Thermal and optical efficiency investigation of a parabolic trough collector

Investigation of the Effect of Physical and Optical Factors on the Optical Performance of a Parabolic Trough Collector

The overall thermal performance of a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) depends on its optical performance, particularly the uniformity of the irradiance distribution and the resultant optical efficiency of the collector. Local Concentration Ratio (LCR), optical efficiency and average light concentration are three fundamental parameters of the optical performance of a PTC. These parameters are af...

Development of a Low Cost European Parabolic Trough Collector EUROTrough

2 00 7 A closed parabolic trough solar collector

Parabolic trough[1] is the most mature technology for large scale exploitation of solar energy. Several power plants based on this technology have been operational for years, and more are being built. However, the current technology suffers from a too high installation cost. This high cost makes it very hard to compete economically with fossil energy without government subsidies, compromising t...

Manufacturing a trough parabolic solar collector and predicting its theoretical performance

The aim of this research was manufacturing a parabolic trough solar collector in which reflecting surface is made of mirror steel rather than usual mirror and also predicting its theoretical performance.by adjusting planar ⩝ -shaped structures parallel to each other and welding them together, the main supporting structure was assembled and a parabolic-shape Teflon arc was installed in the apert...

Ray-Thermal-Structural Coupled Analysis of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector System

An effective approach to sustainable energy is the utilization of solar energy. The parabolic trough collector with central receiver is one of the most suitable systems for solar power generation. A type of concentrating solar collector that uses U-shaped troughs to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver tube, containing a working fluid such as water or oil, which is positioned along the focal li...