Optical Performance Comparison of Six ACPCs for Concentrating Radiation on All-Glass Evacuated Solar Tubes

Abstract

In this work, six asymmetric compound parabolic concentrators (ACPC) were designed for concentrating radiation on all-glass evacuated solar tubes (EST). The ACPCs are required to be horizontally oriented in the east-west direction and to collect direct sunlight for at least 6 hrs in any day of a year. The angular dependence of optical efficiency of six ACPCs, identical in the height of both reflectors after the higher reflector being truncated, was investigated by ray-tracing method, and the annual radiation on EST concentrated by ACPCs was estimated based on solar geometry and monthly horizontally radiation. Results shows that the ACPC designed based on “hat shaped” virtual absorber with a V-groove at the bottom of reflectors is the best in terms of the optical efficiency averaged over the acceptance angle, followed by the one designed based on “hat-shaped” absorber without a V-groove at the bottom, and the one designed based on the cover tube of EST is the worst. However, from the point of annual radiation on EST, the ACPC designed based on the cover tube is the best solution, followed by the one designed based on “ice-cream shaped” absorber and the one designed based on “hat shaped” absorber is the worst due to the smallest geometric concentration factor.