Design and global optimization of high-efficiency solar thermal systems with tungsten cermets
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Author(s)
Chester, David A.
Bermel, Peter A.
Soljacic, Marin
Joannopoulos, John
Celanovic, Ivan L.
Date Issued
March 2011
Journal
Optics Express
Publisher
Optical Society of America
Citation
Chester, David et al. “Design and Global Optimization of High-efficiency Solar Thermal Systems with Tungsten Cermets.” Optics Express 19.S3 (2011): A245. © 2011 OSA
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Solar thermal, thermoelectric, and thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems have high maximum theoretical efficiencies; experimental systems fall short because of losses by selective solar absorbers and TPV selective emitters. To improve these critical components, we study a class of materials known as cermets. While our approach is completely general, the most promising cermet candidate combines nanoparticles of silica and tungsten. We find that 4-layer silica-tungsten cermet selective solar absorbers can achieve thermal transfer efficiencies of 84.3% at 400 K, and 75.59% at 1000 K, exceeding comparable literature values. Three layer silica-tungsten cermets can also be used as selective emitters for InGaAsSb-based thermophotovoltaic systems, with projected overall system energy conversion efficiencies of 10.66% at 1000 K using realistic design parameters. The marginal benefit of adding more than 4 cermet layers is small (less than 0.26%, relative).
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
MIT Materials Research Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research Laboratory of Electronics
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.00A245
