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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Van Allen Probes observation and modeling of chorus excitation and propagation during weak geomagnetic activities

We report correlated data on nightside chorus waves and energetic electrons during two small storm periods: 1 November 2012 (Dst ≈ –45) and 14 January 2013 (Dst ≈ –18). The Van Allen Probes simultaneously observed strong chorus waves at locations L = 5.8 – 6.3, with a lower frequency band 0.1–0.5fce and a peak spectral density ~10 –4 nT 2 /Hz. In the same period, the fluxes and anisotropy of energetic (~10–300 keV) electrons were greatly enhanced in the interval of large negative interplanetary magnetic field Bz. Using a bi-Maxwellian distribution to model the observed electron distribution, we perform ray tracing simulations to show that nightside chorus waves are indeed produced by the observed electron distribution with a peak growth for a field-aligned propagation approximately between 0.3f ce and 0.4f ce , at latitude <7°. Moreover, chorus waves launched with initial normal angles either θ < 90° or > 90° propagate along the field either northward or southward and then bounce back either away from Earth for a lower frequency or toward Earth for higher frequencies. The current results indicate that nightside chorus waves can be excited even during weak geomagnetic activities in cases of continuous injection associated with negative Bz. Furthermore, we examine a dayside event during a small storm C on 8 May 2014 (Dst ≈ –45) and find that the observed anisotropic energetic electron distributions potentially contribute to the generation of dayside chorus waves, but this requires more thorough studies in the future.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evolution of chorus emissions into plasmaspheric hiss observed by Van Allen Probes

The two classes of whistler mode waves (chorus and hiss) play different roles in the dynamics of radiation belt energetic electrons. Chorus can efficiently accelerate energetic electrons, and hiss is responsible for the loss of energetic electrons. Previous studies have proposed that chorus is the source of plasmaspheric hiss, but this still requires an observational confirmation because the previously observed chorus and hiss emissions were not in the same frequency range in the same time. In this paper, we report simultaneous observations form Van Allen Probes that chorus and hiss emissions occurred in the same range ~300–1500 Hz with the peak wave power density about 10 -5 nT 2 /Hz during a weak storm on 3 July 2014. Chorus emissions propagate in a broad region outside the plasmapause. Meanwhile, hiss emissions are confined inside the plasmasphere, with a higher intensity and a broader area at a lower frequency. A sum of bi-Maxwellian distribution is used to model the observed anisotropic electron distributions and to evaluate the instability of waves. A three-dimensional ray tracing simulation shows that a portion of chorus emission outside the plasmasphere can propagate into the plasmasphere and evolve into plasmaspheric hiss. Moreover, hiss waves below 1 kHz are more intense and propagate over a broader area than those above 1 kHz, consistent with the observation. Finally, the current results can explain distributions of the observed hiss emission and provide a further support for the mechanism of evolution of chorus into hiss emissions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Energy Coupling Mechanisms and Scaling Behavior Associated with Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

In situ optical absorptivity measurements are carried out to clarify the physics of the laser-material interactions involved and to validate both finite element and analytical models describing laser powder bed fusion processing. Absorption of laser energy is evaluated directly using precise calorimetry measurements and compared to melt pool depths for common structural metal alloys (Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel 625, and stainless steel 316L) as a function of incident laser power, scan velocity and laser beam diameter. Changes in both absorptivity and melt pool depths for all materials are found to vary strongly across the conduction-keyhole mode threshold. A hydrodynamic finite element model is coupled to a ray-tracing-based absorptivity model, yielding excellent agreement with the experimental results and elucidating additional physics. The experimental results are further analyzed using normalized enthalpy ( β ) and normalized thermal diffusion length ( L* th ) relations and demonstrate that the normalized melt pool depth ( d* = d/a , where d is melt pool depth and a is beam radius) is proportional to βL* th , while absorptivity follows an asymptotic exponential function against βL* th . Expressions for melt pool depth and laser absorptivity across different materials and laser scan systems are derived and thus provide useful tools to accelerate the optimization of laser processing parameters for metal 3D printing processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Evidence for the Band-Edge Exciton of CuInS 2 Nanocrystals Enables Record Efficient Large-Area Luminescent Solar Concentrators

