Parabolic trough collector field dynamic model: Validation, energetic and exergetic analyses

Abstract

Nowadays, a large part of the scientific community efforts, dedicated to Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies, are focused on improving the efficiency and reducing the costs. This work presents a flexible, highly customizable, dynamic model that simulates the transient thermal behavior of a solar field in order to use it for optimization, performance evaluation and control tasks purposes. The model is based on the detailed physical principles described in a previously paper which has been extended with an exergetic approach, recommendation made by the author of the previous paper in order to improve the model. The model has been developed using the ThermoCycle library and implemented in the equation-based object-oriented modeling language Modelica. An experimental campaign has been carried out in a real facility in order to calibrate and validate the model. Energetic and exergetic analysis are also presented in this work.