| Author | Kosie Yongyukantorn |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. ET-01-19 |
| Subject(s) | Solar pumps
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Adequate supply of water for chinking and irrigation is essential for improving the quality
of life in rural and remote areas. In areas where there is no electric grid, PV based water
pumping system is an attractive option. However, their efficiencies are low and increasing
efficiencies usually require expensive modification. This study investigated two low cost
options to improve the efficiency of PV water pumping systems. The first is the use of
mirrors to increase the radiation falling on the panel. The second is the use of spray cooling
to reduce temperature of PV panel. The study analyzed the performance of PV water
pumping system by conducting experiments to observe how efficiency could be improved
by these techniques.
Theoretical studies on addition of mirror was first.done to obtain the size and tilts required
and ascertain by how much the increase in radiation could be obtained. The results of these
estimations were first tested in laboratory. The system comprised of 7 panels, DC/AC 3
phase inverter and multistage centrifugal submersible motor/pump. Incident radiation,
temperature, current and voltage were measured to estimated the DC power from PV panel
and to find the efficiency of the system during different climatic conditions. The booster
mirror was set up above and below PV panel. Due to additional radiation by booster
mirror, it was observed that water pumped increased by 1 m3
/day (11 %). Field studies to
verify the theory and experimental work were conducted at a PV water pumping system.
The system comprised of 120 PV panels connected to two motor/pump units and used for
ilTigation. The efficiency of PV panel, inverter, motor/pump and overall were obtained
before and after installation of booster mirror to one motor/pump system. Data collected
during a month for comparing the efficiency before and after modification and with the
second unit, shows that the performance of system improved and the water pumped
increased by 8 m3
/day or by 8.7%. A simple financial evaluation showed that this method
has a payback time of around 2-3 years.
The second method used was the spray cooling system. The PV panel was cooled by
spraying water and thus reducing its temperature. The temperature on panel, solar radiation
and DC power from PV panel were also measured. Studies show that about 20 °C
temperature reduction was obtained at near noon condition which could enhance the PV
panel efficiency .. Analysis shows that the performance of PV panel increased by 0.0117 %
per temperature reduction per water sprayed per area and the average efficiency improved
by about 0.3%.
Improving the efficiency of PV water pumping system using these low cost methods has
been demonstrated theoretically and by experiments both in laboratory and in field. |
| Year | 2001 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kumar, S. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Surapong Chirarattananon;Rajapakse, A.D. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2001 |