Ternary I-III-VI 2 nanocrystals (NCs), such as CuInS 2 , are receiving attention as heavy-metals-free materials for solar cells, luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs), LEDs, and bio-imaging. The origin of the optical properties of CuInS 2 NCs are however not fully understood. A recent theoretical model suggests that their characteristic Stokes-shifted and long-lived luminescence arises from the structure of the valence band (VB) and predicts distinctive optical behaviours in defect-free NCs: the quadratic dependence of the radiative decay rate and the Stokes shift on the NC radius. If confirmed, this would have crucial implications for LSCs as the solar spectral coverage ensured by low-bandgap NCs would be accompanied by increased re-absorption losses. Here, by studying stoichiometric CuInS 2 NCs, it is revealed for the first time the spectroscopic signatures predicted for the free band-edge exciton, thus supporting the VB-structure model. At very low temperatures, the NCs also show dark-state emission likely originating from enhanced electron-hole spin interaction. In this study, the impact of the observed optical behaviours on LSCs is evaluated by Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulations. Based on the emerging device design guidelines, optical-grade large-area (30×30 cm 2 ) LSCs with optical power efficiency (OPE) as high as 6.8% are fabricated, corresponding to the highest value reported to date for large-area devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Artificial ground reflector size and position effects on energy yield and economics of single‐axis‐tracked bifacial photovoltaics

Abstract Artificial ground reflectors improve bifacial energy yield by increasing both front and rear‐incident irradiance. Studies have demonstrated an increase in energy yield due to the addition of artificial reflectors; however, they have not addressed the effect of varying reflector dimensions and placement on system performance and the impact of these parameters on the reflectors' financial viability. We studied the effect of high albedo (70% reflective) artificial reflectors on single‐axis‐tracked bifacial photovoltaic systems through ray‐trace modeling and field measurements. In the field, we tested a range of reflector configurations by varying reflector size and placement and demonstrated that reflectors increased daily energy yield up to 6.2% relative to natural albedo for PERC modules. To confirm the accuracy of our model, we compared modeled and measured power and found a root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.4% on an hourly basis. We modeled a typical meteorological year in Golden, Colorado, to demonstrate the effects of artificial reflectors under a wide range of operating conditions. Seventy percent reflective material can increase total incident irradiance by 1.9%–8.6% and total energy yield by 0.9%–4.5% annually after clipping is considered with a DC–AC ratio of 1.2. Clipping has a significant effect on reflector impact and must be included when assessing reflector viability because it reduces reflector energy gain. We calculated a maximum viable cost for these improvements of up to $2.50–4.60/m 2 , including both material and installation, in Golden. We expanded our analysis to cover a latitude range of 32–48°N and demonstrated that higher‐latitude installations with lower energy yield and higher diffuse irradiance content can support higher reflector costs. In both modeling and field tests, and for all locations, the ideal placement of the reflectors was found to be directly underneath the module due to the optimized rear irradiance increase.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Benchmarking Cylindrical Blast Wave Theory Against the OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Reentry

Weak shock theory based on cylindrical blast waves has been used to interpret meteor infrasound, but it has not been systematically benchmarked against a non-ablating hypersonic source with independently known parameters. The objective of this study is not to propose a new theoretical framework, but to evaluate the operational validity of the existing suite of blast radius formulations against a high-fidelity ground truth dataset. The OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule reentry on 24 September 2023 provides such a benchmark because the capsule geometry, trajectory, and infrasound emission points are constrained from mission data and ray tracing, reducing source-side uncertainty associated with ablation. Using observations from 39 infrasound stations, this benchmarking study evaluates six published blast radius (${R}_{0}$ ) formulations and three weak-shock transition coefficients ( C ) within a stratified atmospheric propagation model to predict signal period and peak overpressure. The benchmarking identifies the Sakurai formulation as the best-performing formulation for non-ablating bodies, with the Jones/Plooster formulation performing comparably when a physically appropriate C is adopted. Sakurai and Jones/Plooster yield linear-period median absolute percentage residuals of 9% and 11%, respectively. The period predictions show only weak sensitivity to C at these propagation distances. The Mach-diameter approximation commonly used in meteor studies overestimates ${R}_{0}$ by more than a factor of 3 in the absence of ablation. Finally, these results establish a performance baseline for applying cylindrical blast wave theory to effectively non-ablating hypersonic bodies and demonstrate that the signal period is a robust observable for constraining ${R}_{0}$.

