scholarly journals EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF A SOLAR PARABOLIC TROUGH COLLECTOR FOR CIRCULAR AND ELLIPTICAL ABSORBER

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 6348-6355
Author(s):  
Suresh. R ◽  
Subash Chandra Bose.R ◽  
Arumugam. K ◽  
Anbazhagan. R ◽  
Sathiyamoorthy. V ◽  
...  

             Solar parabolic trough collector is one of the most efficient and an effective technology to deal with environmental pollution and it has gained much attention due to the recent energy demand. The solar parabolic trough collector is one of the most promising techniques for absorbing the heat from the sun. This heat is utilized for electricity generation and other industrial heating applications. This paper describes the theoretical and experimental assessment of performance of the circular and elliptical absorbers used in solar parabolic trough collector. The absorber tube of parabolic trough collector is used to transfer the heat to the working fluid. The working fluid considered over here is water which is the best operating medium in direct steam generation. The mass flow rate of water in absorber tube is analyzed in 3 stages as 0.016, 0.024 and 0.030 kg/s respectively. The experimental test is done in Chennai-Tamilnadu, Southern part of India which experiences a superior temperature throughout the year. The experiment is conducted for the period of one year from June 2015 to May 2016. The performance improvement focuses on collector efficiency, useful heat transfer rate, outlet temperature of working fluid, temperature gradient, overall heat transfer rate and the thermal losses.

Author(s):  
Ennio Macchi ◽  
Giampaolo Manzolini ◽  
Paolo Silva

The role of renewable energies and in particular solar energy could be fundamental in future scenarios of worldwide increase of energy demand: thermodynamic solar energy can play an important role in country with high solar radiation. This paper discusses the development and testing of an innovative code for the prediction of thermodynamic performances at nominal conditions and the estimation of costs of the whole plant, for different parabolic trough solar fields. The code allows a preliminary design of the solar field lay-out, the sizing of the main components of the plant and the optimization of the steam cycle. The code, named PATTO (PArabolic Trough Thermodynamic Optimization), allows to separately calculate the thermal efficiency of (i) parabolic trough systems in commerce as well as (ii) combination of components of various commercial systems, in order to exploit different technology solutions: combination of mirrors, receivers and supports. Using the selected parabolic troughs, the plant configuration is then completed by connecting pipes, heat exchangers, the steam cycle, and storage tanks. The code is also flexible in terms of working fluid, temperature and pressure range. Regarding the power block, a conventional steam cycle with super-heater and re-heater sections and up to seven regenerative bleedings is adopted. It is possible to use also simpler configuration as without re-heater or with less regenerative bleedings. Moreover, thanks to simple or sophisticated economic correlations depending on available data, the code calculates the overall investment cost for the considered solar field and the power block. The code performs steady state analysis at nominal conditions, while future developments are planned regarding part load analysis and transient simulations. The model is tested towards real applications and reference values found in literature; in particular, focusing on SEGS VI plant in the USA. Detailed results showing code potentiality, are presented in terms of solar field and power block energy balances, plant auxiliaries, piping and economic analysis.


Author(s):  
Huayi Feng ◽  
Yanping Zhang ◽  
Chongzhe Zou

In this paper, a 3-D numerical model is proposed to investigate the capability of generating high operating temperature for a modified solar cavity receiver in large-scale dish Stirling system. The proposed model aims to evaluate the influence of radiation intensity on the cavity receiver performance. The properties of the heat transfer fluid in the pipe and heat transfer losses of the receiver are investigated by varying the direct normal irradiance from 400W/m2 to 1000W/m2. The temperature of heat transfer fluid, as well as the effect of radiation intensity on the heat transfer losses have been critically presented and discussed. The simulation results reveal that the heat transfer fluid temperature and thermal efficiency of the receiver are significantly influenced by different radiation flux. With the increase of radiation intensity, the efficiency of the receiver will firstly increase, then drops after reaching the highest point. The outlet working fluid temperature of the pipe will be increased consistently. The results of the simulations show that the designed cylindrical receiver used in dish Stirling system is capable to achieve the targeted outlet temperature and heat transfer efficiency, with an acceptable pressure drop.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Mohammad Azim Aijaz ◽  
T. S. Ravikumar

the hot fluid outlet temperature, cold fluid outlet temperature, heat transfer rate and effectiveness at varying hot and cold fluid inlet temperatures using, log mean temperature difference (LMTD) and effectiveness-number of transfer units (ε-NTU) method. The obtained result illustrates how heat transfer rate and effectiveness increases or decreases at varying hot and cold fluid inlet temperatures. The result obtained from both LMTD and å-NTU method gives statistically significant values. The objective of this paper is to find out the optimal temperature at which heat transfer rate and effectiveness are maximum.


