An Experimental Study on New Multistage Solar Parabolic Trough Collector

Abstract

Solar parabolic collector is a clean a promising traditional technique due to the deficiency in energy resources. A new designed multistage solar parabolic trough collector was proposed and its thermal performance was investigated in this study. The collector width and length are 1m with a copper receiver tube outside and inside diameters of 2.54cm, 2.46cm, respectively. Four buses tube receiver were proposed inside the parabolic collector fitted in a thermocouple at the entrance and exit regions of each bus. A solar tracker with a solar sensor for maximum collecting incident sun rays from the sun rise to sun set. The test section is covered with a glass sheet for easy cleaning and to protect the system from losing heat to the surrounding. To evaluate the thermal performance of the new collector, several variables were studied which are: temperature difference between the fluid inlet and outlet regions, heat absorbed by the collector, convective heat transfer rate, and collector thermal efficiency. All the studied variables show that minimum water volumetric flow rates will give max temperature difference between the fluid inlet and outlet regions, heat absorbed by the collector, convective heat transfer rate, and collector thermal efficiency respectively.