atmospheric entry↗
DOE OSTI2019

Dot tracking methodology for background-oriented schlieren (BOS)

We propose here a dot tracking methodology for processing background-oriented schlieren (BOS) images. The technique improves the accuracy, precision and spatial resolution compared to conventional cross-correlation algorithms. Our methodology utilizes the prior information about the dot pattern such as the location, size and number of dots to provide near 100% yield even for high dot densities (20 dots/32 × 32 pixels) and is robust to image noise. Furthermore, we propose an improvement to the displacement estimation step in the tracking process, especially for noisy images, using a “correlation correction”, whereby we combine the spatial resolution benefit of the tracking method and the smoothing property of the correlation method to increase the dynamic range of the overall measurement process. We evaluate the performance of the method with synthetic BOS images of buoyancy-driven turbulence rendered using ray-tracing simulations, and experimental images of flow in the exit plane of a converging–diverging nozzle. The results show that the improved spatial resolution results in a better accuracy of the tracking method compared to correlation-based methods in regions with sharp displacement gradients, and the correlation correction step reduces the noise floor of the measurement, resulting in a fourfold improvement in the dynamic range.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Uncertainty amplification due to density/refractive index gradients in background-oriented schlieren experiments

Here, we theoretically analyze the effect of density/refractive index gradients on the measurement precision of background-oriented schlieren (BOS) experiments by deriving the Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the 2D centroid estimation process. A model is derived for the diffraction limited image of a dot viewed through a medium containing density gradients that includes the effect of the experimental parameters such as the magnification and f-number. It is shown using the model that nonlinearities in the density gradient field lead to blurring of the dot image. This blurring amplifies the effect of image noise on the centroid estimation process, leading to an increase in the CRLB and a decrease in the measurement precision. The ratio of position uncertainties of a dot in the reference and gradient images is shown to be a function of the ratio of the dot diameters and dot intensities. We termed this parameter the amplification ratio (A F ), and a methodology for reporting position uncertainties in tracking-based BOS measurements is proposed. The theoretical predictions of the dot position estimation variance from the CRLB are compared to ray tracing simulations, and agreement is obtained. The uncertainty amplification is also demonstrated on experimental BOS images of flow induced by a spark discharge, where it is seen that regions of high amplification ratio correspond to regions of density gradients. This analysis elucidates the dependence of the position uncertainty on density and refractive index gradient-induced distortion parameters, provides a methodology for accounting its effect on uncertainty quantification and provides a framework for optimizing experiment design.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Computation of Effective Radiative Properties of Powders for Selective Laser Sintering Simulations

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technique for rapidly creating parts directly from a computer-aided design (CAD) model by using a laser to fuse successive layers of powder. However, better understanding of the effect of particle-level variations on the overall build quality is needed. In this work, we investigated these effects computationally by considering the role of the particle size distribution and variations in the powder bed depth to mimic the part complexity found in overhangs and protrusions. In addition, the results from these studies can be distilled to obtain better effective material properties such as laser absorptivity and laser extinction coefficient that are needed for continuum models of the process. We implement a Monte Carlo ray-tracing algorithm within the discrete element model in the open-source simulation software MFiX. Random, loose-packed, particle bed structures are generated, and effective absorptivity and extinction coefficients are calculated. Results are compared against previous computational and experimental measurements for free, monodisperse, and deep powder beds, with good agreement being obtained. Correlations along with uncertainties are developed to allow the effective absorptivity and extinction coefficient as a function of various particle and operational parameters to be accurately set in SLS macroscale models.

