AJK2011-31026 WET STEAM FLOWRATE CALIBRATION FACILITY

ABSTRACT Newly developed wet steam flowrate calibration facility is introduced. It has a closed loop in which boilers generate a steam flow up to 800 kg/h. Steam flow of known wetness up to 12 % is generated by cooling down a dry steam flow by a heat exchanger. The wetness is calculated from the enthalpy the heat exchanger draws from the dry steam flow. Analysis of the facility performance, calibration results of an orifice flowmeter calibration, and uncertainty analysis are described. INTRODUCTION Steam flow is widely used in industries and distinct/house heating systems since it is a very flexible medium with high heating capacity. To reduce the energy consumption in the steam systems, it is inevitable to measure the steam flowrate. However, it is often very difficult to make accurate measurements because of the wetness, i.e., water is flowing together with the vapor in the flow. Recently, wet gas flowrate measurements were intensively investigate

NGCPV: A new generation of concentrator photovoltaic cells, modules and systems

This work introduces the lines of research that the NGCPV project is pursuing and some of the first results obtained. Sponsored by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Program and NEDO (Japan) within the first collaborative call launched by both Bodies in the field of energy, NGCPV project aims at approaching the cost of the photovoltaic kWh to competitive prices in the framework of high concentration photovoltaics (CPV) by exploring the development and assessment of concentrator photovoltaic solar cells and modules, novel materials and new solar cell structures as well as methods and procedures to standardize measurement technology for concentrator photovoltaic cells and modules. More specific objectives we are facing are: (1) to manufacture a cell prototype with an efficiency of at least 45% and to undertake an experimental activity, (2) to manufacture a 35% module prototype and elaborate the roadmap towards the achievement of 40%, (3) to develop reliable characterization techniques for III-V materials and quantum structures, (4) to achieve and agreement within 5% in the characterization of CPV cells and modules in a round robin scheme, and (5) to evaluate the potential of new materials, devices technologies and quantum nanostructures to improve the efficiency of solar cells for CPV

NGCPV: a new generation of concentrator photovoltaic cells, modules and systems

Starting on June 2011, NGCPV is the first project funded jointly between the European Commission (EC) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan to research on new generation concentration photovoltaics (CPV). The Project, through a collaborative research between seven European and nine Japanese leading research centers in the field of CPV, aims at lowering the cost of the CPVproduced photovoltaic kWh down to 5 ?cents. The main objective of the project is to improve the present concentrator cell, module and system efficiency, as well as developing advanced characterization tools for CPV components and systems. As particular targets, the project aims at achieving a cell efficiency of at least 45% and a CPV module with an efficiency greater than 35%. This paper describes the R&D activities that are being carried out within the NGCPV project and summarizes some of the most relevant results that have already been attained, for instance: the manufacturing of a 44.4% world record efficiency triple junction solar cell (by Sharp Corp.) and the installation of a 50 kWp experimental CPV plant in Spain, which will be used to obtain accurate forecasts of the energy produced at system level

Qualification Test Results of IMM Triple-Junction Solar Cells, Space Solar Sheets, and Lightweight&Compact Solar Paddle

Development of a high specific power, low stowage volume and lightweight solar paddle utilizing high-efficiency, thin-film, InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell has been completed. The cell exhibits the efficiency of as high as 32% with sufficient radiation resistance. Owing to the high efficiency of the cell, the paddle achieved the specific power of greater than 150 W/kg. Qualification and reliability tests for the cell and paddle were carried out. The results confirmed that both the cell and paddle have enough capability to use them in space. Space demonstration of the paddle is now in preparation

Qualification Test Results of IMM Triple-Junction Solar Cells, Space Solar Sheets, and Lightweight&Compact Solar Paddle

Development of a high specific power, low stowage volume and lightweight solar paddle utilizing high-efficiency, thin-film, InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell has been completed. The cell exhibits the efficiency of as high as 32% with sufficient radiation resistance. Owing to the high efficiency of the cell, the paddle achieved the specific power of greater than 150 W/kg. Qualification and reliability tests for the cell and paddle were carried out. The results confirmed that both the cell and paddle have enough capability to use them in space. Space demonstration of the paddle is now in preparation

Displacement damage dose analysis of the output characteristics of In0.5Ga0.5P and Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells irradiated with alpha ray simulated helium ions

To investigate applicability of radiation-hard indium–gallium–phosphide (InGaP) and copper–indium–gallium–sulfide–selenide (CIGS) solar cells to dosimeter devices without any modification, we irradiated high-energy He+ ions, which were simulated α-ray particles, to an InGaP and a CIGS solar cell. We found that both types of solar cells have sufficient resistance to He+ ions. By using displacement damage dose (DDD) analysis, the obtained He+ ion-induced degradation trends were compared with those induced by high-energy electrons, and we found that the degradation trends due to He+-ions, electrons, and protons aligned on the same curve when we plotted the data as a function of a modified DDD conversion equation, which originally was applied to space solar cells. The obtained DDD formulas enable us to predict the device lifetime or correction of an output signal for degradation when such solar cells are employed as a dosimeter

Evaluation of temperature characteristics of high-efficiency InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells under concentration

Temperature characteristics of the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) were investigated in the temperature range from 30℃ to 240 ℃ for the InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction cells. Also, single-junction cells that had the similar structure to the subcells in the triple-junction cells were studied. In the high-temperature range (from 170℃ to 240℃), the temperature coefficients of V_oc of the InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cell (dV_oc/dT) were different from those in the low-temperature range (from 30℃ to 100℃). This is because photo-voltage from the Ge subcell becomes almost 0 V in the high-temperature range. It was found that the open-circuit voltage of a Ge single-junction cell reduced to almost 0V temperatures over 120℃ under 1 sun condition