P.V. PANEL WIND LOAD EFFECTS M ARCH 2011 Arman Hemmati, Brady Zaiser, Chaneel Park, Jeff Symons, Katie Olver In-Class Presentation TEAM 12

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Introduction – Problem 1 Most efficient sun capture at 51° Higher angle means greater aerodynamic forces Ballast required to hold the panel down Too much weight for the roof? Want to better understand wind loads on PV panels: Wind Tunnel Testing Computational (CFD) Analysis

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Objectives – Functional Requirements 2 1.Effect of Wind Direction Front or back 2.Effect of Panel Tilt Preferred angle is 51° 3.Proximity of Panel to the Ground Should reduce drag to a point

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Wind Tunnel – Test Apparatus 3

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Wind Tunnel – Testing Parameters Wind direction How does the force on the panel change depending on the wind direction? Front, back 2 levels 4

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Wind Tunnel – Testing Parameters Panel angle How does the force on the panel change as the angle increases? In Calgary the ideal angle is 51° Testing at: 35°, 50°, 65° and 80° 4 levels 5

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Wind Tunnel – Testing Parameters Panel height How does the force on the panel change as the distance between the ground and the bottom of the panel increases? Unable to use CFD for this Testing at: 0, 1, 2, …, 6 7 levels 6

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Wind Tunnel – Testing Procedure How many runs? 247 = 56 runs per replication 2 replications = 112 runs Randomize run order Lots of set-up between runs How long will it take? 5 min/run + daily set-up Estimate 15 hours 1 week 7

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC Computational Fluid Dynamics 2D Simulations Using Comsol Multiphysics and Ansys CFX 8

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC CFD - Verification Results recorded in ratios (C L, C D, C P ) Vertical Flat Plate Reference: On the Flow of Air Behind an Inclined Flat Plate of Infinite Span -Fage and Johansen,

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC 10

MARCH- 2011In-Class Presentation: DeLoPREC