Moser, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2020

Potential annual daylighting performance of a high-efficiency daylight redirecting slat system

While the primary role of window attachments is often to moderate glare and solar heat gains, they are also able to provide additional daylight to interior spaces. For this purpose, a variety of daylight-redirecting window systems have been developed over the past 150 years. Fixed reflective systems (slats/light shelves) or prismatic systems that rely on total internal reflection work well under specific solar conditions, but generally sacrifice performance over a much wider range of incident solar angles and sky conditions. Dynamic systems - typically reflective slats - are more responsive to sun angles but have not been able to achieve optimal performance for glare and daylight redirection efficiency. A previous investigation into an adjustable, reflective blind concept first conceived of in the late 1970s showed promise but was not reduced to practice due to lack of adequate simulation and analysis tools. In this paper, this concept is further developed and its energy and visual comfort performance evaluated for four mid-latitude, temperate climates using ray-tracing simulation techniques. Overall, results indicate significant potential lighting energy savings when compared with conventional automated reflective blinds (2.1–4.9 kWh/(m 2 ·a), or 14%–42%, depending on climate and orientation) or, especially, manually-operated matte white venetian blinds (1.4–7.9 kWh/(m 2 ·a), or 9%–54%, depending on climate and orientation), while maintaining acceptable or better visual comfort conditions throughout the interior space.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing: Physics of complex melt flow and formation mechanisms of pores, spatter, and denudation zones

Our study demonstrates the significant effect of the recoil pressure and Marangoni convection in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) of 316L stainless steel. A three-dimensional high fidelity powder-scale model reveals how the strong dynamical melt flow generates pore defects, material spattering (sparking), and denudation zones. The melt track is divided into three sections: a topological depression, a transition and a tail region, each being the location of specific physical effects. The inclusion of laser ray-tracing energy deposition in the powder-scale model improves over traditional volumetric energy deposition. It enables partial particle melting, which impacts pore defects in the denudation zone. Different pore formation mechanisms are observed at the edge of a scan track, at the melt pool bottom (during collapse of the pool depression), and at the end of the melt track (during laser power ramp down). Finally, we discuss remedies to these undesirable pores are discussed. The results are validated against the experiments and the sensitivity to laser absorptivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Improvement of transport-corrected scattering stability and performance using a Jacobi inscatter algorithm for 2D-MOC

The MPACT code, being developed collaboratively by the University of Michigan and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is the primary deterministic neutron transport solver being deployed within the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) as part of the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). In many applications of the MPACT code, transport-corrected scattering has proven to be an obstacle in terms of stability, and considerable effort has been made to try to resolve the convergence issues that arise from it. Most of the convergence problems seem related to the transport-corrected cross sections, particularly when used in the 2D method of characteristics (MOC) solver, which is the focus of this work. Here in this paper, the stability and performance of the 2-D MOC solver in MPACT is evaluated for two iteration schemes: Gauss-Seidel and Jacobi. With the Gauss-Seidel approach, as the MOC solver loops over groups, it uses the flux solution from the previous group to construct the inscatter source for the next group. Alternatively, the Jacobi approach uses only the fluxes from the previous outer iteration to determine the inscatter source for each group. Consequently for the Jacobi iteration, the loop over groups can be moved from the outermost loop$-$as is the case with the Gauss-Seidel sweeper$-$to the innermost loop, allowing for a substantial increase in efficiency by minimizing the overhead of retrieving segment, region, and surface index information from the ray tracing data. Several test problems are assessed: (1) Babcock & Wilcox 1810 Core I, (2) Dimple S01A-Sq, (3) VERA Progression Problem 5a, and (4) VERA Problem 2a. The Jacobi iteration exhibits better stability than Gauss-Seidel, allowing for converged solutions to be obtained over a much wider range of iteration control parameters. Additionally, the MOC solve time with the Jacobi approach is roughly 2.0-2.5× faster per sweep. While the performance and stability of the Jacobi iteration are substantially improved compared to the Gauss-Seidel iteration, it does yield a roughly 8$-$10% increase in the overall memory requirement.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Vectorial approach of determining the wave propagation at metasurfaces

