Modeling on directional solidification of solar cell grade multicrystalline silicon ingot casting

Solar energy is considered as one of the best alternative energy in the future. Multicrystalline silicon ingot casting is the main production process for major supply of solar cell. However, the casting process cannot be understood clearly because of some difficulties, such as enclosed furnace, long cycle time of production and so on. In this paper, an integrated model, including casting process analysis, quality prediction and production parameters optimization, is proposed and the preliminary results are acquired. The framework of the proposed model is introduced and the numerical simulation results on the temperature field and grain growth process are also given out and discussed.