CFD Analysis of a Solar Parabolic Dish
Concentrated solar thermal (CST) power has been used for years to help supply power to certain energy markets and has proven to be fairly successful. Unfortunately the high prices of these solar technologies have prohibited them from really making a large impact on the world's energy scene. This study analyses the structural, thermal, and CFD performance of a parabolic dish concept which could be the basis for large scale commercial concentrated solar thermal electricity. Simulation of the structural, thermal and CFDanalysis of the dish with varying metallic properties (Aluminium, Copper and StainlessSteel) under different windconditionswas compared. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was done to simulate the thermal performance of the dish at two different wind velocities.