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Cyclone separators are popular devices used to filter dust from the emitted flue gases. They are applied as pre-filters in many industrial processes including energy production and grain processing facilities. Increasing computational power and the availability of 3D printers provide new tools for the combination of modeling and experimentation, which necessary for constructing efficient cyclones. Several simulation tools can be run in parallel, e.g., long running CFD simulations can be accompanied by experiments with 3D printers. Furthermore, results from analytical and data-driven models can be incorporated. There are fundamental differences between these modeling approaches: some models, e.g., analytical models, use domain knowledge, whereas data-driven models do not require any information about the underlying processes. At the same time, data-driven models require input and output data, whereas analytical models do not. Combining results from models with different input-output structure is of great interest. This combination inspired the development of a new methodology. An optimization via multimodel simulation approach, which combines results from different models, is introduced. Using cyclonic dust separators (cyclones) as a real-world simulation problem, the feasibility of this approach is demonstrated. Pros and cons of this approach are discussed and experiences from the experiments are presented. Furthermore, technical problems, which are related to 3D-printing approaches, are discussed.

29th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 3637-3640, Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) collectors are multi-energy components that convert solar radiation into both electricity and heat. In fact, PVT collectors make possible use of the large amount of solar energy “wasted” in PV modules as usable heat in a thermal system. Therefore, PVT collectors represent in principle one of the most efficient ways to use solar energy (cogeneration effects). However, such a concept still faces various barriers due to the multidisciplinary challenges involved (material, semi-conductors, and thermal conductivity) and to the complexity of the technical requirements implied in such concepts. The electrical energy yield of a PV module depends on the temperature behaviour of the solar cell technology. In a PVT collector, the fluid in the heat exchanger may reduce the solar cells temperature and so increase the electrical energy yield of the PV module. In this study, a so-called "unglazed PVT collector" - which is essentially a PV module with a heat exchanger plate on its back side - is investigated by means of indoor and outdoor measurements at two different test institutes: SUPSI, specialized on PV testing and SPF, specialized on thermal collector testing.