Solar Vaporization Research Articles

Solar Absorber Gel: Localized Macro‐Nano Heat Channeling for Efficient Plasmonic Au Nanoflowers Photothermic Vaporization and Triboelectric Generation

AbstractPlasmonic nanoparticles with outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency are promising for solar vaporization. However, the high cost and the required intense light excitation of noble metals, hinder their practical application. Herein, an inexpensive 3D plasmonic solar absorber gel that embraces all the desirable optical, thermal, and wetting properties for efficient solar vaporization is reported. The broadband absorption and strong near‐field intertip enhancement of the sparsely dispersed gold nanoflowers contribute to efficient light‐to‐heat conversion, while the macro‐nano thermal insulative silica gel retains and channels the plasmonic heat directly to the water pathways contained within the porous gel. The plasmonic‐based solar absorber gel shows a vaporization efficiency of 85% under solar irradiation of 1 sun intensity (1 kW m−2). Moreover, the porous gel framework exhibits high mechanical stability and antifouling properties, potentially useful for polluted/turbid water evaporation. Complementary water condensation‐induced triboelectricity can be harvested alongside fresh water condensate, granting simultaneous fresh water production and electricity generation functionalities. The facile sol‐gel synthesis at room temperature makes the solar absorber gel highly adaptable for practical large‐scale photothermal applications.

Self‐Contained Monolithic Carbon Sponges for Solar‐Driven Interfacial Water Evaporation Distillation and Electricity Generation

AbstractSolar vaporization has received tremendous attention for its potential in desalination, sterilization, distillation, etc. However, a few major roadblocks toward practical application are the high cost, process intensive, fragility of solar absorber materials, and low efficiency. Herein an inexpensive cellular carbon sponge that has a broadband light absorption and inbuilt structural features to perform solitary heat localization for in situ photothermic vaporization is reported. The defining advantages of elastic cellular porous sponge are that it self‐confines water to the perpetually hot spots and accommodates cyclical dynamic fluid flow‐volume variable stress for practical usage. By isolating from bulk water, the solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency is increased by 2.5‐fold, surpassing that of conventional bulk heating. Notably, complementary solar steam generation‐induced electricity can be harvested during the solar vaporization so as to capitalize on waste heat. Such solar distillation and waste heat‐to‐electricity generation functions may provide potential opportunities for on‐site electricity and fresh water production for remote areas/emergency needs.

Plasmon based metal-graphene nanocomposites for effective solar vaporization

Graphene-silver nanoparticle composites for effective solar absorption are prepared by coupling surface plasmon and optical absorption of individual phases as low cost materials. Optoelectronic and morphological properties are studied with varying synthetic conditions to optimize their photothermal response. Plasmonic silver nanoparticles encapsulated in graphene layers act as localized solar heating elements of its surrounding medium, because of which a significant heating is observed. The tested composites are quite stable under prolong exposure to solar radiation and hence may find potential applications in various fields.

Solar water heating and vaporization with silicon nanoparticles at mie resonances

We propose analytically and demonstrate experimentally that an ensemble of silicon nanoparticles with different sizes can effectively absorb sunlight. Due to the extinction of silicon from UV to near-infrared region, Mie resonances in silicon nanoparticles dramatically enhance the absorption of solar light. In experiment, silicon nanoparticles dispersed in water worked as excellent sunlight-heat transducers that efficiently harvest sunlight to accelerate heating and vaporization of water by nanoscale local heating. Our study opens up the potential of silicon nanoparticles in various solar-thermal applications.

Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Vaporization System Using Solar Energy

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is an important source of residential gas in China. Conventional LPG vaporizer mainly depends on electric heating as its heat source. In this paper, a new LPG vaporization system using solar thermal energy is designed for a residential community in Beijing. A detailed economic analysis of the solar LPG vaporization system is performed by the use of life cycle savings (LCS) method. Mortgage payment, maintenance cost, fuel cost, income tax, salvage value and the time value of money are also taken into account. It is concluded that the solar vaporization system has a significant life cycle savings of 77,589 Yuan after 15 years and is more economical than the conventional electric vaporization system with the same vaporization capacity.

High-temperature solar energy utilization after 15 years R&D: kick-off for the third generation of technologies

Today we look back on 15 years of international research and development of solar tower, parabolic trough and parabolic dish technologies. Many countries have contributed to this effort. The market is growing. Some 300 MW e from solar thermal parabolic trough power plants are being fed into electric grids and doing peaking/intermediate load duty under commercial conditions. It is reported that several hundred additional megawatts are under contract or being planned. Approxomately 3–5 billion DM have been spent worldwide on R&D. Only the parabolic trouh power plants have managed to get beyond the R&D stage. Here the accumulated experience is about 1000MW e ×a (1989) power plant operating years. Solar tower and parabolic dish technologies still have to demonstrate their market readiness or are not yet at the pilot project stage. A consortium of European and USA companies is preparing an air-colled 30 MW e solar tower power plant, PHOEBUS, for Jordan. The foundations are being laid for high-temperature solar chemistry. Fifteen years after the initiation of research activities, the international community of scientists and engineers at work on solar thermal energy conversion needs a nwe perspective for the next 15 years in order to avoid technological gaps. There are even more incentives for this work than before: ♭ Over five billion people live on earth; six billion are likely in 2000. The population doubles in only 30 years now! All need to be fed and clothed, all of them need a roof over their head. Since by far the majority lives in or near the highly insolated parts of the world, solar energy utilization is a natural choice. ♭ Investments for energy supply are a significant economic factor. In 1986 they amounted to 320 billion US$ (not including countries with centrally planned economies), which is equivalent to 11% of the world's capital investments. In the future, the greatest demand for energy supply projects will be in the developing countries, most of which are located in the earth's sun belt. For these countries the World Bank estimates a need for annual power plant investments of over 100 billion US$ for the next 20 years. At present about 20 billion US$/a is being invested by the energy utilities, by development banks, and as a result of bilateral agreements. This leaves a balance of over 50 billion US$ for which new financing has to be found. ♭ The use of solar energy contributes only very marginaly, if at all, to environmental damage. Solar energy does not require energy raw materials and as a consequence does not prodcue any associated pollutants. Those aspects of solar energy technologies having effects on teh environment, such as land area, material and eneryg intensities, are becoming less and less relevant because of progress in R&D. ♭ By contrast, the finite nature of the fossil energy raw materials and their irreversible for quasi-irreversible damage to the environment are becoming ever more obvious. The atmosphere is burdened with 22.5 × 10 9 tons of anthropogenic CO 2 annually (198). There is no containment technology yet nor is an economically applicable one likely. Research and development for the third generation of solar thermal high-temperature technologies has to be started and carried out with perseverance, in international cooperation. It is hoped that the International Energy Agency (IEA) can once again provide the necessary protective climate. Examples for future projects are: ♭ lightweigth membrane heliostats, troughs and dishes; ♭ industrialized solarized prime movers in the several hundred kilowatt to a few hundred megawatt range; ♭ receiver-reactors for dishes; ♭ thermal/latent heat storage for intermediate-load duty solar thermal plants; ♭ advanced air-cooled or direct particle absorption receivers; ♭ direct solar water vaporization receivers/loops. This paper views the state-of-the-art of high-temperature solar thermal energy conversion, raises questions about the relevant future technologies, outlines appropriate organizational and management structures, and estimates the financial requirements and the time scale.