Session: 17-01-01: Research Posters

Paper Number: 150010

150010 - A Novel Design of a Heating and Thermal Storage System Using a Parabolic Mirror Solar Collector for the Sustainability of Human Exploration on the Lunar Surface 

The goal of the present research project is to design a solar collector using parabolic mirrors to collect solar energy for thermal management on the lunar surface. The research objective is to develop a heating and thermal storage system which can be useful in the quest for sustainability of human exploration on the moon and other planetary surfaces. The research was developed from NASA’s Exploration System Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) requirements which emphasizes the need for hardware development, mission integration, and risk management functions for programs critical to the agency’s exploration approach. ESDMD also manages the human exploration system development for lunar orbital, lunar surface, and Mars exploration, and is the main inspiration for the present project. Applications for parabolic mirror solar collectors range widely, from large-scale power generating to small-scale home heating systems. They offer a viable alternative to meet energy needs that is both ecologically benign and sustainable because of their capacity to concentrate sunlight. We aim to develop a working fluid system for both earth and the moon using solar energy that can collect heat during one lunar day, that can be stored and used when there is no light on the lunar surface. The project will use numerical simulation and analysis of energy balance using computational analyses between conservation of mass, momentum, and energy using the most cost-effective working fluids. This will be accomplished through the simulation and analysis of heat absorption and heat loss using computational analyses that correlate between fluid velocity, heat flux, and temperature. The analysis methodology that uses SolidWorks flow simulation feature, a series of simulations have been conducted on a copper pipe (L = 5.0m, D_i = 0.065m, D_o = 0.06m­) with internal fins, adding a heat flux to the focal point of the pipe to constitute the heat collected from the sun using a

parabolic mirror. Using water as the driving fluid for the simulations, a parametric study is conducted when the mass flow rates at 1.0 kg/s, 1.2 kg/s, 1.4 kg/s, 1.6 kg/s, 1.8 kg/s, and 2.0 kg/s are applied to the inlet of the pipe. The effects of rectangular, trapezoidal, and triangular internal fin shapes will also be studied at the different mass flow rates, with the fins varying in size and number. There are currently a few case studies that have been researched on the use of internal fins in pipes, varying in shape (i.e. rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular), that compare the fluid pressure to that of smooth pipes. We predict that the increase in mass flow rate will produce more heat and cause the temperature of the fluid to be greater at the outlet of the pipe, signifying that the system is producing and storing heat. We also predict that the use of internally finned tubes will decrease the amount of pressure in the pipe to reduce the effects of overheating. We hope that our findings may eventually contribute to the development of NASA’s exploration system program, therefore improving the enhancement of human sustainability on the lunar surface.

Presenting Author: Valesia Davis North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Presenting Author Biography: Valesia Davis is a master’s student in the mechanical engineering program at
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering with a minor in mathematical science from Georgia Southern University.
While at Georgia Southern University, she conducted research in fluid dynamics. Today, she is
continuing and expanding her knowledge and research in the area of heat transfer and thermal engineering, working under the supervision Dr. John P. Kizito in the mechanical engineering department. Outside of her graduate research, Valesia is a teaching assistant for the mechanical engineering department's SolidWorks and Mechanical Design course, where she tutors, grades, and assists the professor with the course material.

Authors:

Valesia Davis North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
John P. Kizito North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University