Vector approach often benefits optical engineers and physicists, and a vector formulation of the laws of reflection and refraction has been studied (Tkaczyk, 2012). However, the conventional reflection and refraction laws may be violated in the presence of a metasurface, and reflection and refraction at the metasurface obey generalized laws of reflection and refraction (Yu et al., 2011). In this letter, the vectorial laws of reflection and refraction at the metasurface were derived, and the matrix formulation of these vectorial laws are also obtained. These results enable highly efficient and unambiguous computations in ray-tracing problems that involve a metasurface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Heat transfer in directly-irradiated high-temperature solid–gas flows laden with polydisperse particles

Heat transfer in directly-irradiated high-temperature solid–gas flows laden with polydisperse particles is investigated using a novel transient three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model. The model couples particle–gas hydrodynamics of solid–gas flows laden with polydisperse particles, radiative heat transfer in non-grey absorbing, emitting and anisotropically-scattering multi-component participating media, conduction heat transfer in the gas phase, and interfacial convection heat transfer. The multiphase particle-in-cell method is used to predict high-fidelity solid–gas flow characteristics, such as the local discrete particle size distribution, with increased computational efficiency by combining the advantages of both Eulerian and Lagrangian methods. The multi-component radiative transfer model is implemented using an advanced collision-based Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The number of the prescribed discrete particle components is found to be the key parameter affecting the computational accuracy and efficiency, which primarily depends on the size distribution of the particles. For the model particle–gas flow featuring free-falling Gamma-distributed ceramic particles exposed to concentrated solar irradiation, the particle volume fraction, radiative, fluid flow and thermal characteristics appear to converge with the increasing number of the discrete particle components. Five particle components are sufficient to obtain physically meaningful results. A further increase in the number of the particle components only slightly increases the accuracy of the numerical predictions at the expense of a rapidly increasing computational time. For five particle components, the particle vertical velocity at the receiver exit for particles with the diameter of 43.4 μm is 57% of that for the particles with the diameter of 202.8 μm. The temperatures of these two particle components increase from the initial ambient values by factors of 2 and 1.2, respectively, during the simulation time. In conclusion, the model developed allows for increased fidelity of particle–gas flow simulations with significant radiative effects.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Self-aligned concentrating immersion-lens arrays for patterning and efficiency recovery in scaffold-reinforced perovskite solar cells

In contrast to existing silicon, CIGS, and multi-junction cells that exhibit remarkable mechanical durability, perovskite solar cells have been shown to delaminate when subjected to the mechanical loads that occur during processing and field exposures, limiting their potential as a reliable solar technology. Mechanical reinforcement is thus essential for durable and reliable perovskite technologies. One current strategy to overcome the thermomechanical fragility of perovskite solar cells is to extrinsically shield them by introducing reinforcing scaffolds which partition the cell into many distinct microcells, but improvements in mechanical stability coincide with a reduced device efficiency due to parasitic absorption by the scaffold. We address this reduced efficiency by integrating concentrating immersion-lens arrays (CILAs) into scaffold-reinforced solar cells. These scaffolds are lithographically patterned by a maskless process, in which ultraviolet light is used to pattern the scaffolds through the CILAs, ensuring self-alignment and optical contact with the microcells. Perovskite devices are deposited into the microcells, and during operation, light is concentrated into the microcells and away from the insulating scaffolds, resulting in mechanically resilient solar cells with efficiencies comparable to planar devices. The CILAs also exhibit passive tracking of incident light—verified experimentally and with ray-tracing simulations—which is critical for optimal power output as the sun moves across the sky during the day. The simplicity of the fabrication process and the efficiency of the resulting scaffolded devices show that a lens-integrated scaffold-reinforced structure is a potential pathway to high-performance, robust, commercially viable perovskite solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Coupled modeling of a directly heated tubular solar receiver for supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle: Optical and thermal-fluid evaluation

