Biogas is increasingly used for fuel in for example vehicles and it´s produced in a biogas processconsisting of the steps of pretreatment, digestion and gas cleaning. The pretreatment is a method usedto increase the gas production and / or destroy pathogens. The digestion is the stage when anaerobicmicroorganisms convert bio-mass of a substrate to a raw gas containing about 65% of methane. Thegas cleaning is used to increase the methane content to about 97% so the gas can be used for motors invehicles. The biogas part of the Ekeby sewage plant in Eskilstuna is using multiple substrates. Sewagesludge is mostly used but also other substrates, like food waste. The time for processing is in average25 days before the content is taken out for drying and finally for use as cover material. The producedgas will be cleaned in a water scrubber before pressurization and after that used as fuel for vehicles.The usage of support energy in the biogas process is essentially district heating, electricity and oil. Theoverall efficiency term is the energy produced in the gas minus the supporting energy divided with theenergy from possible biogas production of the substrates. For calculation of a continuous process thefact that there is always a part of the substrates which not will be digested has to be considered.Another thing to think about is that the inserted energy as material will not be converted to gasimmediately, several days is needed. In 2009 the overall efficiency in Ekeby biogas plant was inaverage 70.5%, and the value was higher during the summer than the winter. Calculation of overallefficiency of a biogas plant will always involve some uncertainties because differences of thecomposition of the substrates, the condition of the micro-organisms, digestion of many substrates atthe same time etc.

Conducting polymers (CP) have received great attention in both academic and industrial areas in recent years. They exhibit unique characteristics (electrical conductivity, solution processability, light weight and flexibility) which make them promising candidates for being used in many electronic applications. Recently, there is a renewed interest to consider those materials for thermoelectric generators that is for energy harvesting purposes. Therefore, it is of great importance to have in depth understanding of their thermal and electrical characteristics. In this diploma work, the thermal conductivity of PEDOT:PSS is investigated by applying 3-omega technique which is accounted for a transient method of measuring thermal conductivity and specific heat. To validate the measurement setup, two benchmark substrates with known properties are explored and the results for thermal conductivity are nicely in agreement with their actual values with a reasonable error percentage. All measurements are carried out inside a Cryogenic probe station with vacuum condition. Then a bulk scale of PEDOT:PSS with sufficient thickness is made and investigated. Although, it is a great challenge to make a thick layer of this polymer since it needs to be both solid state and has as smooth surface as possible for further gold deposition. The results display a thermal conductivity range between 0.20 and 0.25 (W.m-1.K-1) at room temperature which is a nice approximation of what has been reported so far. The discrepancy is mainly due to some uncertainty about the exact value of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the heater and also heat losses especially in case of heaters with larger surface area. Moreover, thermal conductivity of PEDOT:PSS is studied over a wide temperature band ranging from 223 - 373 K.

