Analysing the Material Suitability and Concentration Ratio of a Solar-Powered Parabolic trough Collector (PTC) Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

Solar-powered desalination is a sustainable solution for countries experiencing water scarcity. Several studies have presented different solutions to provide cleaner production in desalination systems. Parabolic trough collector (PTC) is one of these solutions that has proven to be superior among solar concentrators. Furthermore, a number of studies have investigated the use of PTC for distillation of saline water in response to water scarcity. In this study, a modified PTC model was developed, in which the heat exchanger was replaced by a condensation tube to reduce the energy consumption, and a black layer was introduced to the surface of the receiver to enhance its absorptance. As a reference case, the system productivity according to average solar intensities in Zagazig, located at 30°34′N 31°30′E in the North East of Egypt, is estimated. The results indicated that the maximum production rate that can be attained is 1.72 kg/hr. Then, the structure of the system is evaluated with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, in order to enhance its productivity. Many materials are examined and the results recognised copper as the most suitable material amongst marine grade metals (i.e., aluminium, galvanised steel and stainless steel) to construct the receiver tube. This is due to its superior thermal performance, satisfactory corrosion resistance, and acceptable cost. Afterwards, the selected receiver tube was employed to identify the optimal Concentration Ratio (CR). Consequently, a CR of 90.56 was determined to be the optimum value for Zagazig and regions with similar solar radiation. As a result, the system’s productivity was enhanced drastically, as it was estimated that a maximum production rate of 6.93 kg/hr can be achieved.

A Review on CSP and CPVT Technologies: Energy, Economic Analysis and Recycling towards Circular Economy

“…Still, copper emerges as a better choice to fabricate the receiver tube of PTC for desalination purposes due to its relatively lower cost (77.65% lower compared to stainless steel). 62 However, when the PTC is utilized commercially to produce electricity, stainless steel is often the choice for the material to fabricate the receiver tube due to the very low corrosion rate compared to other materials. Therefore, its utilization in commercial electricity production can also offset the high cost brought by using stainless steel.…”

“…Comparison of corrosion potential, corrosion rate and cost among marine grade metals for receiver tubes' construction [62][63][64][65][66][67]. …”

Efficiency of Semi-Automatic Control Ethanol Distillation Using a Vacuum-Tube Parabolic Solar Collector

“…The reason for this is that the angle adjustment of the solar reflector is manually controlled by adjusting the angle of the solar reflector 1 degree every 15 min, making it hard to operate the machine. The problems found in the research included controlling the temperature of distillation, adjusting the focus point by adjusting the angle, which required expertise, and sampling the ethanol obtained from the distillation process [27,28].…”