Flux profile optimisation of a high-flux solar simulator using the trust-region reflective method

Abstract

In multi-lamp, high-flux solar simulators, the flux profile can be affected by the choice of lamp, reflector, and a variety of geometric design parameters, some of which can be altered after construction. In this work, a novel procedural optimisation method is applied to reconfigure the positions of lamps and reflectors in a high-flux solar simulator to match a desired target flux profile. A 10-module high-flux solar simulator using 2.5 kWe metal halide lamps and ellipsoidal reflectors is modeled. Lamp modules are simulated with Monte Carlo ray tracing and the resulting flux profiles are parameterised by curve fitting to create a surrogate model which can rapidly generate an accurate flux. The surrogate model is integrated into a trust-region reflective systematic optimisation which determines a set of lamp module parameters for each of the ten lamps, providing a close approximation of a user-defined flux profile.

Keywords

• Trust-region reflective
• high flux solar simulator
• radiative flux profile
• surrogate model
• optimised solar simulator