits. The Ni-based superalloys alloys permit operation to temperatures far beyond conventional limits (>700°C), however the net power output is curtailed by greater heat losses at the receiver and an increased spillage requirement due to diminishing AFD levels.

Curie Depth, Heat Flux, and Thermal Subsidence Reveal the Pacific Mantle Outflow Through the Scotia Sea

AbstractThe sinking of the ocean sea bottom is produced by thermal cooling of the lithosphere. This evolution is determined by the underlying asthenospheric mantle. Estimation of the Curie Depth variations in the Scotia Sea by using a spectral approach and applied on magnetic anomaly data led us to determine a thermal model and derive a heat flux map. Using multichannel seismic and bathymetry data, we show that the West Scotia Sea reaches thermal equilibrium more quickly than other oceans do and thermally behaves like old oceanic crust in large oceans, following a different empirical age (t, in Ma)‐depth (d, in m) relationship, d(t) = 4,480 − 19,380 exp(−t/4). For oceanic crusts of the same age, underlain by different shallow mantle controlling the heat supply, low heat flux values imply older ages than those predicted for large oceans based on the empirical relationships of the standard plate model. These circumstances, together with the new heat flux map, shed light on the anomalous evolution of the Scotia Sea, a consequence of the present Pacific mantle outflow through the Drake Passage. Two branches of elevated heat flux surround the Shackleton Fracture Zone and extend to the northern and southern boundaries of the Scotia Plate. Most of the heat sources are located in the flanks, whereas the colder parts are centrally located. This signature supports the Drake Passage's role as a main mantle gateway for Pacific outflow toward the Atlantic reservoir favoring the oceanic spreading activity of this ocean.

Implications of earthquakes for the slab subduction dynamic process in Southeast Asia

Earthquake geohazards that occur throughout the Borneo Block, especially in SW Borneo, cannot be reconciled within the classical earthquake mechanism and a uniform stress field, and unfulfilled earthquake forecast for many years. In this paper, we present a new inventory of 37 Borneo earthquakes, and focal mechanisms show that in NE Borneo earthquakes and aftershocks are dominated by NW-trending normal faults, in East Borneo earthquakes are controlled by the reactivation of NW-trending sinistral strike-slip faults, and the NE-trending thrusts acted as the main seismogenic faults in the SE Borneo seismicity zone. We calculated the Coulomb stress and observed the shallow faults exhibiting a high coefficient response to the Coulomb stress change and all these earthquakes under the Coulomb failure regime have decreased by the stress shadows or are triggered by dynamic stress increase and propagation. We performed a research using the horizontal GPS velocity displacements and vertical seismic sections and found that the micro-blocks convergence occurred here corresponding to the Coulomb stress distribution, and can best explain the earthquake mechanism within the “Borneo Block”. Additionally, the earthquakes in SW Borneo showing a concordant focal mechanism along the Red-River Fault-Tinjar Fault-Sumatra Trench, are deduced to have formed along the “Sunda Block” boundary. Finally, the micro-block boundaries determined from the heatflux map can be effective in describing the main and aftershocks distribution in SE Asia, and the deep-shallow coupling dynamic model is proposed to solve the stress loading for these crustal-scale earthquakes and the responses to plate convergence in SE Asia.

A Partition Modeling for Anthropogenic Heat Flux Mapping in China

Anthropogenic heat (AH) generated by human activities has a major impact on urban and regional climate. Accurately estimating anthropogenic heat is of great significance for studies on urban thermal environment and climate change. In this study, a gridded anthropogenic heat flux (AHF) estimation scheme was constructed based on socio-economic data, energy-consumption data, and multi-source remote sensing data using a partition modeling method, which takes into account the regional characteristics of AH emission caused by the differences in regional development levels. The refined AHF mapping in China was realized with a high resolution of 500 m. The results show that the spatial distribution of AHF has obvious regional characteristics in China. Compared with the AHF in provinces, the AHF in Shanghai is the highest which reaches 12.56 W·m−2, followed by Tianjin, Beijing, and Jiangsu. The AHF values are 5.92 W·m−2, 3.35 W·m−2, and 3.10 W·m−2, respectively. As can be seen from the mapping results of refined AHF, the high-value AHF aggregation areas are mainly distributed in north China, east China, and south China. The high-value AHF in urban areas is concentrated in 50–200 W·m−2, and maximum AHF in Shenzhen urban center reaches 267 W·m−2. Further, compared with other high resolution AHF products, it can be found that the AHF results in this study have higher spatial heterogeneity, which can better characterize the emission characteristics of AHF in the region. The spatial pattern of the AHF estimation results correspond to the distribution of building density, population, and industry zone. The high-value AHF areas are mainly distributed in airports, railway stations, industry areas, and commercial centers. It can thus be seen that the AHF estimation models constructed by the partition modeling method can well realize the estimation of large-scale AHF and the results can effectively express the detailed spatial distribution of AHF in local areas. These results can provide technical ideas and data support for studies on surface energy balance and urban climate change.

DEMO First Wall misalignment study

Within the DEMO first wall 3D shape design activity, studying the effect of misalignment started in 2017. Such assessments have been conducted in the past for ITER and heat flux penalty factor maps have been created [1]; this route could be a feasible approach in the case of DEMO as well.This paper details the methodology that allows the effects of misalignments to be assessed for DEMO. The test cases focus on steady-state plasma operation (start of flat top). The aim is to understand the effect of basic misaligned cases, for example radial protrusion/recession or poloidal rotation of a single module. To do so, particle tracing software codes such as SMARDDA and PFCflux have been used to create heat flux maps that reach the first wall surfaces. These heat flux maps, combined with the specified radiative heat load, are used as input for simplified FE models of the blanket modules. As a result, not only the effect on heat flux, but also on the temperature (and later stress) distributions can be estimated.The paper describes how the obtained results can be implemented in ANSYS in the identified critical cases from the test matrix that has been studied. The results obtained from the nominal heat flux map are compared to the misaligned cases. The mitigating effect of the 3D nature of the heat conduction on the peak temperature is discussed.This work paves the way to assessing more realistic combined misaligned cases (such as misalignment from different thermal expansion, or due to electromagnetic loads etc. of neighbouring blankets) in the future.

Characterization of a New 10 kWe High Flux Solar Simulator Via Indirect Radiation Mapping Technique

This paper presents characterization of a new high flux solar simulator consisting of a 10 kW Xenon arc via indirect heat flux mapping technique for solar thermochemical applications. The method incorporates the use of a heat flux gauge (HFG), single Lambertian target, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera, and three-axis optical alignment assembly. The grayscale values are correlated to heat flux values for faster optimization and characterization of the radiation source. Unlike previous work in heat flux characterization that rely on two Lambertian targets, this study implements the use of a single target to eliminate possible errors due to interchanging the targets. The current supplied to the simulator was varied within the range of 120–200 A to change the total power and to mimic the fluctuation in sun's irradiance. Several characteristic parameters of the simulator were studied, including the temporal instability and radial nonuniformity (RNU). In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed on the number of images captured, which showed a threshold value of at least 30 images for essentially accurate results. The results showed that the flux distribution obtained on a 10 × 10 cm2 target had a peak flux of 6990 kWm−2, total power of 3.49 kW, and half width of 6.25 mm. The study concludes with the illustration and use of a new technique, the merging method, that allows characterization of heat flux distributions on larger areas, which is a promising addition to the present heat flux characterization techniques.