Huvudsyftet med arbetet har varit att undersöka potentialen för värmedriven kylproduktion, dvs. absorptionskyla, i Linköpings energisystem. Bakgrunden är att många energibolag söker efter nya avsättningsområden för fjärrvärme pga. det överskott på värme som finns sommartid i energisystem med kraftvärme. Dessutom förväntas elpriserna fortsätta stiga då Sverige med stor sannolikhet kommer att följa resten av Europa och gå från ett energidimensionerat system till ett effektdimensionerat system. Till följd av detta blir energieffektiviserande åtgärder allt viktigare och absorptionskyla innebär att mer el kan produceras i ett system med kraftvärme, istället för att konsumeras. Det finns två typer av absorptionskylmaskiner (ABS) tillgängliga på marknaden, antingen har de fjärrvärme eller ånga som drivmedel. Den typ av ABS som drivs av fjärrvärme lämpar sig för produktion av komfortkyla, dvs. kyla som inte behöver komma ned till så låga temperaturer. Ångdriven ABS kan däremot komma ned till lägre temperaturer, något som kan passa vid processkyla. En förutsättning för absorptionskyla är tillgång till billig värme/ånga. Tekniska Verken har tack vare avfallsförbränning tillgång till billig värme. Ångan i systemet produceras däremot idag med olja och el, något som gör det dyrare att generera absorptionskyla med hjälp av ånga. En fallstudie utfördes på de två industrierna Linköpingsmejeriet och Swedish Meats där anslutningsmöjligheterna för absorptionskyla undersöktes. Främst behovet av processkyla har undersökts då det var betydligt större än behovet av komfortkyla. Ett antal fall med olika förutsättningar för att tillgodose dessa kylbehov till de båda industrierna har simulerats i MODEST. Utifrån de resultat som erhållits har följande slutsatser dragits. • I dagsläget finns inte tillräckligt med ångproduktion i systemet för att tillgodose både det befintliga ångbehovet samt den mängd ånga som behövs för att framställa kylan. • En investering i nya biopannor till ett kraftvärmeverk kan ge tillräcklig mängd billig ånga och värme för att ge lönsamhet i värmedriven kylproduktion. • Koldioxidutsläppen, lokala såväl som globala, minskar som en följd av övergång från el-kompressorer till absorptionskylmaskiner. En investering i nya biopannor skulle minska utsläppen ytterligare, då fossilt bränsle ersätts. • En investering i en litiumbromid absorptionskylmaskin är inte lönsam vid en så pass liten efterfråga som har varit aktuellt i de undersökta fallen. / The main purpose of this thesis has been to look in to the potential of a production of district cooling using heat as the source of power, i.e. absorptions cooling, in the energy system of Linköping. In the light of the fact that many energy companies are looking for new markets for district heating due to the surplus of heat in the summertime in an energy system with CHP (Combined Heat and Power). Furthermore, the price on electricity is expected to continue to rise since Sweden is most likely to follow Europe’s lead and embrace a power dimensioned energy system. As a result of that transition, energy efficient measures will be more important and absorption cooling implies that more electricity can be produced, instead of consumed, in a CHP system. There are two different types of absorption cooling machines available in the market, with either district heating or steam as the source of power. A machine using district heating as the source of power is most suitable to produce comfort cooling i.e. the cold does not need to attain such low temperatures. A steam driven absorption cooling machine is able to attain the very low temperatures needed for cooling used in the processing industry. A condition for absorption cooling is the access to low-cost heat/steam. Tekniska Verken (an energy company) has due to waste incineration access to low-cost heat. The steam in the energy system is produced with oil and electricity, which makes it more expensive to generate absorption cooling with steam as the power source. A casestudy was preformed at two industries in Linköping, Linköpingsmejeriet and Swedish Meats, where the possibility for connection of district cooling was examined. Mainly the cooling needed in the processing industry has been examined as this is need is considerably larger than the need for comfort cooling. A number of cases with different conditions for producing district cooling have been simulated in MODEST. The following conclusions have been drawn based on the results of the simulations. • In the energy system of today there is not enough steam production to fulfil both the current need for steam and the amount of steam needed for cooling production. • An investment in new CHP-plants using biomass fuels will generate enough heat and steam to be profitable for cooling production using heat as a source of power. • The emission of carbon dioxide will decrease as a result of the transmission from compression cooling to absorption cooling. The emission will decrease further if an investment in new CHP plants with biomass fuels is carried out. This will then replace the use of fossil fuels. • An investment in lithium bromide absorptions cooler will not be profitable with such a small demand as the one in question.

