Application of silicon carbide ceramics in the photovoltaic field

① It is a key carrier material in the production process of photovoltaic cells
Among silicon carbide structural ceramics, the photovoltaic industry of silicon carbide boat supports has developed at a high level of prosperity, becoming a good choice for key carrier materials in the production process of photovoltaic cells, and its market demand has attracted increasing attention from the industry.

At present, boat supports, boat boxes, pipe fittings, etc. made of quartz are commonly used, but they are restricted by the domestic and international high-purity quartz sand mineral sources, and the production capacity is small. There is a tight supply and demand for high-purity quartz sand, and the price has been running at a high level for a long time, and the service life is short. Compared with quartz materials, boat supports, boat boxes, pipe fittings and other products made of silicon carbide materials have good thermal stability, no deformation at high temperature, and no harmful precipitated pollutants. As an excellent alternative material for quartz products, the service life can reach more than 1 year, which can significantly reduce the use cost and the loss of production capacity caused by maintenance and repair. The cost advantage is obvious, and its application prospect as a carrier in the photovoltaic field is broad.

② Can be used as a heat absorber material for solar power generation systems
Tower solar thermal power generation systems are highly praised in solar power generation because of their high concentration ratio (200~1000kW/㎡), high thermal cycle temperature, low heat loss, simple system and high efficiency. As the core component of tower solar thermal power generation, the absorber needs to withstand a radiation intensity 200-300 times stronger than natural light, and the operating temperature can be as high as more than one thousand degrees Celsius, so its performance is very important for the stable operation and working efficiency of the thermal power generation system. The operating temperature of traditional metal material absorbers is limited, making ceramic absorbers a new research hotspot. Alumina ceramics, cordierite ceramics, and silicon carbide ceramics are often used as absorber materials.

Solar thermal power station absorber tower

Among them, silicon carbide ceramics have excellent characteristics such as high strength, large specific surface area, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, good thermal insulation, thermal shock resistance and high temperature resistance. Compared with alumina and cordierite ceramic absorber materials, it has better high temperature performance. The use of a heat absorber made of sintered silicon carbide allows the heat absorber to achieve an outlet air temperature of up to 1200°C without material damage.