11-07-2012, 04:43 PM
SOLAR THERMAL POWER GENERATION –SOLAR PUMP
This Project aims at pumping water by using solar thermal energy. The basic idea is the solar thermal power generation. This project is based on thermal expansion and contraction consisting of both---- state of rest (static) and state of motion (dynamics). The prototype consist of a flask as a pressure chamber, a parabolic reflector which is focused toward pressure chamber, a pipe with valve connecting underground water and pressure chamber another pipe with valve connecting pressure chamber to tank. A parabolic reflector is used to concentrate the solar radiations over the chamber and we use a black painted chamber (as we know that black colour is a good absorber and bad radiator of heat). This process is divided into two parts - Day time and Night time. In day time due to thermal radiations (occurring due to sun’s infrared radiation and which is concentrated over the chamber by installing converging mirror), pressure chamber will be heated and air of pressure chamber will heated and get expanded, then the water in the pressure chamber is pumped to the tank. It will occur due to transfer of thermal energy to the air present inside the chamber .This heat causes expansion in the air and it tries to escape. But ,as the whole chamber is airtight so air escapes outside in the form of bubbles from water and deficiency of air molecule arises in the chamber .In the night time due to relative cold condition than the daytime(as due to temperature difference between the daytime and the night) ,chamber will be relative cool than the daytime. As a result the air inside the chamber will contract. Now as the whole chamber is airtight so the contraction would create a suction that would drive up the water present in the lower chamber and the process goes on until the force due to contraction balances to the force due to gravity. It can pump water to around 200 m from ground. Water stored at an altitude of about 200 m has an enormous potential energy. This energy can be used for power generation or even the water can be used for domestic purposes. Therefore, water will be pumped from ground to tank with the transfer of thermal energy (which is in the form of solar energy).