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Evaluation of Multilayer Thin Film Coatings for Solar Thermal Applications

  • Research Article - Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract

The multilayer thin film coatings are one of the proven technologies for improvement in solar thermal and optical applications. In current solar thermal and optical systems, multilayer thin film coatings find application in many functions such as photovoltaics, heat exchangers, filters, sensor technologies, laser windows, mirrors, reflectors and optics for digital projections. The solar absorptance and thermal emittance of the multilayer thin film coatings are one of the leading factors for its applicability in said areas. The processing conditions, morphology and surface finish influence the solar absorptance and thermal emittance behavior of multilayer thin film coating. Therefore, emphasis has given in this paper to deposit multilayer thin film coatings with an increased solar absorptance and decreased thermal emittance to improve its applicability in solar thermal applications. Multilayer thin film coatings (Al2O3/Ni/W–Al2O3/W) were deposited using DC/RF magnetron sputtering on the stainless steel substrate to improve its applicability in solar thermal receiver tube for power generation. The performance of this multilayer thin film was investigated by measuring the absorptance and emittance using 410 Solar and ET 100 in the solar spectrum region at a variable incident angle from 20° to 60°. The effect of optical properties, microstructure and morphology of the multilayer thin film coatings was also investigated. The maximum absorptance 0.92 and minimum emittance < 0.1 were observed in deposited multilayer thin film coating with the combination of Tungsten, Al2O3 and Nickel, respectively. The observed values indicate the practical applicability of the multilayer coatings in medium-to-high-temperature range of solar thermal receiver tubes.

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Abbreviations

DC:

Direct current

RF:

Radio frequency

Ni:

Nickel

W:

Tungsten

Mo:

Molybdenum

V:

Vanadium

Al2O3 :

Aluminum oxide (alumina)

SiO2 :

Silicon dioxide (silica)

AlN:

Aluminum nitride

IR:

Infrared

AR:

Anti-reflection

FESEM:

Field emission scanning electron microscope

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

EDAX:

Energy dispersive X-ray

AFM:

Atomic force microscopy

mm:

Millimeter

sccm:

Standard cubic centimeters per minute

nm:

Nanometer

μm:

Micrometer

keV:

Kiloelectron volt

W:

Watt

GPa:

Giga pascal

α :

Solar absorptance

ε :

Thermal emittance

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from management of R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science, Madanapalle, India

    M. Muralidhar Singh, K. V. Nagesha, P. Sivaiah & G. Hemath Kumar

  2. Department of Petroleum and Earth Sciences, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Bidholi, Via Prem Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India

    Harinandan Kumar

  3. R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, India

    K. M. Ajay

  4. Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore, India

    G. Vijaya

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  1. M. Muralidhar Singh
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  2. Harinandan Kumar
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  4. P. Sivaiah
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Correspondence to Harinandan Kumar.

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Muralidhar Singh, M., Kumar, H., Nagesha, K.V. et al. Evaluation of Multilayer Thin Film Coatings for Solar Thermal Applications. Arab J Sci Eng 44, 7789–7797 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-019-03904-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-019-03904-9

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