Design and development of small-scale linear Fresnel solar concentrator for medium temperature applications

Abstract

In recent years, Even if the CSP industry (Concentrated Solar Power) has not been yet developed as it should be in Morocco, this country is attaching an increasing importance and have launched ambitious development goals by the year 2020. Many applications of CSP technology needs operating temperatures up to 300 °C [1]. These applications include water heat especially for domestic needs.The present article shows the results of a work about the development of a low-cost concentrator taking into account Moroccan socio-economic context. The system designed and developed a combination uses of two CSP technologies: Parabolic Dish and Linear Fresnel Concentrator. To develop the prototype, a simplified model was used to define the dimensions as well as the number of mirrors that compose the system. The system is autonomous, modular and makes it possible to concentrate the solar radiation with automatic tracking of the sun. A set of mirrors focus sunlight onto a fixed absorber located at a common focal point which is adjustable and allows connecting different types of absorbers. This paper is detailing the design of the devloped prototype. The system is innovative and operates at temperatures up to 250 °C. It is easy to meet the household hot water needs as per Moroccan natural conditions.The paper describes the modelling approach, presents the comparison of simulation results with real measurements and evaluates the results.