Modelling of the Thermal Performance of SGSP using COMSOL Multiphysics

Novel renewable energy sources are necessary: to counter the current environmental crisis. The largest source of renewable energy is the sun. One possible application of solar energy is the harvesting and storage of low temperature thermal heat (< 100 degrees C). A very promising technology that can harvest and store thermal energy is a solar pond. To assess the thermal performance of a solar pond, more accurate and reliable theoretical models need to be developed. The preponderance of models use empirical relationships with little justification. This work examines an existing 1D theoretical model and develops and validates a novel theoretical model in COMSOL Multiphysics in both 2- and 3-D. The new models were compared with experimental data from two different test sites, concerning mainly the temperature at the lower convective zone (LCZ) and the upper convective zone (UCZ). The 3D model was proven to he the most accurate with the ID model being the least. Furthermore, the general radiative heat transfer equation, with an isotropic scattering phase function, solved using the discrete ordinates method was proven to give a satisfactory accuracy in terms of radiation in semi-transparent media.