Induction Bonding Solar Panel

Description

Induction Bonding Solar Panel With High Frequency Heating System

Objective To heat the stainless steel substrate of a solar panel shingle in order to melt the polymer encapsulant, allowing two shingles to bond together with a 3 inch overlap.
Material 3″ by 10.25″ section of a 21″ solar panel shingle

Temperature 130 ºC
Frequency 300 kHz
Equipment DW-UHF-4.5kW power supply equipped with a remote heat station containing one 0.66mF capacitor. A custom-made
coil: 4 turns of 1/4″ x 1/2″ rectangular copper tubing, measuring 24″ by 2 1/4″.
Process Stationary heating – with the coil located on the topside of the sample – was utilized to achieve uniform melt and adhesion. The shingles were overlapped according to requirements and placed on wood to simulate the installation on a roofing surface. In addition, pressure was applied by pressing the
water-cooled coil against the shingle to facilitate the bonding (illustration). Tests are performed at several time-voltage settings.
Results Tests resulted in excellent bond formation with the absence of encapsulant bubbling and only slight surface texture change.