Arvika Fjärrvärme AB, a district heating company from Arvika, today cover 74 % of their total energy production with biofuel wich runs a 16 MW bioler giving process water at saturated liquid state. In recent years Vaporel AB has introduced a new tecnique that gives an external generation of steam after boilers. The concept is built on an adiabatic pressure drop of the saturated liquid in a so called Flashbox which makes a small part of the liquid to evaporate. The generated steam is lead into a turbine where electricity is in a conventional manner. The purpose with this rapport was to do a basic study for the specific system at Arvika where it’s possible to see the potential production of electricity that follows an installation of a flasbox. The final goal was to introduce an economic analysis of a flashox installation at given conditions. To reach our goals we have created a model in Excel where we used the given conditions at Arvika Fjärrvärme to do our calculations. The model has been tested at three different states, of process water returning to potboiler, to be able to decide the optimal operation for the system at present. The studies have resulted in a pressure of the processwater at 14,5 bar (at) and a pressuredrop to 9,5 bar (at) in the flashbox. The condenser pressure is set to 0,5 bar (at) what is equal to 81 ˚C. Energy to the district heating net is produced in the condenser and heat exchanger. The result of our calculations clearly shows that to reach the highest turbine-efficiency as possible and gain the largest profit the highest process-waterflow possible should be used. That means 70 kg/s after present conditions. At the highest boiler efficiency the turbine will produce 694 kW. At this state the water that returns to the boiler will be at temperature 148 ˚C (14, 5 bar). Totally during a year the production of electric energy could reach 2, 47 GWh/year. The energy used by the pumps will increase with 0,21 GWh over the year at that state. Included all economic factors this will generate a profit of 0, 97 million (SEK)/year. To make an installation of a flashbox system more profitable an increased generation of electricity have to be made. This could be done by an installation of new pumps to be able to run the process-water at a larger flow to increase the amount of steam made in the flashbox. / Arvika fjärrvärme producerar idag 74% av sitt värmeunderlag via en hetvattenpanna som drivs med biobränsle och har en maxeffekt på 16 MW. På senare år har företaget Vaporel AB introducerat en ny teknik på marknaden som ger en extern ångproduktion efter hetvattenpannor. Konceptet är byggt på en trycksänkning som medför att delar av det mättade vattnet förångas efter att ha letts in i en så kallad flashbox. Efter flashboxen äntrar ångan en turbin där el produceras på konventionellt vis. Syftet med denna rapport har varit att ta fram en grundläggande studie för Arvikas specifika system där det är möjligt att se den potentiella elproduktionen vid en flashboxinstallation. Det slutgiltiga målet med rapporten har varit att kunna presentera en lönsamhetsbedömning för en flashboxinstallation vid givna driftfall. För att kunna uppfylla uppsatta mål har en Excelmodell konstruerats där beräkningar utförts efter givna förutsättningar, detta utefter tre olika driftfall för att kunna fastställa den mest optimala driften för systemet i dagsläget. Studierna har lett fram till att vi har kunnat fastställa ett maximalt tryck efter pannan på 14,5 bar (at) samt en trycksänkning över flashboxen till 9,5 bar. Kondensortryck efter turbinen har satts till 0,5 bar(a) vilket ger en kondensations temperatur motsvarande 81 ˚C. Energi till att värma fjärrvärmevattnet tas via kondensorn samt en värmeväxlare. Resultatet av våra beräkningar visar tydligt att vi för att nå en så hög turbineffekt som möjligt och därmed en större lönsamhet skall ha ett så högt processvattenflöde som tillåts, enligt dagens förutsättningar 70 l/s. Vid högsta panneffekten kommer turbinen att ge 694 kW, enligt Excelmodellen, vid en returtemperatur till pannan satt till 148 ˚C. Sammanlagt under året, med Arvikas varaktighetsdiagram som grund, kommer vi att kunna producera 2,47 GWh el/år varav pumparna kommer att kräva 0,21 GWh el extra per år. Med alla ekonomiska faktorer inräknade så kommer detta att ge en vinstkalkyl på 0,97 miljoner /år. För att kunna göra dessa installationer lönsamma krävs att vi ökar elproduktionen och därmed den årliga vinsten, detta skulle kunna göras i och med installation av nya pumpar för att uppnå ett större flöde i pannkretsen. Vidare bör en studie göras för att bedöma lönsamheten gällande en ombyggnad av rökgaskondenseringen för att kunna klara en större effekt och därmed kunna använda högre returtemperaturer till biopannan. Detta skulle generera ett högre genomsnittligt flöde över året.

