Performance Analysis of Solar Thermal Collectors

Abstract

Conventional energy sources are depleting with time, hence the harnessing of renewable energy sources such as solar is of utmost importance. Performance analysis of technologies based on solar energy is necessary to enhance its potential. The performance of solar collectors depend on solar intensity, ambient temperature, wind speed, operating temperature and latitude. In the current work the performance of Concentrated Parabolic trough collector plant located at Solar Energy Center, Gurgaon is analyzed and the performance of the same plant is estimated under Jodhpur conditions. Also the effect of wind speed on overall loss coefficient is analyzed. Finally a comparative heat loss analysis of parabolic trough receiver tubes is done using ANSYS Fluent code. The current work investigates comparison of heat loss between two different designs of receivers; one with air-filled annulus and other with the use of insulating material, e.g. fiberglass at the outward facing half of the air-filled annulus. Numerical analy is shows that use of insulation in the upper half of parabolic trough receiver minimizes about 9% free convection heat loss.