Performance evaluation of compound parabolic concentrator with evacuated tube heat pipe

Abstract

The keen interest of harvesting solar energy is increasing because of its clean, green and cheap nature. The pv modules collect the energy from the sun and produce electricity. The solar thermal collectors collect the solar energy in the form of heat. Compound parabolic concentrator is a type of solar thermal collector, which has a combined parabolic structure concentrating the solar radiation on a single line focus where the receiver tube is placed. The performance can be further increased by placing the evacuated tube, which traps the heat. The heat is efficiently conducted by using the heat pipe. A heat pipe is a heat-transfer device that transfer the heat between two solid interfaces. It combines the principles of both thermal conductivity and phase transition. The experimental study is carried out to find out the performance characteristics. The results according to the various parameters such as mass flow rate, tilting angles were plotted to find the better performance. The result shows that the maximum efficiency of the CPC is achieved between 12.00hrs. and 15.00hrs. The intensity of radiation during maximum efficiency is 1000 W/m2 to 1050 W/m2.