{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1789"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1789","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Experimental investigations of using silica aerogel to harvest unconcetrated sunlight in a solar thermal receiver","abstract":"Significant demand exists for solar thermal heat in the mid-temperature ranges (120 oC – 220 oC). Generating heat in this range requires expensive optics or vacuum systems in order to utilize the diluted solar energy flux reaching the earth’s surface. Current flat plate solar collectors have significant heat losses and achieving higher temperatures without using concentrating optics remains a challenge. In this work, we designed a prototype flat plate collector using silica- aerogel. Optically Transparent Thermally Insulating silica aerogel with its high transmittance and low thermal conductivity is used as a volumetric shield. The prototype collector was subjected to ambient testing conditions during the months of winter. The collector reached the temperatures of 220 oC and a future prototype design is proposed to incorporate large aerogel monoliths for scaled up applications. This work opens up possibilities solar energy being harnessed in intermediate temperature range using a non-concentrated flat plate collector.","abstract_html":"Significant demand exists for solar thermal heat in the mid-temperature ranges (120 oC – 220 oC). Generating heat in this range requires expensive optics or vacuum systems in order to utilize the diluted solar energy flux reaching the earth’s surface. Current flat plate solar collectors have significant heat losses and achieving higher temperatures without using concentrating optics remains a challenge. In this work, we designed a prototype flat plate collector using silica- aerogel. Optically Transparent Thermally Insulating silica aerogel with its high transmittance and low thermal conductivity is used as a volumetric shield. The prototype collector was subjected to ambient testing conditions during the months of winter. The collector reached the temperatures of 220 oC and a future prototype design is proposed to incorporate large aerogel monoliths for scaled up applications. This work opens up possibilities solar energy being harnessed in intermediate temperature range using a non-concentrated flat plate collector.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hansaliya, Nisarg"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Yang, Sungwoo","Elliott, Louie; Damshala, Prakash","College of Engineering and Computer Science"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:59Z","subjects":["Solar energy","Energy development","Electric power production"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/629","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Yang, Sungwoo","Elliott, Louie; Damshala, Prakash","College of Engineering and Computer Science"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hansaliya, Nisarg"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2019-12-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Solar energy","Energy development","Electric power production"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/629"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Mechanical Engineering","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Significant demand exists for solar thermal heat in the mid-temperature ranges (120 oC – 220 oC). Generating heat in this range requires expensive optics or vacuum systems in order to utilize the diluted solar energy flux reaching the earth’s surface. Current flat plate solar collectors have significant heat losses and achieving higher temperatures without using concentrating optics remains a challenge. In this work, we designed a prototype flat plate collector using silica- aerogel. Optically Transparent Thermally Insulating silica aerogel with its high transmittance and low thermal conductivity is used as a volumetric shield. The prototype collector was subjected to ambient testing conditions during the months of winter. The collector reached the temperatures of 220 oC and a future prototype design is proposed to incorporate large aerogel monoliths for scaled up applications. This work opens up possibilities solar energy being harnessed in intermediate temperature range using a non-concentrated flat plate collector."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experimental investigations of using silica aerogel to harvest unconcetrated sunlight in a solar thermal receiver"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Yang, Sungwoo","Elliott, Louie; Damshala, Prakash","College of Engineering and Computer Science"],"dc:creator":["Hansaliya, Nisarg"],"dc:date":["2019-12-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.available":["2021-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Mechanical Engineering","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["Significant demand exists for solar thermal heat in the mid-temperature ranges (120 oC – 220 oC). Generating heat in this range requires expensive optics or vacuum systems in order to utilize the diluted solar energy flux reaching the earth’s surface. Current flat plate solar collectors have significant heat losses and achieving higher temperatures without using concentrating optics remains a challenge. In this work, we designed a prototype flat plate collector using silica- aerogel. Optically Transparent Thermally Insulating silica aerogel with its high transmittance and low thermal conductivity is used as a volumetric shield. The prototype collector was subjected to ambient testing conditions during the months of winter. The collector reached the temperatures of 220 oC and a future prototype design is proposed to incorporate large aerogel monoliths for scaled up applications. This work opens up possibilities solar energy being harnessed in intermediate temperature range using a non-concentrated flat plate collector."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/629"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["Solar energy","Energy development","Electric power production"],"dc:title":["Experimental investigations of using silica aerogel to harvest unconcetrated sunlight in a solar thermal receiver"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:59Z"}