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Main Authors: Suhas, Domala Sai, Khullar, Vikrant
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.18299
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author Suhas, Domala Sai
Khullar, Vikrant
author_facet Suhas, Domala Sai
Khullar, Vikrant
contents Optically transparent thermal loss mitigators have recently seen renewed research interests owing to their increasing relevance in the realms ranging from smart windows, efficient greenhouse designs and high-performance-low-cost solar thermal systems. In depth understanding of the heat transport mechanisms and their quantification is crucial for building efficient opto-thermal management strategies for optimization of the aforementioned systems. The present work serves to identify and quantify the key heat transfer mechanisms operative in a host of optically transparent thermal loss mitigators. In particular, comprehensive experimental modelling frameworks have been developed to investigate the efficacy of carbon dioxide gas (CO2), air, vacuum (0.07mbar), transparent heat mirrors (Indium tin oxide coated glass) and aerogels (silica-based) in mitigating thermal losses. Detailed and careful experimental modelling reveals that it is imperative to employ more than one thermal loss mitigator and choose correct absorber surface orientation (relative to the irradiation direction) to maximize thermal loss mitigation. Magnitude of absorber surface stagnation temperature has been employed as the figure of merit to quantitatively compare various optically transparent thermal loss mitigators. Under un-evacuated conditions, CO2 has emerged as potent alternative to more sophisticated optically transparent thermal loss mitigators like aerogels and transparent heat mirrors. Enhancements (relative to air) on the order of 2%-7%, 46%-84%, 57%-84% and 66%-86% are observed in case of CO2, vacuum, transparent heat mirrors (vacuum) and aerogel (vacuum) respectively.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_18299
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Understanding Heat Transport Mechanisms in Optically Transparent Thermal Loss Mitigators
Suhas, Domala Sai
Khullar, Vikrant
Applied Physics
Optically transparent thermal loss mitigators have recently seen renewed research interests owing to their increasing relevance in the realms ranging from smart windows, efficient greenhouse designs and high-performance-low-cost solar thermal systems. In depth understanding of the heat transport mechanisms and their quantification is crucial for building efficient opto-thermal management strategies for optimization of the aforementioned systems. The present work serves to identify and quantify the key heat transfer mechanisms operative in a host of optically transparent thermal loss mitigators. In particular, comprehensive experimental modelling frameworks have been developed to investigate the efficacy of carbon dioxide gas (CO2), air, vacuum (0.07mbar), transparent heat mirrors (Indium tin oxide coated glass) and aerogels (silica-based) in mitigating thermal losses. Detailed and careful experimental modelling reveals that it is imperative to employ more than one thermal loss mitigator and choose correct absorber surface orientation (relative to the irradiation direction) to maximize thermal loss mitigation. Magnitude of absorber surface stagnation temperature has been employed as the figure of merit to quantitatively compare various optically transparent thermal loss mitigators. Under un-evacuated conditions, CO2 has emerged as potent alternative to more sophisticated optically transparent thermal loss mitigators like aerogels and transparent heat mirrors. Enhancements (relative to air) on the order of 2%-7%, 46%-84%, 57%-84% and 66%-86% are observed in case of CO2, vacuum, transparent heat mirrors (vacuum) and aerogel (vacuum) respectively.
title Understanding Heat Transport Mechanisms in Optically Transparent Thermal Loss Mitigators
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.18299