Student Research Colloquium on

Advances in Engineering and Information Technology

(AIET-2016)
Design and Simulation of Solar Devices for Satellite Based
Application using Comsol Multiphysics
Tithi Desaia, Sumathi Ayyalusamya, Ravishankar Dudhea*
a
School of IT and Engineering, Manipal University, Dubai, UAE

Abstract

Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are semiconductor devices that convert solar energy to electricity using
photovoltaic effect. These cells are commonly known as solar cells, or solar panels, and in 2012 around
93 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity was produced, which is enough to power over 20 million homes.
When designing solar panels, it is important all parameters are taken into account in order to minimize
the losses. In this paper we discuss two main solar energy generation devices namely Solar Dish receiver
and Solar panel array. We have varied various parameters of the solar dish array and simulated using
COMSOL Multiphysics how these parameters have an effect on the efficiency of the receiver. Also, we
have designed the model for solar array and simulated the effect of fluid flow load (wind speed 54km/hr)
on the solar panel efficiency.

Keywords: Solar dish receiver, solar arrays, heat flux, fluid flow load, comsol

1. Introduction

Use of solar technology has increased drastically in both domestic and industrial applications. This is
mainly due to the increased cost of electric supply and the desire to produce great amount of energy from
renewable sources. Based on their application these solar panels and dishes are produced in different sizes
and shapes. In industrial application, these panels are produced in array configuration, where each set
includes 3*4 or 2*3 panels close to each other with a small gap between them.
These panels are installed around 2 to 5 feet above the ground for ease of maintenance and air ventilation
purpose. Given the large surface area the aerodynamic forces acting on these modules could have a great
effect on the functioning of these panels. Hence the flow conditions and its interaction with the panel is
of interest to minimize the damage. [1,2,3]
In the past various studies have been made for solar arrays and fluid flow interaction. Chevalien and
Norton (1979) studied rows of solar panels on a model building in a wind tunnel and their sheltering
effects. Peterka et al (1980) carried out studies on Parabolic-Trough solar panels for industrial buildings.
Cochran (1992) worked on the frame loads for large arrays in turbulent boundary layer and how the gap
between panels might affect the aerodynamic loads on them. Kopp and Surry (2002) performed an
experimental research on the total system torque measured at the main drive gear box used for panels
solar tracking system. [4]
2 Tithi Desai, Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe/ SOE&IT,Manipal University,Dubai (2016)

Solar dish collector is another power generation system. It has excellent application base due to its high
concentrated ratio and collection ability. [5] The cavity receiver plays a very important role in the overall
system as it aids in the solar-thermal conversion process. Non-uniform flux distribution can prove harmful
to the system specially at high temperature solar thermal utilization as the cavity can get heated up and
lead to partial crack and melting. High and uniform temperature of receivers can prove beneficial for its
reliability, efficiency and life-span. [6,7]
In this paper, we are simulating both the solar dish receiver and the solar panel array. For the solar dish
receiver, we are seeing the flux intensity at the collector as a result of the parameters variation.
For the solar array we will be investigating the following:
Solving for the fluid flow around the solar panel. Due to the complexity of the flow field, a
number of sub steps are required to reach the final flow solution, where the free stream velocity
above the solar panel is 15 m/s or 54km/hr.
Studying the deformation of the solar panel caused by the fluid load.

2. Simulation Using Multiphysics

To support the bottlenecks, simulation plays an important role where study of different parameters can
be done and we can see how the solar arrays and dish receivers react to these change in parameters. The
experimental results are analysed to come up with conclusive and suggestive key point. COMSOL
Multiphysics model has various physics that can be used to study various parameters and create realistic
conditions to help the design engineer to tailor the parameters as per the required applications.

3. Configuration

3.1 Solar Dish receiver

A paraboloid dish concentrates the solar energy received on a target (receiver), causing very high heat
fluxes. This is used to generate steam, which can be used to power a generator, or hydrogen, used directly
as a fuel source. In the model discussed in the paper, the heat flux arriving as a function of the radial
position arriving on the receiver is computed. Corrections due to the finite size of the sun, surface
roughness and limb darkening on the surface of the dish are considered.

(a) (b)
Fig. 1: a) A large parabolic dish collects incoming solar radiation and focuses it on a collector; b) Comsol structure
of solar dish receiver

A parabolic solar dish with a focal length, f, of 3 m is constructed using the Parametric Curve feature.
The dish has a rim angle, , of 45 deg, and so the shape of the dish has the following form:
 Tithi Desai under the guidance of Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe/ SOE&IT,Manipal University,Dubai (2016)

(1)

where s has the range :

(2)

Some of the incoming radiation is absorbed by the dish itself. In this model, we have set the absorption
coefficient to 0.1, meaning that 90% of the incoming radiation is reflected. Rays are released from 540
distinct points, uniformly distributed over the surface of the solar dish. For each release point, there are
20 rays released in wave vector space to correct for limb darkening, and 20 rays in wave vector space to
correct for surface roughness, resulting in a total of 540 x 20 x 20 = 216,000rays.
The parameters considered for simulation are:
Rim angle of the dish receiver
Focal length of the dish
Collector height and width

3.2 Solar Panel Periodic Flow Model

The solar panel in question is located inside a regularly spaced array of panels subjected to an
oncoming wind as shown in figure 2. In the model we are assuming that enough panels are positioned
both upstream and downstream of the panel for periodic flow conditions to be applicable in the stream
wise direction. Seen from a position high above the ground, the array of solar panels acts as a rough
boundary for the atmospheric flow.