Author(s):  
Shota Sato ◽  
Shigeki Hirasawa ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kawanami ◽  
Katsuaki Shirai

We experimentally study the thermal conductance of single-tube and loop heat pipes for a solar collector. The evaporator of the heat pipe is 1 m long, 6 mm in diameter and has 30° inclination. The thermal conductance is defined as the heat transfer rate divided by the temperature difference between the evaporator-wall and the condenser-wall. Effects of heat transfer rate, saturation temperature of the working fluid, liquid filling ratio, inclination angle, and position of the evaporator on the thermal conductance are examined. We found that the thermal conductance of the 30°-inclined loop heat pipe with an upper-evaporator is 40–50 (W/K), which is 1.8 times higher than that of the vertical loop type and 3 times higher than that of the single-tube type. Thus, the inclined loop heat pipe is preferable for a solar collector. There is an optimum liquid filling ratio. When the liquid filling ratio is too small, a dry-out portion appears in the evaporator. When the liquid filling ratio is too large, the liquid flows in the condenser to decrease heat transfer area. Also we numerically analyze the thermal conductance of a vertical loop heat pipe.


Author(s):  
M. Favre-Marinet ◽  
S. Le Person ◽  
A. Bejan

Experimental investigations of the flow and the associated heat transfer were conducted in two-dimensional microchannels in order to test possible size effects on the laws of hydrodynamics and heat transfer and to infer optimal conditions of use from the measurements. The test section was designed to modify easily the channel height e between 1 mm and 0.1 mm. Measurements of the overall friction factor and local Nusselt numbers show that the classical laws of hydrodynamics and heat transfer are verified for e > 0.4 mm. For lower values of e, a significant decrease of the Nusselt number is observed, whereas the Poiseuille number continues to have the conventional value of laminar developed flow. The transition to turbulence is not affected by the channel size. For fixed pressure drop across the channel, a maximum of heat transfer rate density is found for a particular value of e. The corresponding dimensionless optimal spacing and heat transfer rate density are in very good agreement with the predictions of Bejan and Sciubba (1992). This paper is the first time that the optimal spacing between parallel plates is determined experimentally.


Author(s):  
Andrea Giostri ◽  
Claudio Saccilotto ◽  
Paolo Silva ◽  
Ennio Macchi ◽  
Giampaolo Manzolini

The paper deals with the development and testing of an innovative code for the performance prediction of solar trough based CSP plants in off-design conditions. The code is developed in MS Visual Basic 6.0 with Excel as user interface. The proposed code originates from a previously presented algorithm for on-design sizing and cost estimation of the solar field lay-out, as well as of the main components of the plant, including connecting piping and the steam cycle. Off-design calculation starts from data obtained through the on-design algorithm and considers steady-state situations. Both models are implemented in the same software, named PATTO (PArabolic Trough Thermodynamic Optimization), which is very flexible: the optical-thermal model of collectors can simulate different kinds of parabolic trough systems in commerce, including a combination of various mirrors, receivers and supports. The code is also flexible in terms of working fluid, temperature and pressure range, and can also simulate direct steam generation plants (DSG). Regarding the power block, a conventional steam cycle with super-heater, eventually a re-heater section, and up to seven regenerative bleedings is adopted. The off-design model calculates thermal performance of collectors taking into account proper correlations for convective heat transfer coefficients, considering also boiling regime in DSG configurations. Solar plant heat and mass balances and performances at off-design conditions are estimated by accounting for the constraints imposed by the available heat transfer areas in heat exchangers and condenser, as well as the characteristic curve of the steam turbine. The numerical model can be used for a single calculation in a specific off-design condition, as well as for a whole year estimation of energy balances with an hourly resolution. The model is tested towards real applications and reference values found in literature; in particular, focusing on SEGS VI plant in the USA and SAM® code. Annual energy balances with ambient condition taken from TMY3 database are obtained, showing good accuracy of predicted performances. The code potentiality in the design process reveals twofold: it can be used for plant optimization in feasibility studies; moreover it is useful to find the best control strategy of a plant, especially the mass flow of heat transfer fluid in each operating condition.


Author(s):  
Alexey Vasilievich Ezhov ◽  
Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov ◽  
Aleksandr Bukin ◽  
Vladimir Grigorievich Bukin

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the effect of oil on the heat transfer rate at boiling of mixed refrigerant R406A. Since the air conditioning system is not a pure refrigerant, but a mixture of oil with a concentration of up to 8%, such an amount of oil affects both hydrodynamics and heat exchange in the evaporators. The experimental work covers the entire range of regime parameters typical for these systems. There is shown the process of changing oil concentration in the pipe, as the working fluid boils, proving that most of the oil pipe does not impair the heat exchange in the course of two-phase flow boiling. Different modes of refrigerant R406A boiling dynamics have been defined, and each mode is given a quantitative assessment in terms of the effects of the oil and explaining of this effect on the fluid flow and heat transfer based on visual observations and the experiment results. The main factor of the effect is the freon-oil foam, which increases the proportion of the wetted surface in the wave and stratified modes and the heat transfer rate to 30%. A comparison of the heat transfer coefficients both in the cross section and along the pipe length has been performed, showing that the maximum change in heat transfer occurs in the upper part of the surface due to developing a dry wall on it and wetting it with freon-oil foam. A comparison of the heat transfer rate of pure refrigerant R406A has been done; the presence of oil in it shows that the effect of oil is complex and ambiguous. Calculation and criterion dependences for calculation of heat transfer coefficients in different modes have been proposed.


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