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Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PSTC) Technology Essay

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Many studies have been developed and carried out in terms of modeling of parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) technology. In the following, 13 research papers related to the present work are studied, analyzed, and summarized. Yaghoubi [15] evaluated the heat loss in the heat collector field of 250 KW solar power plant in Iran for several conditions. Experimental and numerical analysis have been made for comparison. Three different tubes are used; vacuum, lost vacuum and broken glass, and an infrared camera (IR) is used to evaluate the temperatures around the tube. The results showed that the heat loss of the lost vacuum (air) tube is 40% higher than the vacuum tube, so 3-5% of the efficiency of the collector is reduced. For …show more content…

The model is validated by preforming test with ends covered. Additionally, for more investigation, 3-D model has been developed by using CFD software. This model is validated with experimental data of IR photo and heater powers. The results show that high conductive heat loss is occurred because of the supporting bracket and bellow under non-vacuum condition. By integrating the 1-D and 3-D models, the comparison with the test data indicate a good agreement. Hachicha [17] developed a numerical model of a parabolic trough receiver for thermal and optical analysis. All the heat energy balance correlations are used in order to perform the model. A numerical -geometric method is used to calculate the heat flux around the receiver. The model is verified by experimental data done by Sandia National Laboratories. The results indicate some differences at high temperatures, and these discrepancies are due to optical properties of the collector. Other reason why the comparison is not accurate is that there is some error using the equations related to heat transfer coefficient. In addition to that, another validation for the proposed model is done with experimental data of un-irradiated receivers. The results indicate that the proposed model can well estimate the heat loss and temperature. Coccia [18] presented a mathematical model of a parabolic trough collector

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