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Package includes installation, operation and maintenance manual for collector, analysis of safety hazards, special handling instructions, materials list, installation drawings, and warranty and certification statement. Manual includes instructions for roof preparation and for preparing collector for installation. Several pages are devoted to major and minor repairs.
Report presents test procedures and results of program to obtain thermal performance data on liquid, incident-angle-modifier, heat-loss-coefficient, and stagnation tests.
Report presents procedures and results of a program to obtain thermal performance data on double-covered liquid solar collectors.
The Solar 2 dimensions are four feet by eight feet by two and one half inches. The collector weighs 130 pounds and has an effective solar collection area of over 29.5 square feet. This area represents 95 percent of the total surface of the collector. The installation, operation and maintenance manual, safety hazard analysis, special handling instructions, materials list, installation concept drawings, warranty and certification statement are included in the installation package.
Progress in the development, fabrication, and delivery of solar subsystems consisting of a solar operated pump, and solar collectors which can be used in solar heating and cooling, or hot water, for single family, multifamily, or commercial applications is reported.
An analysis is given of the Low-Cost Silicon Solar Array Project plans for the industrialization of new production technologies expected to be forthcoming as a result of the project's technology development efforts. In particular, LSSA's mandate to insure an annual production capability of 500 MW peak for the photovoltaic supply industry by 1986 is critically examined. The examination focuses on one of the concerns behind this goal -- timely development of industrial capacity to supply anticipated demand. Some of the conclusions include: (1) construction of small-scale pilot plants should be undertaken only for purposes of technology development; (2) large-scale demonstrations should be undertaken only when the technology is well in hand; (3) commercial-scale production should be left to the private sector; (4) the 500-MW annual output goal should be shifted to Program Headquarters.
Problems which may arise as the low cost silicon solar array (LSSA) project attempts to industrialize the production technologies are defined. The charge to insure an annual production capability of 500 MW peak for the photovoltaic supply industry by 1986 was critically examined, and focused on one of the motivations behind this goal-concern over the timely development of industrial capacity to supply anticipated demand. Conclusions from the analysis are utilized in a discussion of LSSA's industrialization plans, particularly the plans for pilot, demonstration and commercial scale production plants. Specific recommendations for the implementation of an industrialization task and the disposition of the project quantity goal were derived.
A transformation of the laminar boundary layer equations, similar to the transformation of Kao et al. (1977), is presented which allows arbitrary distributions of both wall temperature and blowing. The procedure yields constant boundary conditions, but variable coefficients appear in the differential equations. The proposed transformation is applicable to the problem of downward burning of vertical pieces of condensed-phase combustibles.
A finite element structural model of a 30.48 m x 30.48 m x 2.54 mm completely free aluminum plate is described and modal frequencies and mode shape data for the first 44 modes are presented. An explanation of the procedure for using the data is also presented. The model should prove useful for the investigation of controller design approaches for large flexible space structures.
A simple, efficient and very lightweight preliminary design for a 5 KW and 20 KW BOL output concentrated array evolved and is described by drawings. The relative effectiveness of this design, as compared to an unconcentrated planar array of equal power output, was measured by comparing power to mass performance of and the solar cell area required by each. Improvements in power to mass performance as high as 42% together with array area size reduction of 57% are possible in GaAs systems. By contrast, when the same concentrator design is applied to silicon systems, no improvement in power to mass can be obtained although array area reductions as high as 35% are obtainable.
Work in optical trapping in 'thick films' is described to form a design guide for photovoltaic engineers. A thick optical film can trap light by diffusive reflection and total internal reflection. Light can be propagated reasonably long distances compared with layer thicknesses by this technique. This makes it possible to conduct light from inter-cell and intra-cell areas now not used in photovoltaic modules onto active cell areas.
An analysis is presented which integrates the results of specific studies in the areas of photovoltaic structural design optimization, optimization of array series/parallel circuit design, thermal design optimization, and optimization of environmental protection features. The analysis is based on minimizing the total photovoltaic system life-cycle energy cost including repair and replacement of failed cells and modules. This approach is shown to be a useful technique for array optimization, particularly when time-dependent parameters such as array degradation and maintenance are involved.
Photovoltaic module design features and performance characteristics have undergone significant evolutionary changes between pre-1975 First Generation configurations and current Third Generation design technology. A major contributor to this evolution was an iterative process of continuing design guideline and specification development for major module procurements. Module manufacturers have actively responded to these evolving requirements through progressively improving designs. This iterative/feedback process is described. Interim design guidelines and preliminary design options reflecting the LSA 1982 Module Technical Readiness Specification (November 1979) are described with respect to previous design and performance requirements.
The engineering design, fabrication, assembly, operation, economic analysis, and process support research and development for an Experimental Process System Development Unit for producing semiconductor-grade silicon using the slane-to-silicon process are reported. The design activity was completed. About 95% of purchased equipment was received. The draft of the operations manual was about 50% complete and the design of the free-space system continued. The system using silicon power transfer, melting, and shotting on a psuedocontinuous basis was demonstrated.
A two inch-diameter stainless steel reactor was designed to operate at pressure up to 500 psig and at temperature up to 600 C in order to study the hydrochlorination of silicon tetrachloride and metallurgical grade (m.g.) silicon metal to trichlorosilane. The hydrochlorination apparatus is described and operation safety and pollution control are discussed.
A two inch diameter stainless steel reactor was designed and built to operate at pressures up to 500 psig for the experimental studies on the hydrochlorination of SiCl4 and metallurgical grade (m.g.) silicon metal to SiHCl3. In order to clearly see the effect of pressure, the experiments were carried out at low reactor pressures of 73 psig and 150 psig, respectively. A large pressure effect on the hydrochlorination reaction was observed between the results of the low pressure experiments and the results of the high pressure experiments. In general, higher pressure produces a higher conversion of SiHCl3, but at a lower reaction rate. The effect of temperature on the reaction rate was studied at 73 psig. Higher reaction temperature gave a higher conversion and a higher reaction rate. Samples of the materials used to construct the hydrochlorination reactor were prepared for corrosion tests.
Equipment developed for the manufacture of over 100 kg of silicon ingot from one crucible by rechanging from another crucible is described. Attempts were made to eliminate the cost of raising the furnace temperature to 250 C above the melting point of silicon by using an RF coil to melt polycrystalline silicon rod as a means of rechanging the crucible. Microprocessor control of the straight growth process was developed and domonstrated for both 4 inch and 6 inch diameter. Both meltdown and melt stabilization processes were achieved using operator prompting through the microprocessor. The use of the RF work coil in poly rod melting as a heat sink in the accelerated growth process was unsuccessful. The total design concept for fabrication and interfacing of the total cold crucible system was completed.
The engineering design, fabrication, assembly, operation, economic analysis, and process support R and D for an Experimental Process System Development Unit (EPSDU) are reported. About 95% of purchased equipment is received and will be reshipped to the West Coast location. The Data Collection System is completed. In the area of melting/consolidation, to the system using silicon powder transfer, melting and shotting on a pseudocontinuous basis is demonstrated. It is proposed to continue the very promising fluid bed work.