Engineering Commons^™

Morphological And Energy Transport Optimization Of Spectrally-Selective Solar Absorber Coatings At Mesoscale, Dale Karas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A special class of cuprous-based inorganic oxide materials, synthesized as nanoparticles via hydrothermal and co-precipitation methods, are portable to spectrally-selective absorber coatings with high solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency. Operating reliably at elevated temperatures when used in tandem with solar concentrators, these materials enable cost-competitive solar energy conversion technology that can be incorporated with thermal energy storage systems, supporting the viability of novel renewable power generation; notably, optimizing absorptive performance while mitigating thermal losses through re-radiated waste heat motivates sustainable energy production particular to desert climates, where water conservation and ecological sensitivity needs are paramount.

This work targets the chemical synthesis …

Numerical Characterization Of The Flow Field And Heat Transfer Inside The Receiver Of A Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Carrying Supercritical Co2, Samad Gharehdaghimollahajloo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this research is to provide a detailed numerical analysis of flow field and heat transfer inside the heat collecting element of a parabolic trough collector. The parabolic trough collector is used as the boiler in a direct Super Critical Carbon Dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle.

A single collector is modeled and analyzed with different inlet conditions. The working fluid is supercritical since its pressure is increased to above critical pressure in the compressor while its temperature reaches 300 °C after passing through the recuperators and before entering the solar field. For the first time, this research considers both …

Simulating Distributed Battery And Solar Array Placement For Voltage Regulation, Michael Misch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Energy storage has been around for many years in the US, mainly in the form of pumped hydro. However, in recent years, other storage technologies have developed quickly, with lithium ion batteries receiving significant investment and delivering technological and price improvements. Electricity storage has the potential to assist the US in transitioning to a smarter grid, as well as enabling increasing amounts of renewable generation to connect to the grid, without costly reinforcement works. Electricity storage can be co-located with power generation assets, installed along distribution systems for network services, or placed behind the meter, i.e., on the customer’s premises. …

Nanomaterials For Solar Distillation Technology, Jack Warren Stoddard Cheney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water is the most important resource for mankind. Yet, 97% of the earth’s surface water is seawater in the oceans and only 3% is fresh water in ground water. Therefore, different kinds of water desalination and treatment technologies have been developed, and water distillation is a basic process of evaporating water in order to leave behind impurities such as minerals, pollutants, and other contaminants. Although distillation is known as an effective water treatment process that removes many kinds of bacteria and inorganic chemicals and heavy metals, a large amount of conventional energy and non-renewable resources are consumed for this process. …

Dynamic Modelling Of Single Phase Grid Connected Photovoltaic System, Gopi Krishna Ari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power systems have been sustaining an exponential growth rate during the past decade. This steep growth is driven by a growing concern about climate change, the adoption of an aggressive regional renewable portfolio standard, rebates and tax incentives, and reduction in PV system cost. One of the main technical barriers that can ultimately limit further PV penetration is the fast variations in the PV system's output power induced by cloud transients. Such events are known to cause voltage fluctuations which may lead to excessive operations of voltage regulation equipment and light flickering.

Solar irradiance variability, which can …