In single phase performance and appealing thermo-physical properties supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO 2 ) make a good heat transfer fluid candidate for concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The development of a solar receiver capable of delivering s-CO 2 at outlet temperatures ~973 K is required in order to merge CSP and s-CO 2 Brayton cycle technologies. A coupled optical and thermal-fluid modeling effort for a tubular receiver is undertaken to evaluate the direct tubular s-CO 2 receiver’s thermal performance when exposed to a concentrated solar power input of ~0.3–0.5 MW. Ray tracing, using SolTrace, is performed to determine the heat flux profiles on the receiver and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) determines the thermal performance of the receiver under the specified heating conditions. Moreover, an in-house MATLAB code is developed to couple SolTrace and ANSYS Fluent. CFD modeling is performed using ANSYS Fluent to predict the thermal performance of the receiver by evaluating radiation and convection heat loss mechanisms. Understanding the effects of variation in heliostat aiming strategy and flow configurations on the thermal performance of the receiver was achieved through parametric analyses. Finally, a receiver thermal efficiency ~85% was predicted and the surface temperatures were observed to be within the allowable limit for the materials under consideration.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Analysis of a Solid Particle Light-Trapping Planar Cavity Receiver Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is one of the most effective ways of harnessing solar power to create efficient, durable, and resilient energy systems. This study entails thermal modeling and analysis of a novel central tower receiver configuration. This receiver uses solid particles as the heat transfer fluid (HTF), a promising option for third-generation CSP systems. The configuration considered here is the light-trapping planar cavity receiver (LTPCR) introduced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. While heat transfer studies of various LTPCR subsystems have been done, system-level thermal analysis of the LTPCR receiver has not been attempted. This study also presents important sensitivity analyses of the operating parameters of the CSP system, which can help guide the design of future central tower receivers. This study employs Ansys Fluent as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool to model fluid dynamics and heat transfer in the receiver, intending to quantify its thermal performance. The model seamlessly integrates Monte Carlo ray tracing data, which generates absorbed solar flux profiles from the heliostat field design, with the heat transfer characteristics of the fluidized particle bed. This unified model is designed to accurately predict the thermal behavior of the LTPCR. Analysis of preliminary results reveals that the primary loss mechanisms are radiative and natural convective losses, in that order. Based on observations from a baseline case, several strategies are suggested and numerically tested. These solutions include selective cooling of high-temperature regions and manipulation of particle bed parameters. Selective cooling of high-temperature regions reduced the peak temperature by 151 degrees C and decreased thermal losses by 0.9%. Improving the particle-wall heat transfer coefficient (P-W HTC) of the particle bed decreased the thermal losses by 1.7% and decreased the peak temperatures by 57 degrees C. Decreasing the particle inlet temperature (PIT) also reduced thermal losses by 3.5% and decreased peak temperatures by 29 degrees C. Compounding these strategies improved the thermal losses of the receiver from 13.5% in the baseline case to 7.5%. Additionally, the study explores the variation in thermal performance across different locations of the receiver, where a variation of thermal losses from 12.9% to 17.3% is found. This allows a comprehensive evaluation of potential improvements in efficiency and temperature management.

computational fluid dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Daylight performance of a microstructured prismatic window film in deep open plan offices

Daylight redirecting systems with vertical windows have the potential to offset lighting energy use in deep perimeter zones. Here, a microstructured prismatic film designed for such use was characterized using goniophotometric measurements and ray tracing simulations. The synthetically-generated bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF) data were shown to have good agreement with limited measured data for normal incident angles (0–60°). Measured data indicated that the prismatic film was most efficient when vertical angles of incidence were between 18 and 35° and within ±45° of normal incidence to the plane of the window so maximum energy savings across the full depth of the zone occurred over the equinox to winter solstice period. Annual lighting energy use and visual comfort in a deep open plan office zone were evaluated using the Radiance three-phase method in several climates and for south and east-facing window orientations. Lighting energy savings were 39–43% for a 12 m (40 ft) deep south-facing perimeter zone compared to the same zone with no lighting controls. The prismatic film with and without a diffuser controlled glare for views parallel to the window but produced glare for seated viewpoints looking toward the window. At mature market costs, the system was projected to have a simple payback of 2–6 years. Technical challenges encountered throughout the evaluation led to improvements in measurement and modeling tools and stressed the importance of having accurate input data for product development.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