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A Graduate Research of the Hybridization of High Concentrated Solar Panel and Anaerobic Production and Desalination

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Conference

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Columbus, Ohio

Publication Date

June 24, 2017

Start Date

June 24, 2017

End Date

June 28, 2017

Conference Session

Global Graduate Studies and Programs Abroad - Graduate Studies Division Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Graduate Studies

Page Count

21

DOI

10.18260/1-2--27465

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/27465

Download Count

631

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Paper Authors

biography

Fazil T. Najafi University of Florida

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Dr. Fazil T. Najafi

For more than forty years, Dr. Fazil T. Najafi has worked in government, industry and education. He earned a BSCE in 1963 from the American College of Engi¬neering, in his place of birth, Kabul, Afghanistan, and since then came to the United States with a Fulbright scholarship earning his MS in civil engineering in 1972 and a Ph.D. degree in transportation in 1977. His experience in industry includes work as a highway, structural, mechanical, and consultant engineer and construction manager for government groups and private companies. Najafi went on to teaching, first becoming an assistant professor at Villanova University, Pennsylvania in 1977, a visiting professor at George Mason University, and then to the University of Florida, Department of Civil Engineering, where he advanced to associate professor in 1991 and then full professor in 2000 in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. He has received numerous awards including a scholarship award (Fulbright), teaching awards, best paper awards, community service awards, and admis¬sion as an Eminent Engineer into Tau Beta Pi. His research on passive radon-resistant new residential building construction was adapted in HB1647 building code of Florida Legislature. Najafi is a member of numerous professional societies and has served on many committees and programs, and continuously attends and presents refereed papers at international, national, and local professional meetings and conferences. Lastly, Najafi attends courses, seminars and workshops, and has developed courses, videos and software packages during his career. His areas of specialization include transportation planning and management, legal aspects, construction contract administration, and public works.

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biography

Chi Xu University of Florida Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-0820-8354

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Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Begins in Jan 2015)

M.S. in Civil Engineering
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Sep 2013 - Dec 2014

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Abstract

High concentration photovoltaics (HCPV) have become popular new types of solar technology. HCPV systems compare to normal photovoltaic panels are potentially more efficient and cost-effective. However, HCPV’s operation will absorb high temperature on the panel surface, the overheating on HCPV panels damage the panel and decrease the efficiency of the system. HCPV plant uses a large quantity of water for cooling the system to keep HCPV running in a moderate efficiency. However, the cooling system maintains the HCPV in operational condition. And the water from the cooling system can still be used as a source of energy. At the present, this water is wasted. The cooling system water can be used in a biogas plant as a source of energy to maintain the anaerobic tank at a 35 Celsius degree temperature. The objective is to create a co-location environment that includes the hybridization of HCPV, biogas and desalination plants. The hybridization can reuse waste heat from HCPV and still maintain the efficiency of HCPV at a desirable level. The desalination plant (multi-stage flash) can utilize high temperature heat from HCPV in producing fresh water and the heated water still can be used as source of energy. The hot water from desalination can still be used as a heat source in biogas production. A model will be built to demonstrate the performance of hybridization and co-location environment. The co-location environment saves energy by utilizing the hot water produced from HCPV and desalination plant for producing biogas. Furthermore, the co-location environment saves the cost of land, material, maintenance and transportation. The study and analysis of the hybridization of high concentrated solar panel and anaerobic production and desalination would fit the call in the graduate division and it is consistent with the division objective.

Najafi, F. T., & Xu, C. (2017, June), A Graduate Research of the Hybridization of High Concentrated Solar Panel and Anaerobic Production and Desalination Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--27465

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