Performance Simulation of Solar Trough Concentrators: Optical and Thermal Comparisons
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Models and Methods
2.1. PTC
2.2. CPC
2.3. SUC
2.4. TTC
2.5. Geometry of the STCs
2.6. Simulation Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Model Validation
3.2. Ray Tracing Results
3.2.1. PTC Results
3.2.2. CPC Results
3.2.3. SUC Results
3.2.4. TTC Results
3.3. Absorber Tube Radiation Distribution Comparison
3.4. Performance Evaluation in an SWH System
3.4.1. Comparison of Top and Bottom Wall Temperature Distributions
3.4.2. Comparison of Cross-Section Temperature Distribution
3.4.3. Thermal Deformation Comparison
3.5. STC Application
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- As a concentrator with a high concentration ratio, PTC has the highest solar flux with two peaks at 55° and 305° on the receiver cross-section. The CPC can generate the highest heat flux among the three low concentrators (viz. the CPC, the SUC and the TTC). There are two peaks at 65° and 300° and one secondary peak at 0° on the cross-section of the CPC. There is a dark area at the bottom of the TTC at the angle of −30°–+30° due to the absorber shielding. More uniform solar radiation distribution is found on the SUC receivers than that on the other three STCs.
- (2)
- The PTC has the worst uniformity of 0.32% among the four STCs. Compared with the CPC and the PTC, the light distribution on the TTC absorber tube is more uniform. But the TTC’s light reception ratio is poorer, whose no-light area reaches 1/6 of the whole surface. The SUC holds the highest uniformity of 87.38%, and its reflected light can reach every location of the absorber.
- (3)
- The PTC wall temperatures are much higher than the other three STCs’ even though the PTC inlet water velocity is twice the other three STCs’. The top wall temperatures of the PTC and CPC are much smaller than those at the bottom. The top wall temperature of the TTC is larger than that at the bottom. The temperature uniformity at the cross-section of the SUC is the best among the four STCs. The water temperatures inside the STCs are directly in response to their wall temperature, with the highest temperature rise in the PTC and the smallest in the TTC.
- (4)
- The STCs‘ thermal deformations are positively correlated to their wall temperatures. And the receivers deform towards the direction of low-temperature areas. The radial deformation of the SUC is much larger than those of the other three STCs. The highest equivalent stress is found in PTC. The smallest equivalent stress is found in the SUC, which is beneficial to the long-term operation of the SWH system.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Nomenclature
Aa | Solar collecting area [m2] |
Ar | Absorber tube area [m2] |
STC | Solar trough concentrator |
BD | Bottom distance [m] |
Bmax | Maximum solar radiation on the absorber [W/m2] |
Bmin | Minimum solar radiation on the absorber [W/m2] |
C | Concentration ratio |
CPC | Compound parabolic concentrator |
DSG | Direct steam generation |
f | Focal length [m] |
fabs | Absorptance of the wall |
Frand | Random number between 0 and 1 |
H | Center height of the absorber tube [m] |
h | Vertical height of the reflector [m] |
L | Tube length [m] |
MED-VC | Multi-Effect Distillation-Vapor Compression |
MCRT | Monte Carlo Ray Tracing |
NUM | Incident light number |
ORC | Organic Rankine cycle |
P | Focal point of the parabola |
PTC | Parabolic trough concentrator |
PVT | PV-thermal |
R | Absorber tube radius [m] |
SWH | Solar water heating |
SUC | Surface uniform concentrator |
TTC | Trapezoid trough concentrator |
U | Uniform index |
W | Opening width [m] |
Greek symbols | |
ϕ | Circumference angle of absorber tube [°] |
θ | Acceptance half-angle of the CPC [°] |
δ | Reflecting surface inclination angle [°] |
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STC Type | Parameter | Value | Concentration Ratio, C |
---|---|---|---|
PTC | Opening width, W | 5 m | 22.75 |
Absorber tube radius, R | 0.035 m | ||
Tube length, L | 1 m | ||
CPC | Acceptance half-angle, θ | 30° | 2 |
Absorber tube radius, R | 0.035 m | ||
Tube length, L | 1 m | ||
SUC | Absorber tube radius, R | 0.02 m | 4 |
Bottom distance, BD | 0.04 m | ||
Tube length, L | 1 m | ||
TTC | Opening width, W | 0.18 m | 1.21 |
Absorber tube radius, R | 0.02 m | ||
Height, H | 0.05 m | ||
Absorber tube central height, h | 0.03 m | ||
Reflector tilted angle, θ | 36° | ||
Tube length, L | 1 m |
STC Type | Central Angle of Reflected Light (°) | None-Light Central Angle (°) | Light Reception Ratio (-) | Uniformity (-) |
---|---|---|---|---|
PTC | 140 | 40 | 100% | 0.32% |
CPC | 160 | 20 | 100% | 2.12% |
SUC | 360 | 0 | 100% | 87.38% |
TTC | 260 | 60 | 70% | 80.50% |
STC Type | Inlet | Outlet | Outer Wall | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boundary Condition | Velocity | Temperature | Boundary Condition | Heat Flux | |
PTC | Velocity inlet | 0.02 m/s 1 | 20 °C | Outflow | Solar ray-tracing results as shown in Figure 7 |
CPC | Velocity inlet | 0.01 m/s | 20 °C | Outflow | Solar ray-tracing results as shown in Figure 8 |
SUC | Velocity inlet | 0.01 m/s | 20 °C | Outflow | Solar ray-tracing results as shown in Figure 9 |
TTC | Velocity inlet | 0.01 m/s | 20 °C | Outflow | Solar ray-tracing results as shown in Figure 10 |
STC Type | Light Reception | Uniformity | Concentration Ratio | Absorber Types | Application Field |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PTC | Full area | Low | High | Circular tubes, flat plates, cavity receivers | High-temperature solar thermal, DSG, CPV |
CPC | Full area | Low | Low | Circular tubes, flat plates, cavity receivers | Solar thermal, solar photocatalysis, solar desalination |
SUC | Full area | High | Low | Circular tubes, cavity receivers | Solar thermal, solar photocatalysis, solar PV |
TTC | Part area | High | Low | Flat plates, cavity receivers | Solar thermal, solar PV |
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Cao, F.; Pang, J.; Gu, X.; Wang, M.; Shangguan, Y. Performance Simulation of Solar Trough Concentrators: Optical and Thermal Comparisons. Energies 2023, 16, 1673. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041673
Cao F, Pang J, Gu X, Wang M, Shangguan Y. Performance Simulation of Solar Trough Concentrators: Optical and Thermal Comparisons. Energies. 2023; 16(4):1673. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041673
Chicago/Turabian StyleCao, Fei, Jiarui Pang, Xianzhe Gu, Miaomiao Wang, and Yanqin Shangguan. 2023. "Performance Simulation of Solar Trough Concentrators: Optical and Thermal Comparisons" Energies 16, no. 4: 1673. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041673