Fig.2: The modeled solar panel (in red) located in a regular array of identical panels

Fig. 3: a) Front-view of the solar panel used in the fluid-flow simulation; b) Back- view of the solar panel including
supports for the structural mechanics simulation
4 Tithi Desai, Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe/ SOE&IT,Manipal University,Dubai (2016)

The solar panel model is made of a material with stiffness of 3.5GPa (5% the stiffness of solid
aluminum) and Poissons ratio of 0.33.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1 Solar Dish Receiver Table 1- Variation of heat flux with

The initial values for the solar dish receiver are

as follows

Rim Angle, = 45
Focal Length, fL = 3m
Collector height, CH = 30mm
Collector width, CW= 100mm

We change the rim angle from 15 degrees to 65 degrees and observe how the heat flux changes on the
receiver. [8]

(a) (b)
Fig. 4 Heat flux on surface of receiver for a) = 45 b) = 15

We can see from the table that the heat flux changes a lot with change in the rim angle. As we increase
the rim angle, the focal length becomes smaller and hence the heat flux on the collector surface reduces.
Rim angle is inversely proportional to the heat flux. Table 2 shows the orthogonal array of the different
parameters and figure 5 shows how it affects the heat flux. The yellow marked is the highest which
indicates that absorption coefficient plays important role in determining the heat flux.
Fig. 5 Bar graph showing effect of various parameters on heat flux; Table 2: Orthogonal array for variation of
parameters
 Tithi Desai under the guidance of Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe/ SOE&IT,Manipal University,Dubai (2016)

4.2 Solar Panel Periodic flow

Figure 6 shows the flow-field solution around the solar panel for an inlet-to-outlet pressure difference of
1 Pa. After simulation we can see the flow field in the center plane of the solar panel using a surface plot
combined with velocity vectors at the inlet and outlet. The flow field above the panel is of boundary layer
type with a maximum velocity of about 15.4 m/s in the free stream. In the simulation below a recirculation
one is observed between the panels in the array. The flow is fast at the top of the panel (red streamlines)
and slow in the turbulent flow of the recirculation zone (blue and green streamlines).

Fig. 6: Velocity streamlines- colored by turbulent kinetic energy normalized by kinetic energy in the free stream,
and in-plane velocity components 6 cm behind the panel.

As we can see, the upper-right corner of the panel is exposed to the highest pressure and strongest winds.
Figure 7(a) shows the surface pressure on the panel where we can see the maximum pressure points on
the panel.

(a) (b)
Fig. 7: a) Surface fluid pressure contours present and in-plane velocity components 6 cm behind the panel. Inlet
to outlet pressure difference is 1 Pa; b) Displacement of the solar panel structure due to the fluid flow load

In the above figure 7a we can see that the maximum relative pressure, about 30 Pa, occurs in the
panels upper-right corner. A large stream wise vortex is generated behind the panel, the center of which
6 Tithi Desai, Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe/ SOE&IT,Manipal University,Dubai (2016)

is aligned with the panels outer side. At the upper-right corner, the high pressure correlates with a high
degree of deflection of the flow and formation of the stream wise vortex.
Figure 7b shows the displacement of the structure due to the flow of wind. Largest displacement occurs
in the upper right corner. However, the maximum displacement value is very small, about 0.35mm. This
indicates that the surrounding solar panels effectively shield the solar panel from oncoming flow. It also
points in the direction that for a solar panel positioned inside a large array, the fluid load on the structure
at the current free stream velocity is not significant enough to dictate the design of the structure.

5. Conclusions

With COMSOL analysis of the solar energy structures, the designer can optimize the parameters in
designing complex solar dishes and panels. It was shown that the rim angle has a significant effect on the
heat flux of the collector in a solar dish receiver. The change in collector height has no effect on the heat
flux. But as per the Taguchi analysis, collector radius plays a minor role in the determination of the heat
flux. Absorption coefficient and rim angle are most important factors for the heat flux.We also simulated
the solar panel periodic flow conditions for 54km/hr. As the photovoltaic industry expands and solar
panels become more and more energy efficient and cost effective, we need to increase the durability of
the solar panels. Additional analyses and optimizations need to be carried out in order to see if the solar
panel geometry discussed above could withstand stronger winds/pressure, like what would be
experienced in a violent storm with winds of up to 117km/h.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal Dubai Management and
Research Centre for supporting me with my project and providing me with the resources required for
the successful completion of the project.

I would also like to thank Dr. Ravishankar Dudhe for guiding me through the project and helping me
overcome the challenges faced during the execution of the project work.

References

[1] Fage, F.C.Johanson,On the Flow of Air behind an Inclined Flat Plate of Infinite
Span,Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.116, No. 773,(1927) 170-197
[2] L. Chevalien, J. Norton, Wind loads on solar collector panels and support structure,
Aerospace Engineering Department, Texas A&M University (1979).
[3] Mehrdad Shademan, Horia Hangan Wind loading on solar panels at different inclination angles,
proceeding of 11th American Conference on Wind Engineering, 22-26 June, 2009.
[4] World Energy Outlook. Executive summary; 2012, www.worldenergyoutlook.org/
[5] Concentrating solar power: its potential contribution to a sustainable energy future. The European
Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC)policy report 16, November; 2011.
[6] Yong Shuai, Xin-Lin Xia, He-Ping Tan, 2008.Radiation performance of dish solar
concentrator/cavity receiver systems. Journal of Solar Energy 82(2008)13-21.
[7] Design and Optimization of a New Solar Dish Cavity Receiver/Absorber, Ye Wang, Guoqiang
Xu, Yongkai Quan, Xiang Luo and Haiwang Li, 3rd International Conference on Energy and
Environmental Science, 2013.
[8] Effect of rim angle to the flux distribution diameter in solar parabolic dish collector, Billy Anak
Sup, Mohd. Farid Zainudin, Tanti ZanariahShamsirAli, Rosli Abu Bakar, Gan Leong Ming, 2nd
International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering and Application, ICSEEA 2014.