This thesis seeks to examine the effective convective heat exchange of sand as a heat exchange medium. The goal of this exploratory research is to quantify the heat transfer coefficient of sand in a proposed Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system which intends to complement solar thermal power generation. Standard concentrator solar thermal power plants typically employ a heat transfer fluid (HTF) that is heated in the collector field then routed to the power generators or TES unit. A fairly clear option for a TES system would be to utilize the existing HTF as the working storage medium. However, the use of conventional HTF systems may be too expensive. These fluids are quite costly as the quantity needed for storage is high and for some fluids their associated high vapor pressures require expensive highly reinforced containment vessels. The proposed storage system seeks to use sand as the storage medium; greatly reducing the expenses involved for both medium and storage costs. Most prior TES designs using sand or other solids employed them in a fixed bed for thermal exchange. The proposed TES system will instead move the sand to drive a counter flow thermal exchange. This counter flow design allows for a much closer temperature of approach when compared to a fixed bed. As cost and performance are the primary goals to tackle of the proposed system, the evaluation of the sandâ s thermal exchange effectiveness in a flowing state is necessary. Experiments will be conducted to measure the effective heat transfer coefficient between the sand and representative solid surfaces used as the heat transfer conduits. Additional experiments that will be looked at are wear caused by the sand as a consideration for long term design viability as well as angle of repose of the sand and its effect on scoop design for improved materials handling. Key investigational aspects of these experiments involve the sand grain size as well as shape of the heat exchanger surfaces. The thesis will evaluate the resulting convective heat transfer coefficient of the sand as related to these features. The data will then be compared and verified with available literature of previously studied characteristic thermal properties of sand. The measured and confirmed data will then be used to further aid in a design model for the proposed TES system.

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices, also known as (nano-TPVs) are energy-conversion systems which generate electric current from thermal radiation energy by a heat source. Although their conversion efficiency is limited in the far field by the Schockley-Queisser limit, in near field the heat flux transferred to a TPV cell can be significantly enchanced due to the contribution of evanescent waves, in particular supporting a surface mode. Unfortunately, spectral mismatch between the emitter and the TPV cell spectrum limits the TPV conversion efficiency. Photons with energy lower than the TPV cell bandgap may not be able to create electron-hole pairs because mobile carriers start diffusing and drifting between conductance and valence band, and try to exceed the upper limit of the band. This destroys the thermal equilibrium of the semiconductor and results in excess heat. Also, for high energy photons, the difference between the photon's energy and the bandgap energy is lost in Joule heating. Thus, quasimonochromatic, narrow-band and coherent emitters at a frequency near the energy bandgap of the converter is an ideal source to achieve high conversion efficiency. Nano-TPV device consisting of tungsten thermal emitter, maintained at 1200K, and the cell made of GaInAsSb are considered; thermal management system is reviewed assuming a constant heat flux boundary due to heat generation by the cell with a fluid temperature fixed at 293K. Tungsten thermal selective emitters are designed, characterized and optimized based on two-dimensional (2D) tungsten PhC by controlling periodic triangular grooves such that channel plasmon polaritons (CPPs) are coupled efficiently into these grooves to excite a localized groove modes which are well-matched to the GaInAsSb cell external quantum efficiency (EQE). The results show that power output and the 2D TE normal efficiency of the system are predicted to be 0.82x10⁴ W/m² and 43.8%, respectively. This leads to a promising device for many different sectors such as military, space and semiconductor industry. / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Mechanical Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

