Engineering Analysis

College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Solar Irradiance Measuring Device
Joey Cavaretta
Allison Venezia
John Hills
Tim Tormey
Peter Journell
Nick Jurik
Team 20
11/9/2012
1
Overview
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Introduction
Problem Statement
Tripod Acquisition
Sensor Mount
Data Transfer
Data Analysis
Timeline
Resources
Joey Cavaretta
11/9/2012
2
Problem Restatement
Problems with current site
o Covers to much surface area
o Data collection errors
o High cost
Goal:
Design a relatively small, portable
solar irradiance measuring system
that can accurately quantify
variance in solar irradiance over a
larger area.
Joey Cavaretta
11/9/2012
3
Tripod Options
• Acculine Pro Tripod
o Lightweight, durable
o Feet have sharp metal points
• Manfrotto Aluminum Tripod
o Leg angles: 25°, 46°, 66°, 88°
• Vanguard MT-23 Metal Tripod
o Supports 8.8 lb
o Spiked feet
• Slik Sprint Pro Tripod
o 18.5 inches when folded
Cost $
Allison Venezia
Acculine Pro Manfrotto
Vanguard MT-23 Slik Sprint Pro
99.95
44.95
112.73
11/9/2012
89.95
4
Auto Leveling Mount
• Auto levels as soon as tripod
is placed
• Stays level with changing
ground conditions
John Hills
11/9/2012
5
Li-Cor 2003S Fixture
• Off-the-shelf product
• Don’t know price of
fixture
John Hills
11/9/2012
6
Data Transfer
• Wireless:
o Electrical engineering component difficult
o High cost
o Low reliability
• Wired:
o Simple setup
o Sensors come with 50 foot cable
o Negligible voltage drop
Tim Tormey
11/9/2012
7
Data Transfer
• Wires will be housed in flexible conduit
• Protects wires from
o
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Cows
Rodents (ie. Field mice)
Ultra violet rays
Water
Tim Tormey
11/9/2012
8
Current Data Analysis
• Statistical analysis to
guide future data
processing
• Compare this smaller
grid to the larger site
Station 12
Peter Journell
11/9/2012
9
Irradiance (W/m2)
Irradiance Vs. Time
Station 12
Peter Journell
Time starting at 10am (seconds)
11/9/2012
10
Irradiance (W/m2)
Average Irradiance Vs. Time
Time starting at 10am (seconds)
Peter Journell
11/9/2012
11
Natural Variance of
Irradiance
Nick Jurik
11/9/2012
12
Daily NVI
Station
Notes
• Most stations exhibit
similar NVI values
• Station 12 still an outlier
Nick Jurik
11/9/2012
NVI
8
0.02369
12
0.03642
13
0.02054
14
0.02093
18
0.02174
42
0.02213
Average
0.02424
13
Hourly NVI
NVI
Station 12
Time (hours after 10am)
Nick Jurik
11/9/2012
14
10 Minute NVI
NVI
Station 12
Time (tens of minutes after 10am)
Nick Jurik
11/9/2012
15
Where to go from Here?
• Determine irradiance as
a function of time and
separation distance
• Try to model cloud
movement
• Investigate data from
station 12
Station 12
Nick Jurik
11/9/2012
16
Timeline
John Hills
11/9/2012
17
References
• "Prevailing Wind Direction." Http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/westwinddir.html>
• Flood, Ronald K., Dr. Tom Acker, and David Willy. Prescott
Airport Solar Facility Solar Variability Study. Tech. N.p.: n.p.,
n.d. Print.
Team 20
11/9/2012
18
Questions?
Team 20
11/9/2012
19