Modeling of Advanced Nonimaging Solar Concentrators: From CPC Benchmarks to System-Level Simulation

Kurzbeschreibung

Beschreibung Modeling of Advanced Nonimaging Solar Concentrators: From CPC Benchmarks to System-Level Simulation Field: Solar Optics · Nonimaging Concentrators · Ray-Tracing Methods · Reduced-Order Modeling Methods: Geometrical / Monte-Carlo Ray Tracing · Numerical Verification · Independent Benchmarking · Uncertainty Quantification · Reduced-Order Modeling Tools: MATLAB, Python, C/C++, or COMSOL — scientific justification required; reproducibility takes precedence over platform Supervisor: Dr.-Ing. Abdelhakim Hassabou Chair: Thermodynamics, TUM School of Engineering and Design Background Nonimaging solar concentrators are used to transfer solar radiation efficiently from an aperture to a receiver over a defined angular range. Their performance depends on acceptance angle, reflection paths, optical material properties, and the distribution of solar flux on the receiver. Reliable ray-tracing models are therefore important for understanding optical performance and for developing efficient models for annual solar-system simulations. Scientific Objective This thesis aims to develop and independently verify a reusable ray-tracing framework for nonimaging solar concentrators and to derive reduced-order optical models for efficient system-level simulation. Core Tasks • Review the fundamentals of nonimaging optics and compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) theory. • Develop a modular geometrical / Monte-Carlo ray-tracing framework and verify it against analytical and published CPC benchmarks. • Analyze reflection statistics, optical efficiency, and the influence of direct and angularly distributed solar radiation. • Calculate receiver flux distributions and evaluate peak and flux-uniformity characteristics. • Apply the verified methodology to a second advanced nonimaging concentrator geometry. • Develop reduced-order models that reproduce the high-fidelity optical results with quantified accuracy and reduced computational cost. Expected Outcomes • Verified and documented ray-tracing framework. • Optical-performance and receiver-flux analysis for benchmark and advanced concentrator geometries. • Reduced-order optical model with defined accuracy and validity range. • Well-documented and reproducible research code. • Master's thesis report; strong results may contribute to a peer-reviewed publication. Proposed start: November 2026 Voraussetzungen • Student in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Physics, Computational Engineering, or a related field. • Good numerical and programming skills. • Interest in solar energy, optics, and computational modeling. • Experience with (or willingness to learn) MATLAB, Python, C/C++, COMSOL, or a similar environment. • Prior knowledge of nonimaging optics is helpful but not mandatory.