TeBe, Ver. 1004.

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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Highly selective absorber band eta plus
eta plus is a highly selective coated metal band to be used as an
absorber in thermal solar collectors with a closed casing and a
transparent cover. It has a blank metal back and allows the
production of large-surface homogenous absorbers.
The eta plus coating is a ceramic metal compound, a so-called
CERMET, and consists of several single layers. A CERMET is a coating
structure in which metal particles are embedded in a ceramic matrix.
Due to scattering and interference effects these metal particles
absorb the radiation in a certain wavelength range.
The metal content of the eta plus coating system gradually decreases
towards the surface. The coating applied on the surface of the
substrate is a passivating metal coating, which serves as a diffusion
barrier and also protects the metal substrate against corrosion. The
inner layers are the functional layers, in which most of the light is
absorbed. The top layer is a pure ceramic and also serves as an
antireflexion coating and as an extremely durable protection for the
entire system.
eta plus is produced using an air-to-air vacuum coating process. The
so-called magnetron sputtering is the method used for applying the
coating to the metal substrate. An air-to-air line, a special in-house
design, is used for this application process.
The eta plus coating can be applied to any metal band with a
thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm and a width of up to 1,250 mm. The
most suitable metal substrates are those with a low emittance and
good corrosion resistance, since these properties will also determine
the emittance and long-term durability of eta plus. Due to its excellent
thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and processability, copper
and aluminium are the most favorable substrates. Other metal
substrates, such as stainless steel and various metal alloys, however,
can also be used.
The finely tuned absorption properties of the multi-layer system and
the industrial production process provide eta plus with optimal
technical properties. The sputter process achieves the highest
absorptance of 95%, combined with the lowest thermal emittance of
5 % on copper or aluminum substrates.
eta plus is temperature stable and long-term resistant, adhesive and
abrasion-proof. The evaluation of the long-term durability of solar
absorber coatings is based on the accelerated aging test according
to Task X testing procedure. Here, the minimum service life of the
absorber coating is defined as 25 years. Possible degradation due to
thermal stress, moisture and condensation are taken into
consideration. Impurities on the surface, such as fingerprints, grease,
water deposits, etc. can easily be removed.