Thermal emittance measurement of low-emissive materials for enhanced conversion efficiency in vacuum-based solar thermal applications

In the quest for more efficient solar thermal systems, accurately determining the thermal emittance of low-emissive materials is crucial in determining the power losses. This paper describes the calorimetric method designed to precisely measure the thermal emittance of Selective Solar Absorbers (SSAs) to be used in High Vacuum Flat Plate Collectors (HVFPCs). The method’s capability is demonstrated through the successful correction of thermal emittance values for copper samples of varying sizes, including dimensions down to 49 cm2. Results highlight the method’s potential to significantly reduce measurement errors associated with small-size and/or low-emittance samples, providing a path forward to improve the design and efficiency of SSAs. This research marks a significant step in advancing solar thermal technology by enabling emittance measurements with a precision better than 0.003, which is essential for the development of high-performance solar thermal absorbers. The method has also been applied to correct the thermal emittance value of SSA measured in previous measurement campaigns, and it allows a better estimation of the SSA efficiency conversion curve.