The aim of this project is to make an energy flow survey of Ljusdal’s municipality. The reason for the energy flow survey is to discover possibilities to utilize and refine the energy resources locally, and use the information from this survey as a base for further discussions about the energy situation in Ljusdal’s municipality. As it is today the raw material is transported to other municipalities for processing and then bought back, e.g. biomass is transported to other municipalities where they make pellets which are sold back to consumers in Ljusdal’s municipality. A local upgrading of the raw material will probably create more job opportunities in the municipality and it will probably also lead to a higher profit than just selling the raw material. The target groups for this study are the local (and regional) politicians and entrepreneurs, primarily in Ljusdal but also in other similar municipalities. Mainly bioenergy is handled in this thesis. Other energy sources e.g. hydroelectricity is handled just briefly, flows and use of electricity are described briefly for different parts of the municipality and types of consumers. To perform the energy flow survey, information about now used, and possible future, energy resources was collected in order to find out the energy quantities used per year, for different users, and the energy flows. Unexploited energy sources, and energy sources that have the potential to be increased, like forest and arable land was also included. Investigations about the wind potential are also carried out. The energy use of the consumers, divided into energy carriers, is mapped. Larger companies and institutions, particularly those with energy related business are asked about their future plans. Energy suppliers are also asked where they buy and sell energy in order to make an energy flow survey. The energy needs for different types of buildings were also considered in this energy flow survey. In order to do that, information about the numbers of buildings in the municipality and also the average energy usage, for different types of buildings e.g. apartments and single family houses, are collected from different sources. The flows of bioenergy across the municipality border are also investigated in order to be able to see where it comes from and where it goes. Nearby municipalities, projects nearby Ljusdal’s municipality, that may have an impact in the field of energy in Ljusdal’s municipality are also briefly handled. The energy flows, in and out of the municipality, were put into maps from the municipality’s Geographic Information System (GIS) in order to get a good overview of the energy flow, supply and use. Based on the gathered information, project ideas are suggested, and calculations are done to determine if biogas production, from household waste and sludge, could be a better option than today’s waste management where the waste is being transported to a nearby municipality for incineration, a service that Ljusdal’s municipality also have to pay for. The results from the calculations show that the total amount of energy that could be extracted from the annual produced biogas would reach about 1.9 GWh. The biogas could e.g.be used as a fuel in the district heating plants in the municipality. By using locally produced products a decreased import of energy carriers, e.g. light fuel oil, would be expected. The conclusions that could be drawn from this study are that a lot of biomass is produced in Ljusdal’s municipality, which is mainly exported in the form as raw material. Large amounts of hydroelectricity is produced in Ljusdal’s municipality, about 60% of the electricity is being exported. Wind mappings show that there are some areas of national interest for electricity production through wind power in the municipality. A deregulated European electricity market will probably lead to an increased electricity price, this in combination with the green certificate would lead to a more profitable electricity production through wind power and areas that are not of national interest at present could probably be of national interest in the future. There are also a large potential to increase the amount of biomass from the forestry remainings. Another potential energy source is the arable land where it probably would be possible to grow e.g. hemp for an energy conversion purpose. In Ljusdal’s municipality, there are possibilities in the field of energy which no one takes advantage of at present. / Syftet med detta projektarbete är att kartlägga energiflödet inom-, samt till och från Ljusdals kommun, i första hand bioenergi men även andra energiformer som t.ex. elektricitet behandlas översiktligt. Anledningen till denna energiflödesanalys