Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy (CoRE-RE), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 5;7:45999. doi: 10.1038/srep45999.
Environmental dusts settle on surfaces and influence the performance of concentrated solar energy harvesting devices, such as aluminum troughs. The characteristics of environmental dust and the effects of mud formed from the dust particles as a result of water condensing in humid air conditions on an aluminum wafer surface are examined. The dissolution of alkaline and alkaline earth compounds in water condensate form a chemically active mud liquid with pH 8.2. Due to gravity, the mud liquid settles at the interface of the mud and the aluminum surface while forming locally scattered patches of liquid films. Once the mud liquid dries, adhesion work to remove the dry mud increases significantly. The mud liquid gives rise to the formation of pinholes and local pit sites on the aluminum surface. Morphological changes due to pit sites and residues of the dry mud on the aluminum surface lower the surface reflection after the removal of the dry mud from the surface. The characteristics of the aluminum surface can address the dust/mud-related limitations of reflective surfaces and may have implications for the reductions in the efficiencies of solar concentrated power systems.
环境尘埃会沉降在表面上，并影响聚光型太阳能收集装置（如铝制槽）的性能。本文研究了环境尘埃的特性，以及在潮湿空气条件下水凝结在铝片表面上形成的灰尘颗粒形成的泥浆对其性能的影响。水凝结物中的碱性和碱性土化合物溶解，形成 pH 值为 8.2 的具有化学活性的泥浆液体。由于重力的作用，泥浆液体在泥浆和铝表面的界面处沉降，同时形成局部分散的液膜斑块。一旦泥浆液体变干，去除干泥浆所需的粘附功会显著增加。泥浆液体在铝表面上形成针孔和局部凹坑。由于凹坑和铝表面上干泥浆残留物导致的形貌变化，会降低干泥浆从表面去除后表面的反射率。铝表面的特性可以解决反射表面与灰尘/泥浆相关的限制问题，并且可能会降低太阳能集中供电系统的效率。
