Effect of receiver geometry on the optical and thermal performance of a parabolic trough collector

Al-Dulaimi, Mustafa J.; Amori, Karima E.

doi:10.1002/htj.22406

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…They discovered that improving tube thickness up to a certain level improves the PTC system's performance. Al-Dulaimi et al [4] have estimated the efficiency of five different shapes of receiver tubes through numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. They concluded that the efficiency of tested receiver shapes could be represented in the following order.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of the Influence of Inner Geometries of the Receiver Tube of a Parabolic Trough Collector System Used for Water Heating

Ranatunga,

Hettiarachchi,

Abeyratne

et al. 2023

Engineer

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Solar collectors are devices that help to harvest solar thermal radiation and convert into other forms of energy. Because of its low fabrication cost and simple design, the Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) is one of the finest alternatives for medium-temperature (i.e., in 80°𝐶𝐶-250°𝐶𝐶 range) needs among all types of concentrated solar collectors. The absorber tube or the receiver tube is one of the main critical components of a PTC. Thermal radiation of the sun falling onto a parabolic reflector is reflected to its focal line where the receiver tube is placed. Therefore, the performance of a PTC system significantly depends on Receiver Geometries (RGs). A locally developed PTC system with a new and accurate tracking system was designed and fabricated in the current study and steam generation inside the receiver was considered in the performance analysis. The experimental analysis was performed using seven different RGs. The experiments were carried out by measuring generated steam every 10 minutes for all the RGs, and simultaneously, solar insolation data was taken by a domestic solar Photovoltaic (PV) system with a capacity of 5 kW. The steam generation data was taken only when the power output of the reference solar PV system was ≥ 4kW. Having tested seven different RGs, the researchers were able to improve the steam generation to a maximum of 10.0% compared to the reference geometry using direct experimental data. This was 8.1% in accordance with the statistical approach via multiple linear regression model. A three-dimensional mathematical model for two-phase flow was formulated for a closed domain. Restricting this model into twodimensional geometry, the steam generation process was simulated as a TPF problem using ANSYS Fluent software. The volume fraction profiles clearly show the phase transition, which leads to evaporation and condensation inside the tube.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%