TY - JOUR
T1 - Key factors impacting performance of a salinity gradient solar pond exposed to Mediterranean climate
AU - Torkmahalleh, Mehdi
AU - Askari, Mohammad
AU - Gorjinezhad, Soudabeh
AU - Eroğlu, Dilem
AU - Obaidullah, Madina
AU - Habib, Abdullrahman Rajab
AU - Godelek, Sevgi
AU - Kadyrov, Sultan
AU - Kahraman, Orhun
AU - Pakzad, Negar Zare
AU - Ahmadi, Goodarz
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/1/15
Y1 - 2017/1/15
N2 - Solar ponds are low cost pools of brine solutions with integrated storage zones that harvest incident solar energy and store it as thermal energy. The current study examined the performance of a salinity gradient solar pond under the Mediterranean climatic condition for ten consecutive months of operation, from October 8, 2014 to July 31, 2015. The presented results are based on the experimental data of a small-scale circular pond, 61 cm in diameter a height of 55 cm, constructed and operated at Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus (METUNCC). The study showed the necessity of regular surface washing and having excess undissolved salt at the lower convective zone (LCZ) to maintain the pond stability. The variations in the temperature of the non-convective (NCZ) and lower convective zones (LCZ) are found to be a function of both ambient temperature and solar irradiation (insolation). The variation of the overall pond's temperature strongly follows the changes in ambient temperature while solar insolation directly affects the increase in temperature gradient by depth. During the period of this study, the pond reached the highest average temperature of 48 °C in July 2015 while the average ambient temperature for this month was 30 °C.
AB - Solar ponds are low cost pools of brine solutions with integrated storage zones that harvest incident solar energy and store it as thermal energy. The current study examined the performance of a salinity gradient solar pond under the Mediterranean climatic condition for ten consecutive months of operation, from October 8, 2014 to July 31, 2015. The presented results are based on the experimental data of a small-scale circular pond, 61 cm in diameter a height of 55 cm, constructed and operated at Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus (METUNCC). The study showed the necessity of regular surface washing and having excess undissolved salt at the lower convective zone (LCZ) to maintain the pond stability. The variations in the temperature of the non-convective (NCZ) and lower convective zones (LCZ) are found to be a function of both ambient temperature and solar irradiation (insolation). The variation of the overall pond's temperature strongly follows the changes in ambient temperature while solar insolation directly affects the increase in temperature gradient by depth. During the period of this study, the pond reached the highest average temperature of 48 °C in July 2015 while the average ambient temperature for this month was 30 °C.
KW - LCZ
KW - Mediterranean climate
KW - NCZ
KW - Salinity
KW - Solar pond
KW - UCZ
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U2 - 10.1016/j.solener.2016.12.037
DO - 10.1016/j.solener.2016.12.037
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85007452323
VL - 142
SP - 321
EP - 329
JO - Solar Energy
JF - Solar Energy
SN - 0038-092X
ER -