Abstract

To satisfy meteorological observation and measurement needs, the general composition and optical system of a high precision solar simulator is designed to the calibration requirements for high precision solar radiation meters. Given the light source characteristics of the solar simulator, an ellipsoid convergent lens is employed so as to enhance the energy utilization ratio of the light source; the optical integrator and the collimator are optimized in design with the aid of Zemax software, resulting in improved irradiation uniformity and output beam alignment. The test results suggest that, at a working distance of 1000 mm and with an effective irradiation aperture of Ø60  mm, the solar simulator generates an irradiance of up to 1222  W/m² and the irradiation nonuniformity is 0.83%, satisfying the requirements for meteorological observation and measurement.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Optical design of a solar simulator for meteorological fields to improve irradiance uniformity and expand the range of irradiation regulation

Shi Liu, Jierui Zhang, Siwen Chen, Yu Zhang, Guoxing Zou, Guoyu Zhang, and Songzhou Yang
Appl. Opt. 61(29) 8753-8765 (2022)

Design Considerations for Precision Solar Simulation

D. L. Fain
Appl. Opt. 3(12) 1389-1395 (1964)

Optical improvement for modulating a high flux solar simulator designed for solar thermal and thermochemical research

Leopoldo Martínez-Manuel, Manuel I. Peña-Cruz, Carlos A. Pineda-Arellano, J. Gonzalo Carrillo-Baeza, and Daniel A. May-Arrioja
Appl. Opt. 58(10) 2605-2615 (2019)

Design and analysis of unequal aperture off-axis optical integrator for solar simulators

Siwen Chen, Gaofei Sun, Shi Liu, Guoyu Zhang, Jierui Zhang, Jiali Chen, and Ran Zhang
Opt. Express 32(6) 9890-9903 (2024)

Optical design optimization for improved lamp-reflector units in high-flux solar simulators

Leopoldo Martínez-Manuel, Manuel I. Peña-Cruz, Amaia Mutuberría, and Marcelino Sánchez González
Appl. Opt. 61(20) 5902-5915 (2022)