Design and Optical Performance of Compound Parabolic Solar Concentrators with Evacuated Tube as Receivers

Abstract: In the present article, six symmetric compound parabolic solar concentrators (CPCs) with all-glass evacuated solar tubes (EST) as the receiver are designed, and a comparative study on their optical performance is performed based on theoretical analysis and ray-tracing simulations. In terms of optical loss through gaps of CPCs and optical efficiency averaged for radiation over the acceptance angle, CPC-6, designed based on a fictitious “hat”-shaped absorber with a “V” groove at the bottom, is the optimal design, and CPC-1, designed based on the cover tube, is the worst solution, whereas from the point of view of the annual collectible radiation on the EST, it is found that CPC-4, designed based on a fictitious “ice-cream” absorber, is the optimal design and CPC-1 is the worst solution. CPC-6, commonly regarded as the best design in the past, is not an optimal design in terms of annual collectible radiation after truncation. Results also indicate that, for high temperature applications, CPC-6 and CPC-4 are advisable due to the high solar flux on the EST resulting from the high optical efficiency for radiation within the acceptance angle.