Optical design of multisource high-flux solar simulators

We present a systematic approach to the design of a set of high-flux solar simulators (HFSSs) for solar thermal, thermochemical, and materials research. The generic simulator concept consists of an array of identical radiation modules arranged in concentric rows. Each module consists of a short-arc lamp coupled to a truncated ellipsoidal specular reflector. The positions of the radiation modules are obtained based on the rim angle, the number of concentric rows, the number of radiation modules in each row, the reflector radius, and a reflector spacing parameter. For a fixed array of radiation modules, the reflector shape is optimized with respect to the source-to-target radiation transfer efficiency. The resulting radiative flux distribution is analyzed on flat and hemispherical target surfaces using the Monte Carlo ray-tracing technique. An example design consists of 18 radiation modules arranged in two concentric rows. On a 60-mm dia. flat target area at the focal plane, the predicted radiative power and flux are 10.6 kW and 3.8 MW mT, respectively, and the predicted peak flux is 9.5 MW mT².