är att upptäcka möjligheter att bearbeta och förädla biomassan lokalt. I dagens läge lämnar stora mängder av råmaterial kommunen för förädling utanför kommunens gränser, detta leder till förlorade arbetstillfällen i kommunen. Ett exempel på detta är att råmaterial i form av sågspån transporteras från Ljusdals kommun till en annan kommun där sågspånen förädlas till pellets som i sin tur säljs tillbaka till konsumenter i Ljusdals kommun. En lokal förädling av biomassan skulle förmodligen kunna leda till nya arbetstillfällen inom kommunens gränser samt en högre avkastning än att bara sälja råmaterialet obearbetat. Målgruppen för denna studie är lokala och regionala politiker och entreprenörer, i första hand i Ljusdals kommun, men också i liknande glesbygdskommuner med stora arealer skog och andra former av biobränslen. För att genomföra denna energiflödesanalys samlades information, angående i nuläget använda samt framtida energikällor, in med avsikt att uppskatta de kvantiteter, och olika typer av energi som omvandlas och används årligen av olika typer av konsumenter. Denna information tillhandahölls av bl.a. statistiska central byrån – SCB, kommunens energirådgivare, energibolag, större energikrävande företag samt bostads företag. Antalet enfamiljshus och flerfamiljs hus i kommunen samt antalet boende i kommunen kartlades för att kunna beräkna, enligt schabloner, de energimängder som förbrukades årligen i bostadssektorn. Även transport- och industrisektorn undersöktes med avseende på dess energianvändning. Flödet av biomassa i kommunen samt över dess gränser analyserades med avsikt på att klargöra vilka mängder som lämnar, respektive stannar kvar inom kommunen. Även projekt i närliggande kommuner analyserades översiktligt för att se om de hade någon nämnbar inverkan på Ljusdals kommuns energiproduktion1 och energianvändning. Slutsatserna som kan dras från denna analys är i korthet att stora mängder av biomassa produceras inom Ljusdals kommuns gränser och transporteras bort i form av råmaterial, som förädlas utanför kommunens gränser. Ett sätt att eventuellt skapa fler jobbtillfällen samt se till att en större del av vinsten från biomassan stannar kvar inom kommunens gränser är att lokalt bearbeta biomassan. Inom kommunen produceras också en stor del vattenkraft där ungefär 60 % exporteras och resterande används inom kommunen, möjlighet till utökad elproduktion bör vara möjlig genom byggnation av vindkraftsparker eftersom det finns områden som är av nationellt intresse för vindkraftsproduktion. Något mer som talar för en ökad lönsamhet inom elproduktion via vindkraft är den avreglerade Europeiska elmarknaden som förmodligen kommer att leda till ökade elpriser, en annan faktor är elcertifikaten, som erhålls för varje MWh producerad med förnyelsebara källor t.ex. vindkraft eller biomassa eldat kraftvärmeverk. Biogas motsvarande ungefär 2 GWh årligen bör också kunna utvinnas ur sopor, gödsel från bondgårdar och energigrödor. Detta kräver dock investeringar i rötningsanläggningar och ytterligare utredningar angående detta föreslås göras. En markant ökad produktion av biobränsle från skogsbruket bör också vara möjlig. Den globala ökningen av invånare i kombination med en strävan efter minskad produktion av fossila bränslen resulterar i en ökad efterfrågan av förnyelsebara bränslen, denna ökade efterfrågan leder i sin tur till ett ökat pris för dessa bränslen. Dessutom har ett antal länder skrivit på Kyoto avtalet, vilket innebär i korthet att dessa länder måste minska sina koldioxidutsläpp. Dessa faktorer kan tolkas som indikationer på att det kommer att bli en ökad användning av biobränslen. Problemet med detta scenario är att, aven i ett nationellt perspektiv, mängden av tillgänglig biomassa är begränsad om den skulle utgöra baslasten för energiproduktionen. Detta faktum öppnar nya möjligheter för kommuner med en låg befolkningstäthet i kombination med stora skogsarealer. Ljusdals kommun är en glest befolkad kommun med ungefärligen 19 400 invånare, det finns 10 100 bostäder i kommunen varav 3 700 är lägenheter och resterande är enfamiljshus. Den totala arealen av kommunen uppgår till 5 640 km2, befolkningstätheten uppgår till fyra invånare per kvadrat kilometer. Arealen per capita i kommunen är väldigt hög, vilket innebär att det finns stora mängder biomassa tillgänglig då stordelen av kommunen består av skog. Syftet med denna analys är att få en bättre översikt över dagens situation inom detta område. En bättre översikt skulle kunna hjälpa politiker och entreprenörer att se nya möjligheter inom detta område, vilket skulle kunna innebära fler arbetstillfällen inom kommunen.

