scholarly journals Assessment of Performance Enhancement Potential of a High-Temperature Parabolic Trough Collector System Combining the Optimized IR-Reflectors

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiliang Wang ◽  
Hongxing Yang ◽  
Gang Pei ◽  
Honglun Yang ◽  
Jingyu Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Loss ◽  
Solar Irradiance ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Cutoff Wavelength ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Optimal Cutoff ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector ◽  
Photothermal Conversion ◽  
Overall Performance

Heat collecting elements (HCEs) are the core components in the parabolic trough collector (PTC) system because photothermal conversion of the whole system occurs in the HCEs. However, considerable heat loss from the HCEs at high operating temperature exerts seriously negative impact on the photothermal conversion efficiency of the PTC system and subsequent application systems. To effectively reduce the heat loss and thus enhance the overall performance of the PTC system, in our previous work, we proposed three kinds of novel HCEs by partially depositing different IR-reflector coatings on the inner and outer surfaces of the glass envelope. The infrared (IR)-reflector of actual transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film, IR-reflector with a fixed cutoff wavelength of 2.5 μm, and the IR-reflector with optimal cutoff wavelength showed extremely effective roles in the reduction of heat loss in HCEs. In this paper, the comprehensive energy and exergy performances of these three novel HCEs in a real 72 m small-scale PTC system are further investigated by the mathematical models established. Additionally, the comparisons among overall performances of the proposed HCEs under different direct solar irradiances are also carried out. The results show that the simulated data yields good consistence with the experimental results, and that all three of the novel HCEs achieve superior overall performance compared with the conventional HCEs. The PTC system installing the novel HCEs with the IR-reflector coating which possesses the optimal cutoff wavelength has the best energetic and exergetic efficiencies, which are significantly improved by 25.2% and 28.1% compared with the conventional HCEs at the solar irradiance of 800 W/m2 and inlet temperature of 580 °C. Moreover, the proposed novel HCEs have a much superior performance at lower solar irradiance. The performance-enhanced PTC system will play a significantly positive role in the performance improvement of the heating and cooling of buildings in the future.

Analysis of the influence of heat loss factors on the overall performance of utility-scale parabolic trough solar collectors

Energy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 1077-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Xu ◽  
Feihu Sun ◽  
Linrui Ma ◽  
Xiaolei Li ◽  
Guofeng Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Loss ◽  
Solar Collectors ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Utility Scale ◽  
Loss Factors

scholarly journals Optimal forecasting of thermal conductivity and storage in parabolic trough collector using phase change materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Muruganantham ◽  
◽  
Balaji Dhanapal ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Solar Collectors ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Fluid Medium ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector

Renewable energy is one of the cleaner energy generation strategies practiced all over the world to reduce environmental impacts and waste based on current sustainability in economic practices. Solar energy is one kind of renewable sources of energy practiced for different application. The thermal storage system in solar energy is one of the least practiced methods in research, and the utilization of solar energy in the thermal application is attaining higher responses and is quite possible. In this paper, solar heat generation is attained by solar parabolic trough collector using phase change materials. The ideology behind this research is to develop a thermal energy storage system using solar collectors and phase change materials. A composition mixture of MgCl2. 6H2O phase change materials used as the fluid medium in trough collector and thermal efficiency of the material is evaluated. For effective optimization, an imperialist competitive algorithm is used for optimizing the thermal efficiency of the solar collectors. The thermal efficiency of the collector is numerically experimented in the running platform of Mat Lab and executed in terms of heat gain, heat loss, and thermal efficiency of the parabolic trough collector, respectively. The efficiency of the proposed framework is 85%, and the current framework just has 80% efficiency. The heat loss in the proposed framework is lower than that of the current system, distinguished as 4200 W and 4520 W, respectively. It is shown from the research study that the proposed PCM composition is an optimal method for generating heat energy in solar parabolic trough collectors.

scholarly journals Feasibility Study of Freeze Recovery Options in Parabolic Trough Collector Plants Working with Molten Salt as Heat Transfer Fluid

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Prieto ◽  
Alfonso Rodríguez-Sánchez ◽  
F. Ruiz-Cabañas ◽  
Luisa Cabeza
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Molten Salts ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Solar Salt ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Solar Field

Parabolic trough collector (PTC) technology is currently the most mature solar technology, which has led to the accumulation of relevant operational experience. The overall performance and efficiency of these plants depends on several components, and the heat transfer fluid (HTF) is one of the most important ones. Using molten salts as HTFs has the advantage of being able to work at higher temperatures, but it also has the disadvantage of the potential freezing of the HTF in pipes and components. This paper models and evaluates two methods of freeze recovery, which is needed for this HTF system design: Heat tracing in pipes and components, and impedance melting in the solar field. The model is used to compare the parasitic consumption in three molten salts mixtures, namely Solar Salt, HiTec, and HiTec XL, and the feasibility of this system in a freezing event. After the investigation of each of these subsystems, it was concluded that freeze recovery for a molten salt plant is possible.

scholarly journals Generation of a Parabolic Trough Collector Efficiency Curve From Separate Measurements of Outdoor Optical Efficiency and Indoor Receiver Heat Loss

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Kutscher ◽  
Frank Burkholder ◽  
J. Kathleen Stynes
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Operating Temperature ◽  
Efficiency Curve ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Optical Efficiency ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector ◽  
Collector Efficiency ◽  
The Difference

The thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough collector is a function of both the fraction of direct normal radiation absorbed by the receiver (the optical efficiency) and the heat lost to the environment when the receiver is at operating temperature. The thermal efficiency can be determined by testing the collector under actual operating conditions or by separately measuring these two components. This paper describes how outdoor measurement of the optical efficiency is combined with laboratory measurements of receiver heat loss to obtain the thermal efficiency curve. This paper describes this approach and also makes the case that there are advantages to plotting collector efficiency versus the difference between the operating temperature and the ambient temperature at which the receiver heat loss was measured divided by radiation to a fractional power (on the order of 1/3 but obtained via data regression)—as opposed to the difference between operating and ambient temperatures divided by the radiation. The results are shown to be robust over wide ranges of ambient temperature, sky temperature, and wind speed.

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF AN ADSORPTION ICE-MAKER DRIVEN BY PARABOLIC TROUGH COLLECTOR

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Li ◽  
T. Yan ◽  
Ruzhu Wang ◽  
Liwei Wang ◽  
T. X. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector
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