Design and Investigation of Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator

Abstract

There is a huge potential of solar energy available in India. For converting solar energy into heat and thermal energy, two technological routes are possible. Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal routes are viable to harness solar energy. Solar thermal power are based on the principle of focussing suns energy and transforming it into high temperature heat for producing steam which can further be beneficial in generating electricity using conventional power cycles. Based on literature survey, it has been found that parabolic trough technology is the most promising and low-cost technology. In this study, an attempt has been made to carry out an optical analysis for sizing of parabolic trough concentrator. Further performance of the designed parabolic trough with hot water generation system has been investigated experimentlly. The maximum value of performance parameter is observed around noon, when the solar beam radiation is its maximum. It has been observed that variation in solar radiation and wind velocity influence average receiver temperature. The study may be useful for future studies in order to investigate the effect of other parameters on performance of parabolic trough collectors.