ASP Online Seminars: The System performance analysis of a novel solar parabolic trough with cavity receiver unit

by Dr Marie Chantal CYULINYANA (University of Rwanda)

Tuesday 4 May 2021, 13:30 → 15:00 GMT

Abstract:

Solar energy has been acknowledged as key resource of renewable energy in South Africa to supplement the country energy needs and generate a cleaner power. Solar trough thermal power plants convert concentrated solar radiation into high-temperature heat which can be converted in turn into electricity.

In order to increase green technologies and contribute to the energy production in this region, scientists are looking at the way of combining different resources. Solar energy technology is one of the solutions to reduce carbon emission and respond to the energy demand which tends to increase nowadays. An improved solar through plant system is believed to contribute on this and fill the gap in green energy production. A novel design for the receiver unit is presented which aims to decrease the radiant energy losses while raising the temperature of the working fluid, when compared to conventional systems.

In this talk, a Monte Carlo ray tracing method is implemented to numerically simulate the concentrated heat flux on the receiver’ surfaces and the effects of cavity size and absorber alignment are investigated. This is done to accurately predict the heat flux distributions on the receiver cavity and estimate the whole system performance.  Simulated results are validated with experiments results.

This project is fund by NRF under the freestanding post doctorate fellowship (2019-2021)

Host Institution: University of the Witwatersrand

Host supervisor: Prof Philippe Ferrer

Post doctorate fellow: Dr Cyulinyana  Marie Chantal

Contact email : mariechantal@aims.ac.za

In addition to the scientific research, a brief overview on community engagement, i.e., Rwandan Association for Women in Science and Engineering (RAWISE ) which aims to contribute and promote female participation in science, technology, engineering, and decision-making processes, will be given. The number of Rwandan women that embrace Science and Technicalfields of study & careers still low.  However, similarly to the rest of the World, the proportion of women-to-men in most technical fields is still very low. Thus, RAWISE was created to provide support to women already in these fields, in terms of mentorships and increase of visibility.  Its role is to bridge that gap for Rwanda women scientists, who might find themself isolated in their field of research and/or their work/office place. Having this safe space where you know your colleagues have your back, where you can learn from your seniors and ask for help or feedback with the certitude that someone is going to step up and guide you. We also reach out to young girls encouraging them to pursue sciences. This is done through outreaches and bringing the role models to them so that they can get inspired.Some activities will be presented.

ASP_04052021__MarieChantalCYULINYANA.mp4

ASP_4_May 2021_ Marie Chantal.pdf

Dr. Marie Chantal Cyulinyana Profile.pdf

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