Studies undertaken by Eskom in 2001 identified three sites near the Northern Cape town of Upington which are suitable for a 100 MW Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) generating plant. Of the CSP technologies investigated, the central receiver option was identified as best for the Northern Cape, however almost none of Eskom’s analysis was made public. The basis of the central receiver’s suitability versus other CSP options is not publicly known. Given recent advances in concentrating systems, an argument exists for reassessing the suitability of various solar thermal technologies for bulk power generation. This study first characterises the incident solar radiation (insolation) levels at Upington from six data sources and assesses their quality. The data are then used to model performance of the parabolic trough, compact linear Fresnel reflector, central receiver, and dish-engine technologies. A software modelling tool of the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (System Advisor Model) is used to facilitate the comparison. Simulation results are compared with data from similar studies to ensure consistency of the CSP model inputs and performance outputs. Constraining the results to the environmental conditions of Upington, it is found that while central receiver technology produces less electricity per square kilometre of collector area, it uses less water than parabolic trough technology to obtain a higher annual electric output. Dish-engine technology has the most favourable annual electricity production to water-usage ratio, however, its modest annual electricity output and lack of energy storage capability weaken the case for it to match South Africa’s national load profile substantively. Examining the modelled month-to-month electricity output characteristic, the central receiver technology delivers significantly more electricity during the lower insolation winter period of the year than the competing technologies. This results in the central receiver technology achieving the highest annual electric output of the four technologies compared under the same insolation levels, strengthening the case for its implementation. As a whole, this work characterises the insolation levels at Upington, provides an analysis of the technical performance of competing CSP technologies for the proposed Northern Cape site, and argues quantitatively in favour of the central receiver option. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This research investigates the collection of concentrating solar energy and its transmission through optical fibres for use in high temperature applications such as lunar in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) programmes, solar power generation and solar surgery. A prototype collector, known as the Fibre Optic Concentrating Utilisation System (FOCUS), has been developed and is capable of delivering high energy fluxes to a remote target. Salient performance results include flux concentrations approaching 1000 suns with an overall optical efficiency of 13%, measured from the inlet of the collector to the fibre outlet. The system comprises a novel solar concentrator designed to inject solar energy into a four metre long fibre optic cable for the transmission of light to the target. A nonimaging reflective lens in the form of a 600 mm diameter ring array concentrator was chosen for the collection of solar energy. Advantageous characteristics over the more common parabolic dish are its rearward focusing capacity and single stage reflection. The ring array comprises a nested set of paraboloidal elements constructed using composite material techniques to demonstrate a low-cost, effective fabrication process. At concentrator focus, a fibre optic cable of numerical aperture 0.37 is positioned to transport the highly concentrated energy away from the collector. The cable is treated to withstand UV exposure and high solar energy flux, and allows flexibility for target positioning. A computational analysis of the optical system was performed using ray tracing software, from which a predictive model of concentrator performance was developed to compare with experimental results. Performance testing of FOCUS was conducted using energy balance principles in conjunction with a flat plate calorimeter. Temperatures approaching 1500°C and flux levels in the region of 1800 suns were achieved before injection to the cable, demonstrating the optical system's suitability for use in high flux applications. During testing, peak temperatures exceeding 900°C were achieved at the remote target with a measured flux of 104 W/cm2 at the cable outlet. The predicted optical efficiency was 22%, indicating that further refinements to the ray trace model are necessary, specifically with regard to losses at the inlet to the cable. FOCUS was able to demonstrate its usefulness as a test bed for lunar in-situ resource utilisation technologies by successfully melting a lunar soil simulant. The system permits further terrestrial-based ISRU research, such as oxygen production from regolith and the fabrication of structural elements from lunar soil. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.