Experimental Study On The Temperature And Turbidity Characteristics Of A Mini Solar Pond With Three Enhancing Measures

The temperature and turbidity characteristics of an enhanced solar pond are studied by the indoor and outdoor experiments. Indoor experiments are carried out to analyze the ability of heat storage and turbidity restriction of various porous materials. Outdoor comparison experiments between two mini solar ponds with surface area of 2.4 m x 2.4 m and bottom area of 1 m x 1 m are conducted to study the effects of different enhancing measures on the temperature and turbidity. Three methods including porous medium padding, covering, and solar collector assisting are combined to strengthen the thermal performance of the solar pond. It is highlighted in the present study that the porous medium has a dual effect of increasing the heat storage capacity and restricting the turbidity of the solar pond, which have not been focused in the existing literature. The enhanced solar pond runs with higher temperature and lower turbidity than that of the traditional solar pond. As inspired by the principle of the enhanced solar pond, a novel tide-driven solar pond reservoir with a heat collection pond and a circulating pond is proposed to provide fresh seawater with moderate temperature for seaside marine farm in winter. The solar pond reservoir can be operated for a long time with low maintenance cost and no primary energy consumption, which has a broad research and application prospect.